Aerodynamics are a primary driver of range, which is a major ev selling point. A 12% drag decrease is huge, because you can carry less battery which means you can have a smaller motor, lighter frame, leading to even more range.

at the cost of.... safety (getting locked inside during a crash... first responders being locked out,), reliability (they break enough to justify a class action); and ease of use... the 12% drag reduction isn't actually that huge. Particularly when you translate that into range extension. 10% reduction leads to 5% range. in the case of a model s, that's about 15-20 miles per charge cycle.

And I doubt very much that 12% isn't inflated. The entire article you linked below is a marketing pitch for the people that make said handles.

If it really was that substantial, you'd have seen cars going to hidden/flush/shaved handles back in the Obama fuel efficiency standards era. You know. When they were removing spare tires to get a little extra MPG. (this is also why EV's aren't coming with spares. to squeak out a little bit more range. Compared to the door handles... a lot more range.)

Further, the handles don't have to be motorized. You can have mechanical latches on flush-mounted handles. The entire design started with aesthetics and "cool" factor. which is why people are getting trapped in them and you know, getting trapped and dying. yep. "12%"...but hey, you might die because of it.

oh, by the way, the cost replace on of those over-engineered handles? about a grand. I'd rather sacrifice the range, to have a car whose door actually works reliably. but idunno. maybe I'm just weird.