- Uber is showing passengers step-by-step-directions on how to open a Tesla door.
- The electric cars have surged in popularity for drivers on the app amid elevated fuel prices.
Uber has begun sending riders directions for how to ride in a Tesla, after the electric cars gained popularity on the ride-sharing platform earlier this year.
The app is sending passengers who request a ride in a Tesla step-by-step instructions on how to enter and exit the vehicle.
"To open the door, push wide part of the handle with thumb," a screenshot of an Uber notification from Whole Mars Blog reads. "Then grab and pull handle to open."
The instructions also include a graphic that shows how to open the door handles which lay flat against the Tesla's sheet metal.
—Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) August 2, 2022
Last week, Uber posted an instructional video on Twitter breaking down the process, from entering the vehicle to pressing the button on the door handle to exit the car.
—Uber (@Uber) July 26, 2022
Tesla doors are unlike any others on the market and have been known to cause confusion or at times frustration.
In July, a video of a road-rage incident surfaced showing an angry driver repeatedly smacking the door handles on a Tesla and failing to get into the other driver's car. Earlier this year, a Tesla driver said he had to kick out the window of his Model Y after he was unable to open the door or identify the emergency release lever after the car lost power and caught fire.
Nonetheless, Teslas have become a boon for ride-share drivers since Uber announced last year that it would offer up to 50,000 Model Y and Model 3 Teslas to its drivers via a rental deal with Hertz.
The program has taken off in popularity. In June, Uber said that passengers had already taken over 5 million rides in Teslas since the program started and more than 15,000 drivers had signed on to rent Teslas through the Hertz partnership.
Drivers on the ride-sharing platform told Bloomberg in June that the electric cars had helped them save hundreds of dollars in fuel costs. One Uber driver told the news service the Tesla had helped her more than double her monthly tips after she swapped her Toyota Camry for a Model 3.