This is a good point. This is also somewhat dependent on how a particular country does mortgages. The USA does 30-year fixed rate, but that is not the norm in most countries. The main benefit of lower house prices (even if the monthly finance costs are the same) is that the amount you have to save for a deposit is reduced, which is often a significant barrier for young people.
That's more or less where my thinking comes from, I'm in the UK and most people fix for 2-5 years at a time.
Interest rates will come down again so the effect of them being a barrier will reduce. But the fundamental problem for most people here in the UK is getting a 10-20% deposit together when the average house price is £296k, average salary is about £27k, and average household income is £31k.
I think this comes down to market economics more than product design. Many manufacturers have been production limited by cell supply for a long time. You _could_ make cars with extra large battery packs for those who live in exceptionally cold climates, but it's a limited market, and you'd be taking away cells from shorter range models. E.g. you're likely to make more money selling 5 cars with a 60kwh pack than 3 cars with a 100kwh pack.
Eh, sometimes thats not an option if the an onramp doesn't create a new lane.
I've lived and driven in California, Western Europe and New Zealand. Many (not all) California onramps come from tight cloverleafs or they are metered with stop lights, so you have to accelerate quickly to avoid going into the stopping lane (which will be covered in gravel, if it even exists). I never had this problem elsewhere.
The front window on a Tesla M3/Y sits behind the bright trim attached to the exterior of car (there is no frame around the top and sides of the glass). Normally the glass will drop down a bit when you press the door open button to clear the trim, but if there is no power and you use the manual release, then glass will scrape past the trim on the way out, which can potentially cause damage (as happened) in this case.
Same issue with my spouse. Solved it by buying a fancy manual espresso machine, and me learning to steam the milk to the correct temperature by feel. For tea we have an adjustable temperature electric kettle.
As the article points out, it remains to be seen if this is for self-driving use or in-cabin. Europe requires interior intrusion sensors in passenger vehicles, which afaik can be radar-based. There are also possibilities for fine-tuning of airbag deployment based on occupant size and shape which could be determined by a radar.
Sets off the alarm (an in a Tesla, gives you a phone notification) whenever a window is broken, or something enters the vehicle while it is locked. In an American car (at least last time I checked a few years ago), the alarm only goes off if you use an interior handle while the car is locked.
