Fisker's Ocean SUV investigated for doors that won't open

Re:Fisker's Ocean SUV investigated for doors that won't open by hengheng on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @01:07PM (#39920048)

There are two kinds of engineers in the mechanical and electrical departments. One says "If we just run wires / automate / motorize it will be easier", and they see the direct path from start to finish that matches the requirements.

Then there are those who say "every wire complicates compliance testing, every automation complicates failure modes, every custom part complicates supply chain", and they are the ones that prefer in-house mechanical parts with conservative materials and tooling.

I think it's an age thing, maybe it's a hipster vs greasy-elbows-shop-floor guy thing, but honestly it can be hard to tell who's right.

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Re:Fisker's Ocean SUV investigated for doors that won't open by tomxor on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @01:37PM (#39920485)

There's another angle: system independence.

When things go wrong, i.e in a crash, you still want to guarantee an undammaged door latching mechanism can still be operated independent of other parts of the car being damaged (likely). To satisfy this for a purely electrically actuated latch you would need a battery and independent controller in every door.

It's hard to beat the reliability of a mechanical latch and a human hand to satisfy that requirement.

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Re:Fisker's Ocean SUV investigated for doors that won't open by OrigamiPastrami on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @01:17PM (#39920191)

I think it's mostly an issue of experience. Younger engineers tend to make things more complicated than they need to be and are unaware of reliability issues. Older engineers better understand tried-and-true systems and are more likely to want to stick with things they know work well.

Obviously I'm speaking generally and individuals vary greatly.

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