Seniors wishing the glovebox had a physical button to open

[WattBeatsGas]

I am impressed with the technical acumen detailed here. It saddens me, though, because it is just one more piece of evidence to me that Tesla autos are not for the senior set (of which I am a reluctant member).

I own a Model 3 and drive it only infrequently ... especially now during the Covid-19 crimp on places to go. Now I'm sure all you young'uns out there will puzzle over how I could possibly lose some sharpness in my senior years; after all, you (and I, too, when I was a young'un) are bright, quick on your feet, sharp memory, and all the rest of the admirable characteristics of not-old humans, AND YOU'LL NEVER GIVE IN TO THE RAVAGES OF AGE, EITHER. Am I not right?

The Tesla autos have sometimes been called, with pride, "a computer on wheels." However, when I describe my M3 that way to others, it's with an inward groan. Why? It is so difficult to do anything, even simple things like open the glove box. In all the ICE cars I've ever driven, it's been easy. A/C? Sure, just reach over WITHOUT HAVING TO TAKE MY EYES OFF THE ROAD and make the adjustments by touch. No way to do that in my computer on wheels.

(btw, I fully expect there will be many crash descriptions of seniors taking their eyes off the road too long and crashing into some innocent car, guard rail at the edge of a cliff, or oncoming fully loaded semi.)

Or, say you want to flip on the windshield wipers to wash off a bug flattened right in your line of vision. If you’re like me, you’ll have to pull over to the side of the road and browse through the logical decision tree on the touch screen (that saves a lot of weight, I’m sure) before you can home in, minutes later, on the part of the algorithm that gives you several choices for windshield wiper activation.

This retired aerospace engineer, who helped design the control system of the GPS satellite decades ago, longs for the simplicity of an old ICE car! Same for my wife, who refuses to drive the M3 because it is “Too complicated.”

Elon! Here’s a demographic that you might not reach until you design a simple ecar: The really senior cohort that really doesn’t need 0 – 60 in 3 seconds. (I tried to think of a name for a senior-appropriate Tesla that could be added to the S3XY lineup, but I nodded off. Maybe after my nap.)

 

[ggoto]

In response to WattBeatsGas regarding seniors driving Tesla 3, I am in the same boat. There is a lot of issues related to seniors. You can overcome most of your frustrations by using the voice command. All you have to do is to push the right wheel button on the starring wheel and tell the car what you want.

 

[israndy]

there are lots of really smart people here.. so impressed
and a bunch of people who keep posting about how to open the glovebox with voice command

I am impressed with the CRAZY numbers of people replying to the same things. Yes, you are old, we get it, but PLEASE read the thread to the end before posting the same thing so many other seniors have posted.

---
[This might even be an opportunity for the mods to get involved and create another thread for the glovebox posts]
[Mod note... these posts are now in their own thread]

 

[Michelle_eriw]

I am impressed with the technical acumen detailed here. It saddens me, though, because it is just one more piece of evidence to me that Tesla autos are not for the senior set (of which I am a reluctant member).

I own a Model 3 and drive it only infrequently ... especially now during the Covid-19 crimp on places to go. Now I'm sure all you young'uns out there will puzzle over how I could possibly lose some sharpness in my senior years; after all, you (and I, too, when I was a young'un) are bright, quick on your feet, sharp memory, and all the rest of the admirable characteristics of not-old humans, AND YOU'LL NEVER GIVE IN TO THE RAVAGES OF AGE, EITHER. Am I not right?

The Tesla autos have sometimes been called, with pride, "a computer on wheels." However, when I describe my M3 that way to others, it's with an inward groan. Why? It is so difficult to do anything, even simple things like open the glove box. In all the ICE cars I've ever driven, it's been easy. A/C? Sure, just reach over WITHOUT HAVING TO TAKE MY EYES OFF THE ROAD and make the adjustments by touch. No way to do that in my computer on wheels.

(btw, I fully expect there will be many crash descriptions of seniors taking their eyes off the road too long and crashing into some innocent car, guard rail at the edge of a cliff, or oncoming fully loaded semi.)

Or, say you want to flip on the windshield wipers to wash off a bug flattened right in your line of vision. If you’re like me, you’ll have to pull over to the side of the road and browse through the logical decision tree on the touch screen (that saves a lot of weight, I’m sure) before you can home in, minutes later, on the part of the algorithm that gives you several choices for windshield wiper activation.

This retired aerospace engineer, who helped design the control system of the GPS satellite decades ago, longs for the simplicity of an old ICE car! Same for my wife, who refuses to drive the M3 because it is “Too complicated.”

Elon! Here’s a demographic that you might not reach until you design a simple ecar: The really senior cohort that really doesn’t need 0 – 60 in 3 seconds. (I tried to think of a name for a senior-appropriate Tesla that could be added to the S3XY lineup, but I nodded off. Maybe after my nap.)

Model SNR, so we have S3XYSNR

I'm in the same age category as you, by the way.

 

[jjrandorin]

I didnt read whatever original thread this post was in before the mods created this new thread for the OP. I understand some of the OPs concerns but as was likely said a million times (based on the couple responses I see in this thread at least) many of them are likely circumvented by using voice command which is even better than "quickly reaching over and blah blah blah".

I would say to the OP of this thread, take a few minutes and try voice commands. They work better in this car than other cars I have had that had voice commands,. OP may not know all the things you can command that way, but, for example, you can:

Open the glovebox
Change the AC temperature
Turn on and off the wipers, and change modes of said wipers
Perform navigation ("navigate home", or "navigate to (address)" or "Where is the closest Home depot" all work)

There are more. I do agree that the tablet interface can be confusing for some, but the voice commands are WORLDS better than when I took delivery of my car in december of 2018.

It would be just as easy to teach a senior to push a button on the steering wheel and say "Navigate to the closest iHop" than it would be to teach them to use the navigation system in just about ANY other vehicle (most older people have no interest in using navigation in an ICE car because its too hard to understand what to do).

The glove box specifically is a specific case. I store my Charging adapter in there so I need to open the glove compartment whenever I want to charge at a regular non tesla charging location (of which my workplace is one). I sometimes forget to open it when I pull into the parking spot with the outlet at work, and its faster for me to use voice commands to open the glove compartment than use the tablet to get to the "open glove compartment" command.

The root complaint, though "the car is intimidating to seniors" I can see that.. although my mom (who is 73) spends all day poking around at her iPad, so seeing a "giant ipad" as my control unit intrigues her. She doesnt drive anymore though, so I cant get her feedback on how confusing it would be to operate on a daily basis.

 

[cypho]

Or, say you want to flip on the windshield wipers to wash off a bug flattened right in your line of vision. If you’re like me, you’ll have to pull over to the side of the road and browse through the logical decision tree on the touch screen (that saves a lot of weight, I’m sure)

If you are like me, and I suspect most people are, you just press the button on the left steering wheel stalk. I think you may need to read the user manual (again).

I do agree that it is not super easy to to access the glovebox while driving. But I cannot imagine a scenario where I would ever want to do that. What do you keep in the glovebox that you need to access while driving? Even if there was a button to more easily open it, it still seems unsafe to lean across the car while driving to retrieve something from there. If there are things you need to access while driving, I suggest the center console.

 

[CyberGus]

Sometimes technology is just not the answer.

 

[smatthew]

If you're concerned about it....
Why are you opening the glove box while driving?
Why are you adjusting your AC while driving?

Those are both actions you can perform when you get in the car, before you start driving.

 

[TM3blu]

Another "senior member" chiming in. I've found the TM3 much easier to operate then my 2014 Chevy Volt. The Volt had an array of VERY small "buttons". Actually Touch Sensitive locations in the console. Small sensors require accuracy which was hard to execute in a moving car. And a voice command system that could NEVER understand my spoken words.
Thank you Elon, for a system that works.

 

[North75]

I disagree. I find the model 3 to be one of the simplest cars to operate that I've ever driven.
I recently borrowed a BMW X3 for a week and that thing was a complicated nightmare of buttons, knobs and settings. (Maybe I would get used to it if I owned it for a while, but it is way to complicated)

And to anyone who claims that they adjust HVAC controls or others without glancing at them, I seriously call BS. It may only be a short glance, but I seriously doubt you don't take your eyes off the road at all when reaching for controls on the dashboard. I'm not claiming that the Tesla touchscreen is easier (it's not). Stuff mounted to the steering wheel and column could probably still be adjusted without looking,(I bet most people look at those as well) but that's it.

The main thing about the Tesla is that I rarely ever have to adjust anything while driving. I never mess with the wiper controls, the headlights, climate controls while driving. About the only thing I change on a regular basis using the screen is the audio source. Everything else (Autopilot, volume) can be done from the stalks and wheels on the steering wheel.
I just let the automation do it's thing and it's great. So simple to drive.

 

[CyberGus]

To be fair, I too am dismayed by the lack of physical controls. Elon's philosophy is to provide features through software updates, but that does not preclude physical buttons. For instance, there could be a button on the dash that you press once to open the glove box, double-click to open the trunk, and long press to open the frunk. It could even be reprogrammed by the user for various other purposes.

Hmmm I think I may have just invented a product lol

 

[jjrandorin]

I disagree. I find the model 3 to be one of the simplest cars to operate that I've ever driven.
I recently borrowed a BMW X3 for a week and that thing was a complicated nightmare of buttons, knobs and settings. (Maybe I would get used to it if I owned it for a while, but it is way to complicated)

And to anyone who claims that they adjust HVAC controls or others without glancing at them, I seriously call BS. It may only be a short glance, but I seriously doubt you don't take your eyes off the road at all when reaching for controls on the dashboard. I'm not claiming that the Tesla touchscreen is easier (it's not). Stuff mounted to the steering wheel and column could probably still be adjusted without looking,(I bet most people look at those as well) but that's it.

The main thing about the Tesla is that I rarely ever have to adjust anything while driving. I never mess with the wiper controls, the headlights, climate controls while driving. About the only thing I change on a regular basis using the screen is the audio source. Everything else (Autopilot, volume) can be done from the stalks and wheels on the steering wheel.
I just let the automation do it's thing and it's great. So simple to drive.

My other car is a BMW X3 (2019), and yes, it is a lot of buttons. When you are used to BMWs interface, its not that bad, as they tend to put stuff in the same place between car to car. Since I dont drive that car much (its my wifes car, and I like my model 3 so much I avoid driving hers, even though its fully loaded M40 model), whenever I DO get into it I am struck by how many switches buttons knobs etc it has.

It comes back to me, like riding a bike, but after being out of it for a while I agree it is a MESS, lol.

Volume is on steering wheel like tesla and our car has a HUD so you dont have to take eyes off road to see gauges, but yeah you are not adjusting much without taking a quick peek. Once you take a peek, however, the physical button is tactile so you can complete what you want to do with only a couple of peeks.... once you know the interface.

I find voice commands easier though, and I dont adjust much while I am driving other than to want to navigate to some place, or turn on the wiper speed up.

 

[Uncle Paul]

S and X both have glove box door button. It is not a Tesla thing, but a Model 3/Y thing.

 

[bxr140]

Honestly, I don’t know why Tesla isn’t using carburetors either.

 

[smatthew]

Honestly, I don’t know why Tesla isn’t using carburetors either.

How do they get the proper electron/oxygen ratio if they don't use a carburetor? Electronic Electron Injection?

 

[Uncle Paul]

All the newer ones use direct electron injection. Need extensive cleaning every 1 million miles

 

[smatthew]

All the newer ones use direct electron injection. Need extensive cleaning every 1 million miles

Is there some sort of electron additive I can put in my battery to reduce the need for cleaning? If I'm cleaning my electron injectors every million miles I'll never make it to Alpha Centauri

 

[Uncle Paul]

Most of us just WD-40

 

[towndrunk]

I'm over 65 and had no trouble with my Volts (12v & 18v) or my model 3. Sorry, don't see the fuss.

 

[dmurphy]

I see what you mean, but like @jjrandorin and so many others said - voice controls are the answer. It accepts "natural language" so you can speak normally to it and not in some defined programmatic structure.

Go ahead and try it - I suspect you'll really like it!

Press the button and tell the car what you need.... "open the glovebox"... or say "I'm too cold"... or "Change to station 96.7" or "Turn the wipers on high" or "shut off the seat warmers" or -- well, just give a bunch of them a try!

I promise, it's much easier than flipping through the display.... and, of course, lets you entirely keep your eyes up where they belong!

As an aside... my wife's grandfather would have been 102 this year. We sadly lost him at 97 - one of the sharpest, forward thinking people I ever met. A mechanical engineer right to the end, he was always tech first; in fact, when he passed, he had some CAD drawings going on his iPad for a patent filing he wanted.

I mention this because my one regret in buying my Tesla was that I didn't get to show him. He would've *loved* the car... and I'm 100% convinced he would've bought one on the spot.