Why no HUD? (On any Tesla?)

Crissa

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But I think first-time-in-that-model drivers would figure out the lights and wiper controls faster in any car other than a Tesla.
I think the same could be said for any of the next-gen cars.

Having an array of dials does let you have alot more, bigger labels. But it also means having alot more dials to look for.

The Tesla is likely to just turn on the lights for you.

-Crissa
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alan auerbach

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I think the same could be said for any of the next-gen cars.

Having an array of dials does let you have alot more, bigger labels. But it also means having alot more dials to look for.

The Tesla is likely to just turn on the lights for you.

-Crissa
Depends whether you want a cockpit designed for low cost and a clean look or one made for intuitive and hence safe operation. For the former, stick with the Tesla precedents. For the latter, as an example, picture a miniature headlight on the dash near the driver. Raise it one click for parking lights, two for headlights. Flick between city and high-beams; twist for variable interior lighting. Do similar with a miniature wiper blade.

This idea originated on B17s, whose crew, landing after a 6-hour mission, would raise the landing gear when they meant to raise the flaps. Making the secondary controls intuitive (little wheel to control the gear, flap-shaped lever to control the flaps) saved some bombers.
 
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Ehninger1212

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I believe Tesla views this as an added unnecessary expense and production item. Elon talks a lot about not just simplifying but eliminating things all together. Adding this would sort of go against that rule logic.
 

alan auerbach

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I believe Tesla views this as an added unnecessary expense and production item. Elon talks a lot about not just simplifying but eliminating things all together. Adding this would sort of go against that rule logic.
Agree with you Jake; too bad that safety's not always simple and low-cost.
 

ldjessee

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Licensed and unlicensed pilots can fly ultra light aircraft (here in the US) and controls can be almost anything, including a weird thumb throttle and pulling on cords to control direction and climb...

I have seen people not get some cars/trucks controls because the weird symbol does not translate for them to what it was trying to convey.

Why blame the car for a medical emergency? Why did they not call for an ambulance/paramedic?

What if the original passenger had no driver's license? or theirs was suspended (failed the eye test)?

Standardized controls is a good idea, but the only standard I have seen in cars is the skinny pedal is for go, the fat wide one is for stop, and the steering wheel changes direction. Everything else is subject to a manufacturer's whim (or design language).
 


Jhodgesatmb

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Gotta say, headlights haven't been in the same place on my cars over the years. Sometimes they're on a stalk - but is it a rotate or a flick? Did the instruments light up or not? Did they have an automatic mode, and is it two clicks or one to activate them? Where is the speed? Is it in big friendly numbers that lag behind or a dial with some unknown graduation?

C'mon, having the instruments behind the wheel are not a big deal. Especially on a car that does those things for you.

-Crissa
We rented a convertible in Hawaii once for grins and not only did it take some time to figure out all the buttons but we raised the roof looking for the wipers when it started to rain. Neither Dee nor Lee would have made it to the hospital.

So what was the topic again? Itā€™s been exciting but I lost the thread. I donā€™t think there is such a thing as intuitively obvious anymore. It used to be that you could turn the radio off, but we searched for months how to turn the radio off in my wifeā€™s Mazda CX-5 and the best we could get was to mute it. Sold it for a Model 3. Maybe Lee or Dee should have read the friggen manual before getting in the car. I read each car manual cover to cover before driving it off the lot (easy these days with manuals in PDF on the web), but it still takes time learning the controls, and learning to drive a Tesla just takes some trial and error. Maybe Lee and Dee are too old to drive anything without FSD if this isnā€™t ā€˜intuitively obviousā€˜ to them.
 

Jhodgesatmb

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Licensed and unlicensed pilots can fly ultra light aircraft (here in the US) and controls can be almost anything, including a weird thumb throttle and pulling on cords to control direction and climb...

I have seen people not get some cars/trucks controls because the weird symbol does not translate for them to what it was trying to convey.

Why blame the car for a medical emergency? Why did they not call for an ambulance/paramedic?

What if the original passenger had no driver's license? or theirs was suspended (failed the eye test)?

Standardized controls is a good idea, but the only standard I have seen in cars is the skinny pedal is for go, the fat wide one is for stop, and the steering wheel changes direction. Everything else is subject to a manufacturer's whim (or design language).
I agree with your points and examples but the USHPA regulates flying ultralights and you ā€˜doā€™ require a rating. In the distant past that wasnā€™t the case and if you had a hanglider rating and a friend with an ultralight you could fly it but that didnā€™t make it smart. I knew a guy that tried and ended up paralyzed for life because he made hanglider assumptions in a powered aircraft. I almost made the same mistake but didnā€™t. Licenses and common sense are a good thing. I think the problem with the Lee and Dee scenario is that it is assumed that experience and not common sense with save the day as long as certain norms are maintained, but several people have noted that no manufacturer, and certainly not the government, has done this. If anything they go out of their ways to do things a little differently...all the time.
 

alan auerbach

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Licensed and unlicensed pilots can fly , including a weird thumb throttle and pulling on cords to control direction and climb...

I have seen people not get some cars/trucks controls because the weird symbol does not translate for them to what it was trying to convey.

Why blame the car for a medical emergency? Why did they not call for an ambulance/paramedic?

What if the original passenger had no driver's license? or theirs was suspended (failed the eye test)?

Standardized controls is a good idea, but . Everything else is subject to a manufacturer's whim (or design language).
"... ultra light aircraft (here in the US) and controls can be almost anything ...." That's why I specified factory-built aircraft. Many ultra lights are home built or assembled, and the "factory-built" may be more from somebody's garage.

"... the only standard I have seen in cars is the skinny pedal is for go, the fat wide one is for stop, and the steering wheel changes direction...." Lots more, starting with the door handle: someone who urgently has to drive a Tesla for the first time might not know how to get in. Be patient. Incidents will happen.
 

alan auerbach

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Dee is like what is this magical turning wheel and where do I light the fire?

StanleyTwins1898.jpg
I welcome all the responses but some make me wonder if my point got lost in my fanciful examples. So let me state my point more directly, even if it will still take a lot of words.

If a drivers licence required you to get formally and regularly checked out in a model before you can legally drive it, that could improve safely, especially in view of the lack of "cockpit standardizaton." (Not advocating, just saying.) The sole saving grace is that there's some similarity from one vehicle model to another.

But operating a Tesla is so unique that detailed training is called for. But it's not required, just a drivers licence. The people on this site don't worry me -- it's those drivers who are very young, old, careless, excited, sleepy, frightened, high on something, whatever. For them, an unsupervised first-time Tesla drive could get them into trouble that might have been avoided if the Tesla operation were a bit more obvious or intuitive.
 


ajdelange

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But operating a Tesla is so unique that detailed training is called for.
I can only conclude from that statement that you must never have driven one. Teslas are unique in many ways but you just get in and drive them away. No training is offered or required. Even my wife can drive it. Now she doesn't know Watt hours from overtime hours nor does she understand what any of the displays mean but as far as actual driving is concerned about the only instruction is "don't use the brake unless you have to." and perhaps "this is your gas gauge".
 

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I can only conclude from that statement that you must never have driven one. Teslas are unique in many ways but you just get in and drive them away. No training is offered or required. Even my wife can drive it. Now she doesn't know Watt hours from overtime hours nor does she understand what any of the displays mean but as far as actual driving is concerned about the only instruction is "don't use the brake unless you have to." and perhaps "this is your gas gauge".
While I agree with you that anyone can get in and drive, even more easily than any ICE car, it wonā€™t initially be a pleasant experience because the accelerator response is so immediate and so profound, and the reverse is also true when you let up on the accelerator. Fortunately you get used to it very quickly. But just driving is simple. On the other hand, learning how to operate the steering wheel controls and the display options takes time. The posting about wipers, etc., was off because the default settings on wipers and lights is ā€˜autoā€˜, so they will work without any input, and the voice controls continue to improve.
 

ldjessee

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I have heard the same thing said about sport bikes, that they should have special training, their power to weight ration, power available, and the easy to which it gets to that power...
But, I am not aware of any state or even country that requires a special license just for sport (high performance) motorcycles.

"... the only standard I have seen in cars is the skinny pedal is for go, the fat wide one is for stop, and the steering wheel changes direction...." Lots more, starting with the door handle: someone who urgently has to drive a Tesla for the first time might not know how to get in. Be patient. Incidents will happen.
You mean like this flush door handles on a Range Rover? https://www.landrover.com/explore-land-rover/onelife/design/range-rover-velar-luxury.html

Where are the articles complaining about the new Range Rover door handles?

Yes, someone is constantly getting something wrong, even on ICE cars right now. Just like the ICE car fires vs Tesla car fires, no one pays attention to the ICE ones any more, they are not 'news'.

I am not saying that people will not have issues, I am not saying Tesla's designs are not as straight forward as other designs, but I do not think they are beyond anything else. Atleast they do not have the BMW knob control interface (iDrive). Now, that was bad.
 

Dids

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I welcome all the responses but some make me wonder if my point got lost in my fanciful examples. So let me state my point more directly, even if it will still take a lot of words.

If a drivers licence required you to get formally and regularly checked out in a model before you can legally drive it, that could improve safely, especially in view of the lack of "cockpit standardizaton." (Not advocating, just saying.) The sole saving grace is that there's some similarity from one vehicle model to another.

But operating a Tesla is so unique that detailed training is called for. But it's not required, just a drivers licence. The people on this site don't worry me -- it's those drivers who are very young, old, careless, excited, sleepy, frightened, high on something, whatever. For them, an unsupervised first-time Tesla drive could get them into trouble that might have been avoided if the Tesla operation were a bit more obvious or intuitive.
No your point is that standardization makes it easier to move from vehicle to vehicle.... My point with the steamer post was when/ what should you choose as the standard. If the stanley steamer was the standard then a hud would defo be outlawed.
 

ajdelange

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While I agree with you that anyone can get in and drive, even more easily than any ICE car, it wonā€™t initially be a pleasant experience because the accelerator response is so immediate and so profound,
I've seen the expressions on the faces of too many friends and neigbors experiencing this for the first time to be able to agree to that.

and the reverse is also true when you let up on the accelerator. Fortunately you get used to it very quickly.
That does take a little longer. Maybe 2 -3 miles on the road,.

On the other hand, learning how to operate the steering wheel controls and the display options takes time.
At the moment the design still belongs to the engineers. Eventually the will have to "dumb it down" if they want it to sell. I remember the lamentations when they did that with ICE cars. It's going to be even sadder when they do it to these.
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