Model 3 "new technology" speculation

[wdolson]

One thing that might be cool, though not sure it would be cheap enough for the 3 -- charge ports at all 4 corners of the car. Would be nice to not bother trying to line up the charge port with the charger; just park however you like.

That would be expensive. Electrical plugs cost money.

My current car is one of the last cars that has the gas filler cap under the back license plate. It not only hide it from view when not in use, but I have never had to worry about lining up one side of the car or the other with the pump. Putting it in the back like my car isn't practical with modern trunk lids that come down to the bumper, but I think Nissan had the right idea putting the charge port in the middle front.

If Tesla did it, it would make using a supercharger easier. Backing up into a restricted space requires more ability to control the car than pulling in nose first.

Tesla could have put the charging port under a panel in the nose cone. They would have had to reroute things a bit, but the charger hardware could have been placed in front of the battery instead of under the back seat. It would make it a lot easier for people with poorer hand-eye coordination to use all superchargers. The idea of having to back into a space with $100K cars on both sides would be nerve wracking for a lot of people who are not that great at backing with precision.

 

[tga]

My current car is one of the last cars that has the gas filler cap under the back license plate.

What is it?

 

[wdolson]

What is it?

I drive a 92 Buick Roadmaster. I hate the name, but it's been a wonderful car.

 

[eloder]

I hate backing into spaces--love the front nosecone spot on my Leaf. I positioned my EVSE to try and be in a neutral spot whether I eventually bought a Tesla or something else, though I need to back up to make the Tesla work off of it.

I'm just counting on autopilot and autonomous parking abilities making charging easy at home.

 

[EcoHeliGuy]

I doubt it. An aluminum body really does add cost. There's a reason almost all car bodies are made of steel. It's going to be a real challenge to make a high quality 200+ mile "real world" range EV, the size of a BMW 3 or 4 series, for a base price of US$35K.

Those BMW's use aluminum body panels.

 

[ecarfan]

And the base BMW 3 or 4 series use a much cheaper to build ICE drivetrain (cheaper compared to a 50-60kWh battery/inverter/electric motor).

 

[EcoHeliGuy]

And the base BMW 3 or 4 series use a much cheaper to build ICE drivetrain (cheaper compared to a 50-60kWh battery/inverter/electric motor).

And then the dealers need to add a profit as well.

 

[forumman83]

- Maybe motors in the wheels, to eventually accommodate a P100Q version of the next roadster.

- Maybe integrated wireless induction charging.

- More social autopilot (using the position and sensors of nearby teslas as secondary sensors to see around corners or ahead of cars in front of the car in front of you, for instance).

- An App store. I remember (maybe 5 or 6 years ago) hearing that eventually Tesla would open up their software to allow people to create apps that would need to be pre-approved before you could put them on your car.

- Removable, upgradeable storage in standard formats, like a 2.5" drive slot. It could use a caddy similar to what AtomOS devices use for its removable 2.5" drives.

- Drive-time monitoring/recording to the upgradeable, removable storage, like the million or so dash cams on the market, but fully integrated into the car's forward and rear-facing cameras.

None of this is "new" technology, but it would be new to Tesla. And except for the motors in the wheels, and the spot to install your own hard drive, it would definitely be optional.

I disagree with all of these.

 

[dgpcolorado]

+1. I don't like the idea of backing into a parking/charging spot, even with a rearview camera. I really liked the common sense approach Nissan has with the charge port.

I agree. Both of the L2 public charge stations I use have single direction traffic and it is difficult to turn around and back in when the lot is full. Yesterday I just parked front in and plugged-in to the back; the cable was plenty long enough. Think I'll just do it that way in the future. I'm less concerned about the Supercharger stations because the ones I've seen have plenty of room to back in.

 

[malcolm]

Wing mirrors fold in when BOTH Autopilot is active AND the car is moving at high speed (reduces Cd when it is most needed)

Yes you would have to look around before you indicated a lane change.

 

[Trev Page]

I hate backing into spaces--love the front nosecone spot on my Leaf. I positioned my EVSE to try and be in a neutral spot whether I eventually bought a Tesla or something else, though I need to back up to make the Tesla work off of it.

I'm just counting on autopilot and autonomous parking abilities making charging easy at home.

Hah! I've trained my wife to back our Lincoln into our driveway every time she takes it. This way when our Tesla arrives she won't complain about backing up to plug it in.

 

[p1l0t3]

I'm in for all the glass variations. On planes, it has been a while they have lost glass. Why not on cars ?
Also, I would love to those potholes on each side of my windshield to disappear. 270deg non obstruate view...
That would be something about safety (visibility) even if from a structural point of view it would be weakening this same safety. unless they found a way to it.

 

[Tanquen]

I've seen some pretty crazy ideas out there like scissor doors, this, that and the other but remember:

Musk is cutting the base price in half from 70000 to 35000.

He is putting a lot of effort into meeting that new base price.

He has said that the 3 will be smaller, have less range (the battery pack will have to be smaller to fit the car) and said it will be less the bells and whistles of the Model S.

AP should be there and hr has said they will be adding a number of features the next 2 years and alluded to it being mostly or all software.

Musk also stated that many of the features/options of the new model 3 will not be available in the first run they will be added in the 2nd and 3rd year. This is again is being done to meet the base price and the proposed release date.

I'm not expecting a gutted base model Honda Civic but anything from that and closer to a Model S will be icing on the cake.

 

[Steepler2k]

I'm hopeful for an all digital LED/LCD screen in place of a traditional instrument panel. Not sure if that's how it works on the Model S. Audi's virtual cockpit version they're rolling out looks absolutely incredible.

 

[Tempus]

I'm hopeful for an all digital LED/LCD screen in place of a traditional instrument panel. Not sure if that's how it works on the Model S. Audi's virtual cockpit version they're rolling out looks absolutely incredible.

that's already how the Model S is. No physical instrument panel at all.

 

[Model 3]

He has said that the 3 will be smaller, have less range (the battery pack will have to be smaller to fit the car) and said it will be less the bells and whistles of the Model S.

Do you have a source for Elon saying that Model 3 will have less range then Model S?

Yes, the battery-pack will be smaller to fit a smaller car, but with new cells and perhaps new chemistry it may well still have the same range.

 

[raysspl]

A lot of the Model S tech will trickle its way down the to the Model 3, if this wasn't obvious enough.

 

[EcoHeliGuy]

I've seen some pretty crazy ideas out there like scissor doors, this, that and the other but remember:

Musk is cutting the base price in half from 70000 to 35000.

He is putting a lot of effort into meeting that new base price.

He has said that the 3 will be smaller, have less range (the battery pack will have to be smaller to fit the car) and said it will be less the bells and whistles of the Model S.

AP should be there and hr has said they will be adding a number of features the next 2 years and alluded to it being mostly or all software.

Musk also stated that many of the features/options of the new model 3 will not be available in the first run they will be added in the 2nd and 3rd year. This is again is being done to meet the base price and the proposed release date.

I'm not expecting a gutted base model Honda Civic but anything from that and closer to a Model S will be icing on the cake.

Elon hasn't made any of these statements. Period

 

[wdolson]

Hah! I've trained my wife to back our Lincoln into our driveway every time she takes it. This way when our Tesla arrives she won't complain about backing up to plug it in.

And all the tickets you'll get for your car not being road legal. Virtually all jurisdictions require at least two mirrors, one to the left of the driver and one to the right. The laws specifically say "mirrors" which is the stumbling block. A lot of car companies are trying to get these laws changed, but it's going to be a slow process.

I'm in for all the glass variations. On planes, it has been a while they have lost glass. Why not on cars ?
Also, I would love to those potholes on each side of my windshield to disappear. 270deg non obstruate view...
That would be something about safety (visibility) even if from a structural point of view it would be weakening this same safety. unless they found a way to it.

Aircraft have used plexiglass since the 1930s. Plexiglass is much lighter than glass, but it has a lot of drawbacks for cars. It's softer and more fragile than glass and it degrades when exposed to sunlight, getting translucent over time. Aircraft don't have to contend with stuff bouncing off the windscreens in the air, so the softer plexiglass is OK.

In cars using plexiglass would result in sand scouring the windshield and if something of any size came flying at you like a piece of metal flying out of the bed of a truck, it would likely go right through the windshield and hit you. One time in Seattle I was following a semi carrying scrap metal and a nut about 3 inches across flew out of the bed and hit my windshield right in front of me. Thankfully it richocheted away and there was no damage, but if it had gone through, it would have killed me.

The reason we still use glass in cars is because nobody has come up with a material that is better for the application. Even the world's most expensive cars still use glass because even when money is no limit, there is still nothing better.

 

[Trev Page]

The reason we still use glass in cars is because nobody has come up with a material that is better for the application. Even the world's most expensive cars still us

Damn,I was sure that transparent aluminum was a thing. Scotty said so!