Opportunity Console - New Photos, Poll

[dsm363]

Looks good. Nice work. Could definitely be an option.

I'm fine with things the way they are if they move the two floor cup holders back (towards the back of the car) about 6 inches so taller drinks can fit.

 

[Tempus]

Looks good. Nice work. Could definitely be an option.

I'm fine with things the way they are if they move the two floor cup holders back (towards the back of the car) about 6 inches so taller drinks can fit.

For me - take b.noing's idea, and put the cupholders on the floor of the open storage area, near the back. So lower, and a bit in front of where the current cupholders are in the arm-rest. (agreed with many that they don't work there). that would seem to work a lot better, give you room for taller cups, and have it less awkward to get to.

Another +1 for a great idea there!

 

[ckessel]

Opps, looks like here is the right place to post this for GeorgeB:
...cool picture snipped for brevity...

+1 If ever a post qualified for the "Great first post!", this one does.

 

[BryanW]

b.noing's design looks nice. It is very similar to the setup in our 2004 Honda CRV, with the pull out drawer in the CRV being a single cup holder. I think it would be a very popular design and Tesla should consider offering it.
However, given choices, I would still prefer to go with a design like sofl has done. My only concern with b.noing's design is that it emphasizes a vertical nature to the space, pushing it to feel more like an SUV cockpit.
sofl's design would maintain a low profile while keeping a more horizontal feel, which to me fits more with the sleek/racing feel of the Model S.
Both designs are a significant improvement over what is being currently offered, and I hope Tesla offers both types as options.

 

[mlascano]

Opps, looks like here is the right place to post this for GeorgeB:

Here is a concept sketch developing the shelf vertically so it is more useful without giving up the floor storage for purses, pack packs, shoes, briefcases and take out bags...

Significantly, this also would help address the dangerous condition created with the current open shelf configuration. Any serious driver will tell you never to store anything in a position where it can roll under the brake or accelerator pedal. I've read of cases of women kicking off high heels for safer driving only to have them cause an accident.

I imagine the existing shelf used for sunglasses and phones, the drawer for smaller items or valuable items, and the cubby for hats, caps, the cloth for the screen, tire gage, point and shoot camera etc. The door faces might match the brushed aluminum.

I also like changing the color of the leather behind the steering wheel to black to take some of the stiffness out of the symmetry.

An optional aluminum cup holder might be attachable on the forward face of the existing cup holder location for people with the seat forward.

And thank you Tesla for not cluttering up the interior with redundant logos and brand signs.

+1 b.noing!! I like it!
As others have mentioned, if a vertical design like this one is implemented (finding a way to add pop-out aluminum cup holders to it), PLUS reconfigure the current cup holders under the arm rest as a concealed storage area, that would make me very happy :biggrin:

Also waiting to see what Soflauthor comes up with. I do like his initial mock up too.

 

[brianman]

Also waiting to see what Soflauthor comes up with. I do like his initial mock up too.

I think he's still in the dark room working with negatives.

 

[Larry Chanin]

Opps, looks like here is the right place to post this for GeorgeB:

Here is a concept sketch developing the shelf vertically so it is more useful without giving up the floor storage for purses, pack packs, shoes, briefcases and take out bags.

Great idea! With this, certainly lose the armrest cup holders ! Personally, I don't need cup holders at all! But, as others have suggested making a retractable cup holder one of your compartments is a good idea. Then convert the existing cup holders in the armrest to dedicated covered storage for say sunglasses, and I think you have nailed it. I would want the doors to match the trim, surrounded by brushed aluminum to match the whole. Your option can be combined with one of the original ideas which has the usbports and phone holder under the armrest.

Great work b.noing!

I basically share most of Dborn's opinions.

Like Dborn one of the first things that occured to me was having the doors match the trim. However, this will be a much higher traffic area than the front of the dashboard, so I would want to be assured that the existing trim is durable enough to be used in this application. I also agree that this design could be combined with other horizontal designs, but depending on which is selected, it might interfer with b.noig's original concept to continue to allow space for purses, etc. I'm not suggesting that the floor space must be available to accommodate purses, etc., depending on the design of the horizontal storage it might still be possible to place a purse on top of it.

Larry

 

[SUN-day Driver]

@b.noing: That looks great! Welcome to TMC. You've hit it out of the park first time out. Your idea plus the removable unit on the back seat would make this car absolutely perfect.

@GeorgeB: Note that so far this idea has 100% likes..... :biggrin:

Another +1. (I usually find "+1" comment useless and annoying but this time felt it was important to speak up in case anyone at TM is noticing the responses.)

I love the concealed vertical storage. Along with the open area between the seats (and with the sides to prevent things from flying out) you get the best of everything. I'd want to leave the area behind the streering wheel the way it currently is rather than changing it to black, though.

 

[Soflauthor]

b.noing's design looks nice. It is very similar to the setup in our 2004 Honda CRV, with the pull out drawer in the CRV being a single cup holder. I think it would be a very popular design and Tesla should consider offering it.
However, given choices, I would still prefer to go with a design like sofl has done. My only concern with b.noing's design is that it emphasizes a vertical nature to the space, pushing it to feel more like an SUV cockpit.
sofl's design would maintain a low profile while keeping a more horizontal feel, which to me fits more with the sleek/racing feel of the Model S.
Both designs are a significant improvement over what is being currently offered, and I hope Tesla offers both types as options.

Kudos to @b.noing for a creative design solution. We might refer to this as a "display stack solution" -- clean, compact, and some room on the floor for open space. Nice work!

IMO, @b.noing' display stack could and should be opportunity console option #2, after a miminalist dual channel with cubbie that Tesla has proposed.

I'm still at work on option # 3, the CCI, but building something physical when all you have are rough dimensions isn't easy. Completing 3rd iteration CAD drawings tonight (I hope) and will begin implementing a foam pre-prototype tomorrow or Sunday. Ever onward.

To complete my design work, I really do need dimensions for the now standard cubbie-- the car in the Dania store is an older beta and doesn't have one. If you have access to a Model S that has a cubbie, the width and height dimensions would be greatly appreciated. And while you're measuring, it would be useful to have the vertical dimension from the center of the lower front edge of the cubbie to the floor of the car. Post in this thread or private msg me. Thx!

 

[Lyon]

Opps, looks like here is the right place to post this for GeorgeB:

Here is a concept sketch developing the shelf vertically so it is more useful without giving up the floor storage for purses, pack packs, shoes, briefcases and take out bags.

Significantly, this also would help address the dangerous condition created with the current open shelf configuration. Any serious driver will tell you never to store anything in a position where it can roll under the brake or accelerator pedal. I've read of cases of women kicking off high heels for safer driving only to have them cause an accident.

I imagine the existing shelf used for sunglasses and phones, the drawer for smaller items or valuable items, and the cubby for hats, caps, the cloth for the screen, tire gage, point and shoot camera etc. The door faces might match the brushed aluminum.

I also like changing the color of the leather behind the steering wheel to black to take some of the stiffness out of the symmetry.

An optional aluminum cup holder might be attachable on the forward face of the existing cup holder location for people with the seat forward.

And thank you Tesla for not cluttering up the interior with redundant logos and brand signs.

I love everything about that except for changing the leather color behind the wheel (personal preference) and the fact that it reminds me of the center stack of my parents' old 1993 Plymouth Grand Voyager. Then again, that was a immensely useful design and I'm sure that Tesla could execute it in a way that looked MUCH better.

Thanks for the contribution b.noing

 

[b.noing]

I whole heartedly agree with the input here. The cup holders are poorly positioned and too shallow to be of any use. I do like the idea of a double metal ring that plugs in to the face of the existing console and floats above the open space. This could be removable and allow non-cup holder people to opt out.

Soflauthor's horizontal console idea and the display stack are both functional but completely different in look and feel. Offering both "opportunities" would really add to the Tesla mystique as well as make for happy owners. They could also pursue different aesthetics. A minimal more tech look for the center stack as an extension of the big screen (also to avoid any minivan look) and more traditional leather and accent trim for the horizontal option.

 

[Jason S]

+1 to original design concept and +1 Dborn or Larry Chanin's cosmetic improvements on this design. WhiteKnight's idea of heating/cooling electronics would be really slick, I think integrated cups might make that easier?

Cup holders with the lids right in front of the controls make me nervous, but those controls will rarely be touched anyhow, so I'd get over it. If I even bother with cups in those; better to have the option and not use it.

I don't see a problem with the minivan design aesthetic in this case.

 

[ddruz]

In following this thread closely it appears that people really like b.noing's vertical storage and soflauthor's horizontal storage designs, myself included, and are probably hoping that a variant of each is an option at the end of the day. There are a some others, however, who would like to see the minimalist concept retained along with as much open space as possible. And most everyone seems to feel that the current cup holders should be relocated and the freed up space under the arm rests turned into concealed storage.

Both b.noing's and soflauthor's concepts can incorporate relocated cup holders, the former with pop outs, pull outs or drop downs and the latter with stationary recesses. But for the minimalists we have yet to see a functional, aesthetic, durable solution for cup holder relocation. Relocating them below the under-display shelf like original option #3 restricts container height to less than 8 inches. A pop out or pull out fixed to the bottom of the shelf may limit container height also due to interfering with the display. Using a flip up or pop out on the front of the current arm rest may necessitate a rather significant cantilever to reach past the lip. Putting cup holders directly on the floor in front of the arm rest module without consideration of the USB ports could restrict their usage.

To encourage discussion about cup holder relocation for the minimalists who simply wish to move the cup holders and will be content with whatever concealed storage may subsequently result under the arm rests, I present two conceptual solutions for consideration. The first solution retains more open space but the cup holders cannot exceed a certain diameter. In the second, larger container diameters may be accommodated but some open space is traded off.

 

[roblab]

@ ddruz

I like this very much. That's my vote. I think #2 over #1 right now, but either would be great.

 

[CyberDutchie]

This to me so far is both estatically the best idea, and, the most practical solution for cup holders. An option 3 would be to place the cup holders diagonal, to accommodate larger beverage sizes. That's the way it is configured in my Kia Optima and it works very well.

 

[ddruz]

This to me so far is both estatically the best idea, and, the most practical solution for cup holders. An option 3 would be to place the cup holders diagonal, to accommodate larger beverage sizes. That's the way it is configured in my Kia Optima and it works very well.

mulder1231: Here is minimalist option #3 per your suggestion with diagonal cup holders which also accommodate larger size diameters but take away less open space than minimalist option #2 above.

 

[CyberDutchie]

For comparison, here is an image of the Kia cup holder design. It also has a slot in between the cup holders, I guess for cups with a handle, or to store longer items.

 

[jbherman]

In following this thread closely it appears that people really like b.noing's vertical storage and soflauthor's horizontal storage designs, myself included, and are probably hoping that a variant of each is an option at the end of the day. There are a some others, however, who would like to see the minimalist concept retained along with as much open space as possible. And most everyone seems to feel that the current cup holders should be relocated and the freed up space under the arm rests turned into concealed storage.

Both b.noing's and soflauthor's concepts can incorporate relocated cup holders, the former with pop outs, pull outs or drop downs and the latter with stationary recesses. But for the minimalists we have yet to see a functional, aesthetic, durable solution for cup holder relocation. Relocating them below the under-display shelf like original option #3 restricts container height to less than 8 inches. A pop out or pull out fixed to the bottom of the shelf may limit container height also due to interfering with the display. Using a flip up or pop out on the front of the current arm rest may necessitate a rather significant cantilever to reach past the lip. Putting cup holders directly on the floor in front of the arm rest module without consideration of the USB ports could restrict their usage.

To encourage discussion about cup holder relocation for the minimalists who simply wish to move the cup holders and will be content with whatever concealed storage may subsequently result under the arm rests, I present two conceptual solutions for consideration. The first solution retains more open space but the cup holders cannot exceed a certain diameter. In the second, larger container diameters may be accommodated but some open space is traded off.

View attachment 7728View attachment 7729

I like the first option + add the phone dock or storage behind the side by side cup-holders (perpendicular to the direction you have it in option 2).

 

[Jason S]

I like ddruz's design simplicity and modular nature, but I'd rather have it extend from under the console than eat the open space between the seats. With open space between the seats we can place bags or w/e there and they are contained by the seats. Putting the bags or w/e further forward will increase the danger of the stuff spilling over into the footwells and creating a hazard.

So flipping it around works better for me.

I'm pretty sure this has been mentioned before -- put the USB ports (or at least one) in a cubby under the armrest. Implying a redesigned armrest with the more conventional flip-up design.

 

[MikeK]

I like ddruz's design simplicity and modular nature, but I'd rather have it extend from under the console than eat the open space between the seats. With open space between the seats we can place bags or w/e there and they are contained by the seats. Putting the bags or w/e further forward will increase the danger of the stuff spilling over into the footwells and creating a hazard.

+1. I think you could put a small storage area directly under the shelf, moving the cup holders just far enough back to accommodate larger containers without hitting the shelf. You'd still have plenty of space for a purse or bag between the seats where it will be well corralled.