Pop-out car door handles could finally disappear for good – as Tesla responds to global backlash about their safety

• The NHTSA opens investigation on Tesla’s electric door handles
• Chinese authorities might ban them altogether
• VW boss says flush door handles are “terrible to operate”

Tesla was arguably the first major automotive brand to introduce electronic door handles back in 2012, when the style-forward mechanism on the Model S remained flush to the body work and then magically popped-out whenever the vehicle is unlocked.

The company even has a page on its website dedicated to how to live with them.

It is a technically neat design feature that has now been copied by multiple automotive brands, including Range Rover, Porsche and myriad Chinese EV brands.