Elon Tweet: No 'significantly new consumer-facing technology' in Model 3

[ecarfan]

New Rather direct downplaying of Model 3. I think this means one or two things:

1) Tesla is starting be aware of the Osbourning effect their constant product changes are generating.

2) Tesla may have made a decision to launch Model 3 with as few new things as possible to avoid delays.

I favor your #2 because this morning Elon clearly stated that Tesla was focused on simplifying the Model 3 production process to ensure a rapid production ramp. He also made an effort to dispel the many rumors about the Model 3.

 

[boaterva]

This morning in one of Elon's many Model 3-related tweets he stated that the car would only have one display, meaning a single screen. Specifically, in response to a question from Fred Lambert about how the Model 3 will be able to do autonomous driving without a driver side display, Elon said "Still has one display".

Unless you want to interpret "one display" some other way than a single screen.

I know that, I created this thread. (I wish this forum software had an indicator for that...)

You said (quote) it won't have dual motor, performance, a single screen (unquote). Normal reading has that meaning it won't have any of those three things.

Which is why I said what I said. So, I assume that's not what you meant.

 

[Big-T]

A better effort would have been:

@elonmusk - will there be a HUD?
ElonMusk - NO

Or even better

ElonMusk - YES

 

[alseTrick]

I paid over $100k for my Model S.. Did you guys expect everything that the Model S had in a smaller version for $35k. People need to be reasonable with their expectations. The battery alone is probably around $10k.

I'm not sure how wanting an interior that generally resembles other vehicle interiors is unreasonable.

 

[dennis_d]

I don't understand why people expecting new tech in the car that is not marketed in the premium segment. I understand not all people can afford to pay $80000+ to get Model S or X which should have all the latest and the greatest, because people pay the premium for that.

I think the expectation from people who reserved Model 3 were unrealistic for the most part. Model 3 is in the same category as BMW 3 series, and all tech cost extra in this segment, you usually get a bare bone car, in most cases without navigation and rear view camera, but you get a good driving dynamic, that's what you're paying for.

 

[boaterva]

A better effort would have been:

@elonmusk - will there be a HUD?
ElonMusk - NO

Or even better

ElonMusk - YES

People tried, and got 'It still has one display'. Meaning, 'that's all it has'? We don't know, as usual.

 

[alseTrick]

OK ok, I don't want to get into the "will it, won't it" any why it will/won't argument about the HUD, but can we have some discussion about how the driving experience will be if there is no HUD and no binnacle?

I'd like to think about in regards to some specific situations (and I don't own an S/X so I'm just going off videos I've seen)

1) AP1/AP2/TACC - Right now on an S/X a lot of situational info seems to happen in the binnacle. Who's in your blind spot, what cars are around you, whether the AP is reading the lane markers OK. With just one screen this info would need to be displayed on the center screen. Is this practical? Would it be to distracting to safely display this sort of situational data to the center and down on the panel?

2) Parking, and other low speed maneuvers - S/X can sense how close you are to stuff to help you with backing up, parking, etc. Is this all fine to have on the center screen?

3) Regulatory issues - At this stage with pre-production vehicles happening does that mean that all various gov safety and other regulatory tests have happened? Essentially I'm wondering if all info it just on the center screen and that's it has the government said that's fine to drive and sell cars with this type of configuration?

Early on during the reveal of of the engineers said the speed would show up in the upper left of the panel, And let's say that's fine; but there are a lot of other things that will display and I'm curious how that will affect the driving experience if it is the only source of info in the car. Thoughts?

Same questions/concerns I have.

 

[Ken7]

James Locke @arctechinc
@elonmusk so does this mean no heads up display in Model 3? How will Tesla handle speedometer and Instrument Cluster information?


Follow
Elon Musk

✔@elonmusk
@arctechinc The more autonomous a car is, the less dash info you need. How often do you look at the instrument panel when being driven in a taxi?

The problem with Elon's comment is that not everyone will unlock the autonomous driving feature.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

I'm too lazy to look it up, but I recall hearing, shortly after the first M3 reveal, that the most basic Model 3s would be manufactured and sold first. The opposite of how they introduced the S and X. This makes a lot of sense for high volume production. Elon's latest tweets also point to this being true. Ever since then it seems like I've only heard people talk about the most optioned out Model 3s having priority. Not sure what's true.

 

[gregincal]

All I can say is that if Autopilot On requires paying closer attention to things than Autopilot Off it's a total fail. The only point of it is to improve safety and decrease fatigue due to the stress of constantly controlling the car. But people seem to believe it will require monitoring of the control screen as intently as an air traffic controller. Why should it be suddenly more important that there is a car in your blind spot with autopilot on than it was without autopilot?

I'll either think the center screen is fine to look at, or I really won't like it. I can't imagine that having autopilot will make the center screen less acceptable.

 

[vinnie97]

This morning in one of Elon's many Model 3-related tweets he stated that the car would only have one display, meaning a single screen. Specifically, in response to a question from Fred Lambert about how the Model 3 will be able to do autonomous driving without a driver side display, Elon said "Still has one display".

Unless you want to interpret "one display" some other way than a single screen.

I don't think the non-nerds are going to be all that excited about a computer display being projected awkwardly in front of the dashboard either (and that being the sole means of viewing basic info). Sounds like it's going to take a huge number of cancellations for Tesla to get the message.

 

[boaterva]

I don't think the non-nerds are going to be all that excited about a computer display being projected awkwardly in front of the dashboard either (and that being the sole means of viewing basic info). Sounds like it's going to take a huge number of cancellations for Tesla to get the message.

All in all, reading all the HUD discussion and the talk about the center 'tablet' display, over the last months, I still can't see how one 'drives' with EAP as it runs now in the S and X without a screen in front of you to see that your car (1) is still seeing the road (blue lines) (2) recognizes things in front of it (TACC stopping for car-following) (3) knows the correct speed limit, etc.

Maybe if the 3 was coming out after a year of AP2 parity and improvement over AP1 (EAP), but we ain't and won't be there in the Fall of 2016.

I'm as techie as they come, and I don't even want just the center screen.

 

[brshoemak]

I'm too lazy to look it up, but I recall hearing, shortly after the first M3 reveal, that the most basic Model 3s would be manufactured and sold first. The opposite of how they introduced the S and X. This makes a lot of sense for high volume production. Elon's latest tweets also point to this being true. Ever since then it seems like I've only heard people talk about the most optioned out Model 3s having priority. Not sure what's true.

I believe the idea was that beyond previous ownership and geographical factors, the most optioned cars would be built first and those higher margins would be plowed back into the process. It makes much more sense to build 10,000 cars with high profit margins to help fund the manufacturing of additional vehicles, versus 10,000 cars with slim profit margins and not very much to reinvest.

 

[sandpiper]

Maybe Elon doesn't want to kill sales of the Model S before the Model 3 is available. Anyway it's the drivetrain that sells the car not the HUD or the touchscreen. I think it's mostly only the nerds on here that really care about a HUD. Most people don't want video game graphics going on in their view through the windshield.

I resemble that remark.

 

[shokunin]

I'm not sure how wanting an interior that generally resembles other vehicle interiors is unreasonable.

I'm surprised by these interior comments, the reveal a year ago showed us basically the direction they were going. Elon mentioned it was not finalized, but then he said they were going to be pencils down in a few months. To me, that meant only tweaks and small revisions, not an entire redo of the interior.

 

[Trips]

What exactly were you expecting?

I was going to order a Model S back in 2015 but decided to wait and see what the 3 looked like. I was overly impressed and decided to wait.

I was expecting an electric car similar to my current Lexus IS350 AWD. Its the dual motors that the test mules had that I am disappointed with. Combine that with them saying the highly optioned orders being first, I was expecting the first vehicles to be in the $55-$70k range. Now it sounds like the order goes mid, low and the highly optioned are going to be last.

I am still holding out hope for a HUD with just the basic speed, radio and warnings on it. Similar technology to what was in my 2003 Pontiac.

 

[Beckler]

This is roughly in line with what I expected. I think full self-driving is much closer than people think and this is of course the motivation. So it's good news that way and was to be expected after the Model 3 reveal. If Model 3 is to be a fully autonomous car for most of its lifetime, what's the point of standard controls.

 

[boaterva]

Well, we're one step closer with highway speed autosteer in 8.1 for AP2, as just announced:

 

[ecarfan]

You said (quote) it won't have dual motor, performance, a single screen (unquote). Normal reading has that meaning it won't have any of those three things.

It won't have Dual Motor, Performance, a single screen or any fancy features at launch.

Yep, I typed that sentence too hastily. My error.

What I meant to type was "It won't have Dual Motor, Performance, or any fancy features at launch."

And then I went on to say "This morning in one of Elon's many Model 3-related tweets he stated that the car would only have one display, meaning a single screen. Specifically, in response to a question from Fred Lambert about how the Model 3 will be able to do autonomous driving without a driver side display, Elon said "Still has one display".

My apologies for the confusion I caused.

 

[electracity]

I believe the idea was that beyond previous ownership and geographical factors, the most optioned cars would be built first and those higher margins would be plowed back into the process. It makes much more sense to build 10,000 cars with high profit margins to help fund the manufacturing of additional vehicles, versus 10,000 cars with slim profit margins and not very much to reinvest.

All M3 sales recapture capex/contribute to cash flow. Higher margins only contribute to profitability.

More model 3 sooner probably benefits Tesla, even at poor margins.