Speculate: what will be included in the next major revamp of the Model S?

[Gynob001]

Near IR sensors for long range night driving and automatic driving.
Better voice command system
Integrated phone control from the steering wheel
Self cleaning wheels
Interior child sensors
Near vehicle speed sensors and alert to get out of the way
Ability to alert/communicate other vehicles in 4 way stops/traffic intersections.
Just kidding-I don't know anything about vehicles...

 

[RAW84]

I doubt they'll change the nose cone until they do a total exterior refresh...which I don't expect to happen until after the model 3 or even the next roadster

 

[Bangor Bob]

The nosecone on an S is like having a place to hitch horses on an ICE circa 1915. Yeah, the "carriage" looked weird without it, but it's an unnecessary affectation.

Reversible heatpump to cut down on cabin and battery heating energy consumption? Subzero package include thermal insulation for underside of battery, again to reduce battery heating energy losses in cold temperatures.

Update charger wiring and electronics to be ready for 200kW Supercharging (liquid cooled internal cables?). Might as well future-proof...

 

[1208]

The X front on the S! Why would anyone want a big mole on the front of their car? I don't understand!!!!!!

Or is it because it looks like a mouth open?

Anyway as it is it looks like ford Mondeo.

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Here's the list.

1. Dashcams left right front back.
2. Cameras looking down at wheels.
3. Cameras at the front bumper corners to see round hedges or walls as you cross pavement so don't run over people.
4. X's front.
5. X's front windscreen.
6. Deployable fender skirts for tires.
7. Magnets in front of wheels to pick up nails, screws and Allen keys in the road that cause puncture.
8. Ability to charge another Tesla via your own, like sharing petrol with another car that has run out.

Edit: Before anyone tries to be funny and photoshop an animal to the front of the tesla, I don't mean the mammal mole...

 

[wdolson]

- AP 2.0 hardware, more cameras and sensors
- replace side mirrors with cameras
- ventilated/improved seats
- improved interior lighting
- hopefully somethign to fix the lack of ventilation to 3rd row seats
- improved software
- Increased battery sizes (this is basically a given, I think)

They won't be able to replace the side mirrors with cameras until some laws change. The Model X prototype had cameras instead of mirrors, but they had to go with mirrors on production cars because laws in may states require the rearview be mirrors, at least the left mirror and one to the right of the driver.

I wrote them about cloth next gen seats a few months back and got a call a few days later saying they had a number of requests and would probably offer them at some point.

There are conflicting stories about what the Gigafactory is going to do to the battery capacity and price. Elon has said to expect about a 5% increase in battery capacity a year, but on the other hand, a lot of experts believe the Gigiafacory will enable an almost immediate jump of 30% in capacity. Elon has also said the Gigafactory will see a cost decrease of about 30% right from the start. If they pass that on to the consumer, that could drop the price of the car more than $5,000. Or they might leave the price points the same and offer larger battery packs.

I strongly doubt they will replace the Model S nosecone with the Model X nosecone. If the front door system is cheaper and more reliable on the Model X, I could see that making its way into the Model S. The door handles which are just hot spots is definitely easier than the Model S, but the auto opening doors might add more complexity than the retracting door handles on the S.

There was a thread about this a few months ago. The moderators may merge these threads together.

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Totally forgot two important issues. The vanity light and the seating profile. The biggest issue I have is reaching into the car over the steering wheel to change the seating profile so I can fit in the car after my wife drives (1 foot shorter than me).

Sounds like an option for the cell phone aps: the ability to select seating profile remotely.

BTW, I also am among those who don't think there will be any major changes to the Model S for a while. They need to concentrate on getting the Model 3 out there. They can probably afford to be a little late, but they can't be as late as they were with the Model S and X. They will also have R&D people putting tweaks and bug fixes into the Model X for a year or more. It's inevitable that something will crop up in the field that will require engineering changes.

 

[bwa]

My guesses:

From X:

• Air Filter
• Nosecone (looks like this ought to be an option?? A lot of people are slow to change, and Teslas were supposed to be "like other cars".)
• Self presenting doors
• Cell phone automatic plugin

Other additional:

• Incremental battery changes
• Incremental Autopilot hardware changes (AP 2.0 HW)

In a few years:

• Incremental interior quality upgrades, some included in new pricing, some options for more money
• Whatever they didn't do from above two lists
• Screen and computer updates
• Fix the air conditioning and heater issues they recently introduced while meeting some of their newer efficiency goals

In 3-4 years:

• Heads up display (why so long??!)
• Better sound proofing

Things I think of that they probably won't do (soon):

• All door falcon wing doors
• All-fiber vehicle communications
• All-light based computing (this was working decades ago, and now is "yet to be invented", so I suspect a military classification of originally unclassified development)
• Dynamically tintable windows.
• Copy everything Mercedes Benz did in their top of the line vehicles. (A partnership deal with MB & their suppliers would probably be necessary for this type of development, and would be entirely financially unsound for purchasers and mechanically unreliable, but would allow features to roll into the company after a decade of try-out, that they wouldn't have done themselves so quickly.)
• Front, side, and bottom (possibly more locations) emergency rockets for avoiding accidents in ways the standard driveline could never do. Would require landing rocket-based vehicle safely software developed by Space X.

Things I think of they shouldn't do because I don't think it makes sense and because it isn't possible:

• Exterior is both a solar panel and a LED computer monitor, so it charges from the sun at the same time it can be any color of the owner's choosing. Defies most physics laws. Probably will happen within a few centuries anyway (after most of us will have already evolved into non-corporal beings, or corporal beings that can be multi-solarsystem in size and scope of simultaneous ("robotic") location, so it will be considered archaic, the way we look at most antique car restorers today).

Things others have mentioned that they probably won't do for a handful of years:

• Hitch (requires complete structural redesign; perhaps never for the sedan, and people would be steered to vehicles like X or "pickup")
• Mirrorless (I actually think they'll play around with this at some point)

Things I expect on X in 3-6 years but not on S:

• Smaller and/or more transparent conduit for rear view mirror and other hardware on it (possibly embedded in windshield, Corning ultra-tough type fiber communications or something like that)
• Chairs that rotate completely
• Couch, with proper seat belts and body harnesses
• Bed, with proper body harness
• Slightly higher towing capability

On X in 7-15 years:

• All-wall, ceiling, floor, dash, seat, etc. air bag system
• then later, one that is so good that it replaces the harnesses and seatbelts entirely

I don't expect Tesla to get in the "RV" market (what I consider any vehicle that you can live in and has built-in bathing), but that some "RV" market will develop around technologies introduced and manufactured by Tesla and its suppliers such as Autopilot, Autonomous Driving and the entire Tesla driveline system of concepts, married to many of the Large Vehicle electrification developments (very large batteries, very large motors, etc.). A lot of RVs are based on truck frames with truck motors, etc., and I expect future RVs to do the same, but to be more popular than before due to their autonomous driving capabilities and non-polluting energy footprint. Basically, you can't throw small vehicle components in RVs, but some of the software, batteries, and other technologies by Tesla will work in future RVs, along with truck-sized electric vehicle components.

While I'm talking about vehicles Tesla won't do that are truck-based or truck-sized, I think construction tractors are going to go all-electric within the next two decades, and I wish it already happened.

 

[Discoducky]

How would side cameras work? Would they replace the rear camera when the car is moving forward?

What about reverse?

Side cameras could be used for several interesting things like safety and convenience features as well as reduced air drag.

Wouldn't replace the rear camera, but could supplement by detecting obstacles on the side of car while backing up like posts or curbs.

How much would you pay for those features?

 

[3s-a-charm]

I sat in the new BMW 7-series and there are two features I think would be nice for the refresh Model S

1. Rather than just another 360 degree camera system, the BMW system is pretty advanced providing a freaky 3rd party view that looks like someone walking around your car with a camera showing you how close you are to objects. It was very cool!

2. Changing the display behind the steering wheel (the main display) depending on if you are on sport/insane mode - BMW does this by changing from standard colours to very sporty displays in red.
2a. Since I mentioned sport/insane... I would also like a "comfort" mode for shuttling passengers where everything softens - especially throttle response as I find it a little too touchy even in sport.

 

[Zybane]

Eww why would anyone want the model X nose. Different doesn't always look better..

You do realize that cars are not people like? Are you also going to complain that when cars loose the side view mirrors it is like cutting off the ears of a person?

The nosecone is a silly appendage to make the initial Model S vehicles blend in with other cars. That is now unnecessary.

I bet the nosecone will be gone next year and we will have a new and sleek look for the Model S.

Silly appendage? The nose of a car is used to create unique style. That is very necessary. The Model X nose cone looks like they gave up. As an example, Alfa Romeo is widely considered one of the most attractive car manufacturers. They include really amazing look front ends:

Passion and a work of art:

VS

Storm trooper boring blending machine:

For those that love the almost featureless nose cone, I'll let out a massive yawn from the automotive design world.

 

[ecarfan]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
That Alfa nose looks over-styled, exaggerated, and screams "Look at me I'm really trying to be cool!" even though it isn't.
The X nose is sleek, sophisticated, and understated. In other words, it is cool.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Zybane]

Actually that has been proven to be largely untrue. Beauty is about symmetry, proportion, pleasing and eye catching shapes. Subjectivity is one of the lesser values.

A perfect example:

Would anyone in their right mind say that is a beautiful vehicle? No. And if they did, you would surely think they are crazy. Just because one person on the planet may "say" the above vehicle is beautiful, that doesn't mean anything.

 

[ecarfan]

I can't understand how anyone could find a Nissan Leaf attractive, but I have spoken to a number of people who have said that they do.

Just because one person on the planet may "say" the above vehicle is beautiful, that doesn't mean anything.

It means a great deal to that one person.

 

[gizmoboy]

Actually that has been proven to be largely untrue. Beauty is about symmetry, proportion, pleasing and eye catching shapes. Subjectivity is one of the lesser values.

A perfect example:

Would anyone in their right mind say that is a beautiful vehicle? No. And if they did, you would surely think they are crazy. Just because one person on the planet may "say" the above vehicle is beautiful, that doesn't mean anything.

I agree with most of what you said above regarding Beaty except "eye catching shapes" which is ill defined, necessary but not sufficient, and largely self fulfilling. Beautiful things are eye catching but eye catching doesn't equal beautiful.

That car above us certainly eye catching but not beautiful.

The only thing that is out of proportion in the X nose cone imo is the amount of blank space under the hood line. Add a license plate in here and it's fine. But on the S the blank space is better proportioned and just looks sleek and clean to me. And distinctive in modern luxury cars.

 

[Zybane]

Just another small point I don't think a lot of people realize is that these electric cars still have systems that need to be air cooled. So you have to weigh the drag introduced versus cooling capability into your design.

 

[Vince Cobelo]

I have no doubt that if the Model X doors are successful then the next Model S will have Falcon Wing doors.

 

[ndhaon91]

On the smaller detail side, I think one major stylistic shortfall for the MS is how the brake lights look when engaged at night. I think this is one of those things that really separates high-end luxury vehicles from an average car. I love the way the unlit brakes look during the day, but the outline of dots when braking at night just doesn't give a clean, high-end look.

 

[Navyguy]

Actually that has been proven to be largely untrue. Beauty is about symmetry, proportion, pleasing and eye catching shapes. Subjectivity is one of the lesser values.

A perfect example:

Would anyone in their right mind say that is a beautiful vehicle? No. And if they did, you would surely think they are crazy. Just because one person on the planet may "say" the above vehicle is beautiful, that doesn't mean anything.

Yeah you don't see gorgeous models with crooked smiles haah

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On the smaller detail side, I think one major stylistic shortfall for the MS is how the brake lights look when engaged at night. I think this is one of those things that really separates high-end luxury vehicles from an average car. I love the way the unlit brakes look during the day, but the outline of dots when braking at night just doesn't give a clean, high-end look.

I agree. From some angles too, it looks sporty from others, like a full on station wagon. (it kind of is a hatch back) would prefer a sedan style. I would also like to see a normal center console. and move the arm rest forward a tad. Now I am used to having a gear shift (either manual or auto) to rest my hand on and my elbow on the center rest. can't do that in a Tesla. Not a DEAL breaker, but darn close

 

[Bill D]

Optional "Maximum Plaid" battery: 691 HP with no asterisk.

 

[wdolson]

I have no doubt that if the Model X doors are successful then the next Model S will have Falcon Wing doors.

I doubt it. The panoramic roof is very popular on the Model S and the falcon doors make that impossible.

Tesla is going to have some features that will be unique to one car, or only a select set of cars to distinguish each car as a separate product. Love or hate the nosecone on the Model X, it enhances the bird theme of the car. The Model S's distinction is looking like a traditional ICE sedan. They may change up the Model S look at some point, but it will again be distinctly different from other Tesla cars.

Car companies have experimented with homogenizing their lines and it didn't work out well. That contributed to GM's downfall. The Model S and X are on the same platform but they have to have something to distinguish one from the other.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Beautiful?

What does your eye behold?

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Second eye test: