85D TACC cruise stalk missing button

[Cyclone]

I suspect this is a deliberate change. Given that they've disabled the light on our cars for when cruise is on. I'm guessing they don't really intend to have cruise being turned off anymore.

This stalk also no longer has the light.

This. Part of the continuing changes they are applying. Basically, the Cruise "master" is always on. I get what the other posters are saying about the white triangle on the speedo. That said, I can imagine that once they disabled the light, it was possible people trying to engage cruise and get confused why it won't engage. So now it's permanent on and will engage whenever you pull/push the stalk.

 

[Phil K]

Have you checked the user manual? Does it mention anything about the button?

I understand that some see the button as not needed - and I agree that it's probably not. It would be nice, however, to have the cleaner dash without the cruise icons on it if not needed. When I start, it shows the cruise set at zero... then it keeps the indicator on whatever speed it was last set until the car is turned off.

I also agree that it would make sense that it is a hardware change... however, the service center has not seen it before and the Tesla factory (the person I spoke with) has not seen it before. They checked VINs around mine (83XXX) and some up to (86XXX) on the line and all had the button. If it was a hardware change, I hope it'd be for more than one car. I'm thinking that it may have been intended for some other vehicle and somehow ended up on mine. I'll speak w/ the service center again on Tuesday and see what they have to say. I just found it to be rather odd...

BTW.. my car was ordered with Autopilot enabled.

 

[Khatsalano]

I have pressed the "missing" button exactly once in the life of my car: minutes after I drove off the lot, I switched it on.

Same here ... I never touch that button (S85D 70,xxx). I'm so glad the light is gone now. There is no reason for an on/off cruise control button when engage/cancel do the same thing. It's good process leaning. I'm glad yours doesn't have it .. wish mine didn't either!

- K

 

[Andyw2100]

I'm really surprised that everyone posting is saying how useless the on/off button is, and how glad they would be to be rid of it. While I recognize that we can certainly do without it, I actually like it, and do use it.

For starters, as someone else pointed out, I prefer not to have the extra icon on the speedometer when the TACC is not active. But more importantly, when I'm not on the highway, and won't be for some time, I like to turn TACC off, so that I can't inadvertently set TACC, causing the car to rapidly accelerate to my last TACC speed, or to my speed alert speed. Perhaps I'm being overly cautious, but it takes about a second to push the button to turn it off, and another second to turn it back on, so what's the big deal.

And for all of you that are expressing disdain for the button, is it really in your way if you're not using it? I'm sure you're not pressing it by mistake, so if you don't want it, pretend you don't have it, but I don't understand why having it would bother you.

 

[ecarfan]

I simply consider the CC on/off button superfluous. An extra icon in the driver's display is of no concern to me. I think anything that can be done to simplify the physical control interface to be a positive step. From the first day I got my car, I left the CC in the "on" state and enabled/disabled it with the stalk. I think Tesla is moving in the right direction by removing the CC on/off button.

It's a done deal. Time to move on...

 

[pgiralt]

Only reason I leave mine off is because of the yellow light. I don't like seeing it all the time. If I had a newer model that disables the LED, I'd probably leave it on all the time as well.

 

[Cyclone]

Only reason I leave mine off is because of the yellow light. I don't like seeing it all the time. If I had a newer model that disables the LED, I'd probably leave it on all the time as well.

Yeah, I would do the same. I am sad non-AP cars didn't get disablement of the light altogether. That would be my preferred configuration. And as Andy mentioned, once I turned it on, I would just "forget" the button is there. For now, I turn it off because the light stares at me day-to-day otherwise.

 

[green1]

But more importantly, when I'm not on the highway, and won't be for some time, I like to turn TACC off, so that I can't inadvertently set TACC, causing the car to rapidly accelerate to my last TACC speed, or to my speed alert speed. Perhaps I'm being overly cautious,

Yes, you are being overly cautious. Do you also want a switch to turn on to enable the accelerator each time? after all, pressing that too hard by accident will cause a lot of trouble, how about one to turn on before you open the sunroof, in case it's raining and you accidentally open it?

We could add a switch to turn on before you use the turn signals so you don't embarass yourself by accidentally signalling when you didn't mean to, or a switch to enable the horn so you don't accidentally honk.

I think we need to assume that a driver knows what controls they want to press and when, and allow them to use said controls without unneeded extra steps.

I've never understood what was so special about cruise control that every vehicle has that redundant on/off switch, no other control in the vehicle has it, so no reason for it here either. (at least the Tesla one doesn't reset to off every time you park the car like some models!)

 

[thecloud]

I simply consider the CC on/off button superfluous. An extra icon in the driver's display is of no concern to me.

What is of no concern to you may be of significant concern to others. That's why options exist.

I think anything that can be done to simplify the physical control interface to be a positive step. From the first day I got my car, I left the CC in the "on" state and enabled/disabled it with the stalk. I think Tesla is moving in the right direction by removing the CC on/off button.

I agree with you there...

It's a done deal. Time to move on...

Not sure I agree if you are saying CC must be left on all the time. Just because there is no physical button on the stalk, it does not follow that there should be no software-based control to turn CC off. Notice the headlight control has an Off switch in software, even though the associated stalk doesn't have a button for it.

I like to turn TACC off, so that I can't inadvertently set TACC, causing the car to rapidly accelerate to my last TACC speed, or to my speed alert speed.

This is what I prefer to do as well. On a related note, I find myself occasionally bumping the stalks on the left side when I'm getting in or out of the car and reaching for the wheel, especially with a jacket in one hand and a bag in the other. Usually I'll hit the turn signal, which is noticeable right away. But other times I'll accidentally turn on the high beams without realizing it until much later (fortunately, auto high-beam provides a failsafe for that.) So I'm perhaps worried that the back-front enabled state of the stalk, by itself, is too easy to change without conscious thought.

 

[vvanders]

Just push the thing forward, and it will not re-engage.

I have pressed the "missing" button exactly once in the life of my car: minutes after I drove off the lot, I switched it on. It was SO MUCH worse on my Lexus: I had to switch it on every time when I started the car. Hugely annoying.

Yup +1

 

[Andyw2100]

Yes, you are being overly cautious. Do you also want a switch to turn on to enable the accelerator each time? after all, pressing that too hard by accident will cause a lot of trouble, how about one to turn on before you open the sunroof, in case it's raining and you accidentally open it?

Leaving this button and its use the way it is now doesn't negatively impact anyone who doesn't want to use it. Those people can simply press it once, and then pretend it doesn't exist.

And no, I don't need a switch to enable the accelerator each time. The accelerator is exactly where it's been on every car I've ever driven. It would be pretty hard to confuse it with something else, or to step on it too hard without intending to. I'm willing to take my chances with that.

But the cruise control stalk is close to the directional stalk, and there are several things that are controlled in that general area, and have been controlled in that general area differently in other cars I've driven, and other cars I'm driving now. So excuse me for wanting to be overly safe, and for being willing to take a second to push a button to make sure that I don't risk inadvertently starting to accelerate from 30 to 70 because I mistakenly pull the TACC stalk towards me when I meant to lower my high beams.

And again, my desire to have and use this button has almost zero impact on anyone who doesn't want to use it. Anyone who wants to leave it on all the time can. If they somehow find TACC off when they attempt to engage TACC, and the button needing to be pushed, I'm sure it won't take very long to push the button, and TACC will get engaged a couple of seconds later than it would have been. I don't understand what the issue is on this one.

 

[MDK]

I never turn cruise control completely off either, so I've only used the button once - to turn it on when I first got my car.
I was wondering if Tesla could re-purpose the button when the lane-keeping / steering assist autopilot feature is made available to us - ie use the button to switch the self steering on/off.

That way if you're travelling along the highway and are coming up to a section with poor lane markings you can push the button to manually take control of the steering while the car keeps control of the speed.

Perhaps they could have it work on two levels - a short press for active steering, and a long press to turn cruise control on/off completely for the folks that want that ability.

Mercedes-Benz has a separate button on the dash for steering assist:

 

[breser]

I actually do use the on/off button to reset the set speed on the cruise. I get off the interstate, travel a few blocks on a 40 mph road, that I don't use cruise on, to a 50 mph road. When I turn onto that road I tend to floor it and I want to be able to set the cruise. If I don't clear the memory then I end up resuming and it goes back up to 70mph setting that I had for the interstate. Which I then have to fumble around with it to get it back to the appropriate speed, by which time it's typically up to 60+.

I wouldn't have this problem if the long press forward to jump to the speed assist marker wasn't modal, but it is.

 

[MDK]

Hi breser

When the cruise control is inactive you can "set" to your current speed by moving the stalk up or down.
ie. the same movement that increases or decreases the speed when cruise is active.

 

[breser]

Hi breser

When the cruise control is inactive you can "set" to your current speed by moving the stalk up or down.
ie. the same movement that increases or decreases the speed when cruise is active.

Yeah I know. Toggling it on and off is easier because I don't have to remember that the up and down movement has a different behavior when cruise is inactive. I really hate the modal design of the Model S cruise. Hopefully someone at Tesla listens because modal interfaces for something like cruise are terrible.

 

[green1]

Yeah I know. Toggling it on and off is easier because I don't have to remember that the up and down movement has a different behavior when cruise is inactive. I really hate the modal design of the Model S cruise. Hopefully someone at Tesla listens because modal interfaces for something like cruise are terrible.

I have not used the Model S, however I've been told it's the same as the mercedes one, and if so, it's the best cruise interface I've ever used, no need to look at buttons to figure out which is what, it's completely intuitive with the stalk. every direction does exactly what one would expect it to do, from the up down doing increase/decrease to the forward back doing enable disable
I too hope Tesla is listening, and that they stick to the best cruise interface in existence.

 

[Cyclone]

I have not used the Model S, however I've been told it's the same as the mercedes one, and if so, it's the best cruise interface I've ever used, no need to look at buttons to figure out which is what, it's completely intuitive with the stalk. every direction does exactly what one would expect it to do, from the up down doing increase/decrease to the forward back doing enable disable
I too hope Tesla is listening, and that they stick to the best cruise interface in existence.

Well, one thing others have mentioned that I would find annoying is that a long-pull will NOT engage to the current speed limit if some other speed was already set in memory (the cruise triangle is not at 0). Instead, it will resume to the last set speed, even with a long-pull. Then you can use the long-pull once cruise is engaged to set it to the current speed limit (+/- offset). This is what I believe breser means about modal design. The behavior of a specific action on the cruise stalk is different depending on what the current state of cruise was. Instead, I personally believe that a long-pull should ALWAYS set to the current speed, a short-pull should always resume to what was already set, etc.

 

[RDoc]

Well, one thing others have mentioned that I would find annoying is that a long-pull will NOT engage to the current speed limit if some other speed was already set in memory (the cruise triangle is not at 0). Instead, it will resume to the last set speed, even with a long-pull. Then you can use the long-pull once cruise is engaged to set it to the current speed limit (+/- offset). This is what I believe breser means about modal design. The behavior of a specific action on the cruise stalk is different depending on what the current state of cruise was. Instead, I personally believe that a long-pull should ALWAYS set to the current speed, a short-pull should always resume to what was already set, etc.

Agreed! The current modal system is not very user friendly.

The preset options might be:
a) Last speed set (resume) - quick back pull
b) Current speed (set) - long back pull
c) Speed Limit w/offset - long up or down depending on speed

 

[andrewket]

Agreed! The current modal system is not very user friendly.

The preset options might be:
a) Last speed set (resume) - quick back pull
b) Current speed (set) - long back pull
c) Speed Limit w/offset - long up or down depending on speed

This is another area where tesla can really shine. Make it user configurable. Use sane defaults and put the options under an advanced tab in the UI.

 

[Stoneymonster]

I like the off button, here's why: yesterday at a light I flipped my signal, my hand slipped and also hit the TACC stalk, the car started accelerating. I knew what was happening, but it wasn't ideal. Now I keep it off unless I need it.