Is HUD a bad idea?

[jkk_]

This seems to be the point missed by most.
I would add that the vehicle will be largely capable of driving itself, so the management, safety and navigation systems are doing all the work. Consequently, there's little need to have a wall of dials, gauges and warning lamps.

If you pay for those features, sure.

 

[ecarfan]

No.
HUDs are cheap. Much cheaper than an instrument cluster. You can even buy an aftermarket HUD for your current car for $50-$60 (go to Amazon and search for HUD).

Those cheap HUDs are nothing like what Tesla would need to clearly display a wide range of important information. They are very simple, limited displays of one thing, speed, and you need to apply a special film on the area of the windshield where you want to aim the HUD at. They are very hard to read in sunlight.

I put a $60 HUD in my Roadster because the Roadster speedometer is hard to see in the 70mph range due to the position of the steering wheel (which is not adjustable) and the dash screen display is located low on the left side (in my early Roadster). The HUD worked but was difficult to read in sunlight.

If Tesla uses a HUD in the 3 it will be an option, it won't be cheap, and I bet it will be awesome. But the 3 will be a perfectly usable car with the 15" center display that we saw on the prototypes at the reveal and that the Tesla drivers said would be in the production cars.

 

[Pdub2015]

There are always fascinating discussions here at TMC. It seems that Tesla has engaged the attention and interests of a wide variety of drivers, from those that have never given their cars and driving much thought before, to those with vast experience with transportation technologies across diverse platforms.

The original question posted in this thread amuses me, because it seems to forget that the "default" driving mode in cars without HUD is "heads down." When we drive, we continually shift focus from "down the road" to "down below the windshield to the dashboard and sometimes centerstack." Placing needed info above the dashboard reduces all of that head/eye movement and focusing, which among other things reduces driver fatigue. HUD should be in every car.

 

[lklundin]

I'm really hoping for a digital dash. It's far easier to see, and looks a lot nicer imo.

I have a feeling that Tesla considers the (digital) dash obsolete and that they want to replace it with something else.

What if the place where the dash usually is, gets replaced with a holder for the smart phone basically everybody has nowadays?

1) The driver needs a place for it in any case
2) With a Tesla specific app, it could display something relevant to the driving
3) When autonomous driving allows for eyes off the road, the driver can look at non-driving stuff they already have on their device
4) It would be inexpensive to do (for common models, you could get a model-specific holder)
5) It could increase the integration of the smart phone into the car, USB as opposed to just Bluetooth (for charging etc.)

 

[favo]

What if the place where the dash usually is, gets replaced with a holder for the smart phone basically everybody has nowadays?

I don't think there's a way to do it that would meet Elon's/Franz's design standards. Too many different phone sizes/shapes to have something clean and recessed.

 

[ProtomanX]

What if the place where the dash usually is, gets replaced with a holder for the smart phone basically everybody has nowadays?

Interesting idea but too many cons. That is like saying it is required to have a smartphone in order to own a model 3. What if you lost your phone or you happen to broke your phone that day.

 

[Garlan Garner]

I would like to see my instrumentation spread out (behind the steering wheel ) on that white strip that spans the width of the car. - Like a spaceship...lol

 

[malcolm]

Googles "Apache Hud"

Oh no..... I can see the licence plates now: GNSHP1, GNSHP2.....

 

[Topher]

Don't think you get the rockets or guns on the base Model 3

Nope, aftermarket option only. Elon said it would be like a spaceship, not a starship.

Thank you kindly.

 

[Garlan Garner]

Oh no..... I can see the licence plates now: GNSHP1, GNSHP2.....

I live in a crazy state called Illinois. We don't have the liberty for personalized plates on Electric Cars. How stupid is that?

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

HUD's a good idea as long as it's not just a replacement for the driving information. One of the fundamental issues with use of a touchscreen has been the elimination of controls that can be used with muscle memory (buttons and knobs), which means that changing settings requires eyes to be taken off the road.

A true Tesla approach is to try to make things _better_. Steering wheel controls + HUD => heads-up, hands on changes.

 

[Garlan Garner]

Maybe Teslas HUD will be even worse - A touchscreen windshield?


Naaah... Tesla isn't that stupid.

 

[Trips]

The HUD on my old Grand Prix was an overpriced $3,500 option that I could not live without. It was very limited in what it displayed with bad graphics as that was 10+ years ago. I would pay that $3,500 again for just a basic speed / radio station HUD.

 

[int32_t]

Yea... until the power goes out

I've genuinely considered a UPS for my oven (propane, 120v). EVERY TIME the power goes out (at least 1x a month)... 12:00
12:00
12:00
12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00

Once a MONTH? Go off grid!

Maybe Teslas HUD will be even worse - A touchscreen windshield?


Naaah... Tesla isn't that stupid.

Ha ha! Like Windows laptops ... DON'T TOUCH MY WINDSHIELD!
Oh, too late, you messed up the HVAC, turned up the volume too far, and answered an incoming call ...