I've never understood this "flush door handle" trend. How many miles of EV range does that add ? Is it worth the reduced reliability?
In EVs there's very little power loss in the drivetrain itself, so other external factors like rolling resistance and aero drag become the major factors.
You seem to imply that the engineers only approve something for technical reasons. Sometimes, they have to incorporate something for purely non-technical / efficiency reasons.
[1]: "Shaved" handles means there is no handle at all on the outside. You install a solenoid to electronically pop the door open instead of using a handle.
You know what looks cool? No handle at all
In fact, why even have doors
Have you considered a Jeep Wrangler or a Ford Bronco? I see lots of those without doors.