Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Plaid Safety

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Tesla's half-assed refresh is a driving enthusiast disaster of the highest order. It's not even a proper redesign, but a half-baked drive train shoehorned into an old, outdated production process with 10 year old bits and pieces strewn about. Maybe Tesla should focus group some of these changes that Elon is pulling out of his ass instead of just blindly following him like he actually knows what he's doing. He's not a UX person and never will be. He knows nothing about UX and his biggest contributions have been production disasters (i.e., falcon doors). Yet he doesn't learn from his mistakes.

Add $10,000 for vaporware that doesn't work even in beta form, and Elon is laughing all the way to the bank at you people.
 
Tesla's half-assed refresh is a driving enthusiast disaster of the highest order. It's not even a proper redesign, but a half-baked drive train shoehorned into an old, outdated production process with 10 year old bits and pieces strewn about. Maybe Tesla should focus group some of these changes that Elon is pulling out of his ass instead of just blindly following him like he actually knows what he's doing. He's not a UX person and never will be. He knows nothing about UX and his biggest contributions have been production disasters (i.e., falcon doors). Yet he doesn't learn from his mistakes.

Add $10,000 for vaporware that doesn't work even in beta form, and Elon is laughing all the way to the bank at you people.
Describe “you people.” Thanks.
 
I have been driving the new plaid for about 2 months now and for the first time, I took it on a road trip. Austin to Dallas and back.

The car is comfortable and super quiet. Its range compared to our old P90D and P100D model X is nice. Its turbine-like acceleration is addictive.

I stopped in Waco on the way back, and the car charged up from around 60 miles left to 300 in about 30 min. It was actually ready to continue to my destination in about 15.

However....

Having put many miles on the old model s and x, there are a few things that I have come to realize that makes the car, IMHO, less safe.

1. The display and UI. On the old model attempting to change something on the screen was more straightforward due to the fixed and predictable position of the controls. The new UI has moving and swipeable things, which is fine on a tablet but takes your eyes off of the road in order to focus on what you are touching. Items on the screen that you would generally need to interact with are not strategically positioned to facilitate good ergonomics and minimum eye contact while the car is in motion. If you are in heavy traffic and you want to change something you need to be very careful. Sure, you can put the car in autopilot mode, but you should not have to. It's like the UI was created to be more of an entertainment system, but it's #1 priority should be for the driver to manage the car as easily as possible.

The old car had items that you would frequently use available to you in the main display. For example, a text message was displayed and could be responded to using the scroll wheel or a call answered. Nothing gets displayed in the instrument cluster display on the new UI, and response requires interaction with the touch screen in a position that has not been driver optimized.

2. The yoke. Much has been written about the yoke. Something that has not been discussed is the offset of the center of the yoke from the steering column. Couple this with a rectangular shape and you have a situation where depending on where you grab the yoke you get a different response, sort of an amplification effect. It's not confidence-inspiring at all. The best analogy I can come up with is taking the handlebars on a 10-speed bike and flipping them up and back.

It has been said that one of the purposes of the yoke was to allow a better view of the instrument cluster. I never had a problem seeing the old one, but the yoke now blocks the view of the touch screen lower-left corner. So now I not only need to take my eyes off of the road but I need to move my head to see part of the screen.

The biggest issue, however, is the touch controls on the yoke. Tesla, if you are listening, please change this. I will happily pay for a better setup.

If you insist on having capacitive touch buttons, then take it all the way and make them into tiny screens that I can configure to my liking. If not then please, put the turn signals on the corresponding side of the yoke. Left side to turn left and right side to turn right. Keep them away from the scroll wheels. Put the horn in the center below the airbag. Would you please bring back the ability to answer the phone or text to the scroll wheels? Make the scroll wheel so you can push it to the left or right with ease, maybe a bit of rubber in the center instead of a slick knurled ball.

I have had my MS for about 3 weeks now and I agree with every single point you listed!

I have to look down to use the signal buttons every time and wheels do need to be redesigned, they either need to be raised up a little or something to be able to easily press right/left. I keep hitting signal buttons trying to do something with the left wheel.
 
I have been driving the new plaid for about 2 months now and for the first time, I took it on a road trip. Austin to Dallas and back.

The car is comfortable and super quiet. Its range compared to our old P90D and P100D model X is nice. Its turbine-like acceleration is addictive.

I stopped in Waco on the way back, and the car charged up from around 60 miles left to 300 in about 30 min. It was actually ready to continue to my destination in about 15.

However....

Having put many miles on the old model s and x, there are a few things that I have come to realize that makes the car, IMHO, less safe.

1. The display and UI. On the old model attempting to change something on the screen was more straightforward due to the fixed and predictable position of the controls. The new UI has moving and swipeable things, which is fine on a tablet but takes your eyes off of the road in order to focus on what you are touching. Items on the screen that you would generally need to interact with are not strategically positioned to facilitate good ergonomics and minimum eye contact while the car is in motion. If you are in heavy traffic and you want to change something you need to be very careful. Sure, you can put the car in autopilot mode, but you should not have to. It's like the UI was created to be more of an entertainment system, but it's #1 priority should be for the driver to manage the car as easily as possible.

The old car had items that you would frequently use available to you in the main display. For example, a text message was displayed and could be responded to using the scroll wheel or a call answered. Nothing gets displayed in the instrument cluster display on the new UI, and response requires interaction with the touch screen in a position that has not been driver optimized.

2. The yoke. Much has been written about the yoke. Something that has not been discussed is the offset of the center of the yoke from the steering column. Couple this with a rectangular shape and you have a situation where depending on where you grab the yoke you get a different response, sort of an amplification effect. It's not confidence-inspiring at all. The best analogy I can come up with is taking the handlebars on a 10-speed bike and flipping them up and back.

It has been said that one of the purposes of the yoke was to allow a better view of the instrument cluster. I never had a problem seeing the old one, but the yoke now blocks the view of the touch screen lower-left corner. So now I not only need to take my eyes off of the road but I need to move my head to see part of the screen.

The biggest issue, however, is the touch controls on the yoke. Tesla, if you are listening, please change this. I will happily pay for a better setup.

If you insist on having capacitive touch buttons, then take it all the way and make them into tiny screens that I can configure to my liking. If not then please, put the turn signals on the corresponding side of the yoke. Left side to turn left and right side to turn right. Keep them away from the scroll wheels. Put the horn in the center below the airbag. Would you please bring back the ability to answer the phone or text to the scroll wheels? Make the scroll wheel so you can push it to the left or right with ease, maybe a bit of rubber in the center instead of a slick knurled ball.
You are 100 percent on the money about what needs to be changed
 
With the recent software update the turn signals are a hard press now and they automatically turn off after you change lanes or turn. There is an elevated line in between the turn signals if you really can’t figure it out. I’ve gotten used to it pretty quickly and now it is even easier with the hard press and auto off. The yoke is pretty easy to use imo and I can rest my right or left arm on the arm rests to casually drive.
 
I like my daily driver to have a wheel and turn signals that I can activate without looking.

Anything else is a compromise.

Why do you have to look? Are you not smart enough to remember? It's the same as a traditional turn signal. Up/Top is right, Down/bottom is left. There is a raised line in the center for your to feel it too. I can't see why people struggle so much with this. Takes half a brain cell.
 
Why do you have to look? Are you not smart enough to remember? It's the same as a traditional turn signal. Up/Top is right, Down/bottom is left. There is a raised line in the center for your to feel it too. I can't see why people struggle so much with this. Takes half a brain cell.
How can you “remember” where a flat surface with no tactile feedback is while moving at a significant rate of speed over uneven ground while turining the surface all at the same time?

Let me guess, you’re one of the engineers at Tesla who didn’t think this through properly.
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
Reactions: Dan D. and WhiteWi
How can you “remember” where a flat surface with no tactile feedback is while moving at a significant rate of speed over uneven ground while turining the surface all at the same time?

Let me guess, you’re one of the engineers at Tesla who didn’t think this through properly.

There is actually a raised bump/line in between the top/right signal and bottom/left. You can tactilely feel where the turn signals are. Have you taken delivery yet or are you commenting based on your youtube experience?
 
There is actually a raised bump/line in between the top/right signal and bottom/left. Have you taken delivery yet or are you commenting based on your youtube experience?
I have driven a Plaid with the yoke and am waiting on my delivery.

The “raised line” is not perceptible at any speed.

Amazing to me how people will continue to make excuses for this stupid design choice. As I said, nothing about it makes driving easier and I’m not sure why fanbois continue to dispute that.
 
I have driven a Plaid with the yoke and am waiting on my delivery.

The “raised line” is not perceptible at any speed.

Amazing to me how people will continue to make excuses for this stupid design choice. As I said, nothing about it makes driving easier and I’m not sure why fanbois continue to dispute that.

I'm far from a fanboy. I almost cancelled my order because of some quality control issues. So, you don't own the car yet and are basing your experience off a short drive. Sounds reasonable.

How is a raised bump/line not acceptable? Do you not have any feeling in your left thumb? How hard is it to feel a raised bump with your thumb? F1 drivers have like 20 buttons on their steering wheel and they drive at 150mph and you can't remember where the turn signal buttons are, when they are right next to your thumb? You can't be that incapable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bhzmark and WhiteWi