Teslas also have "cabin overheat protection" which limits the cabin to a survivable temperature when parked (unless the battery is quite low). Still not something you want to subject a child to, but it probably saves some lives. I think this is only practical with electric cars.

I'd be in favor of automatically rolling down windows if interior temperature exceeds 35C. This could work on ICE cars too. I guess it could increase thefts on hot days, but thieves seem to have no trouble breaking windows anyway.

> I think this is only practical with electric cars.

All cars are electric cars if you put a solar panel on the roof!

I believe that Bentley had this as an option some years ago: The solar panel would power enough of the climate system so that when you returned to your car after a heavy shopping session on Rodeo Drive, it would be warm but not oppressive and would quickly reach your desired temperature when you restarted the engine and turned on the AC.

Of course, as a Bentley owner, you need never worry about leaving your child in the back seat. The nanny is back there and will handle everything.

The "cabin overheat" is the thing I'm surprised hasn't become standard requirements, it can be as simple as rolling down the windows or as complex as a system of fans.

> What if you just go get something from the trunk, or if you forgot something in your home?

To prevent the death of a child it would be sufficient to prevent the car from getting too hot. If you have a reliable way to detect the presence of a living being in the car, the car could just decide to activate the AC once a temperature threshold is met.

Electric car, sure. Most cars need to be on for the AC to function, though.

I wonder how many people have used Tesla’s dog mode for their children.

I turned it on once for my teenage daughter in a parking lot on a warm day and she was mightily offended. Teslas now have "camp mode" which also keeps the AC on.