Electric cars are becoming more and more popular with the public, but an issue that many owners have been reporting is a malfunction of their automatic windows opening on their own. While this may not be a problem for everyone, it seems to be a potentially dangerous flaw in some models – particularly when you take into account the reason why so many electric car owners chose to go electric in the first place.
The issue with such a problem appears to be exacerbated in colder weather when the batteries are struggling to produce enough power, and it is found that opening windows can sap up to ten percent of this power.
So far there have been reports of this happening in:
- BMW i3 and i8 models
- Chevrolet Volt
- Tesla Model S
While it is believed this problem occurs when there is a fault in the software, BMW and Tesla have both stated that users were aware of the possibility of such problems before they purchased their vehicles.
Members of staff at both companies went on to explain that the sensors in the car are able to detect any obstruction (such as hands, arms, or even children) and will stop the windows from closing.
While this is not an issue for some electric car owners, it does raise concerns about public safety – particularly if someone with ill intent were ever to mess around with these sensors.
Until an engineering fix can be found, owners are being asked to monitor their cars for any malfunctioning windows at all times.
