The most revolutionary new car I've driven in years

[Kolbenkopp]

AW111 said:

I really like what Tesla are doing, but why oh why did they have to give it the generic shouty face?
The gaping maw is an uneccesary and ugly feature of so many modern cars, it saddens me to see it on a car that really doesn't need it.

Yeah agree, a pity really. On the model S it is especially silly -- but at least they have not gone completely overboard with the cartoon styling. Could have been worse, see current BMW cars... To be honest, I was half expecting something just as bad (the thing coming from the US after all, them's usually no experts in "tasteful").

Pretty surprising the biggest styling ooops is (IMO) that giant tablet interface. That will look very silly in a year or two and made me think of digital watches somehow . Must be very cost efficient though compared to dedicated buttons & switches.

What I find very impressive is the production tech (thanks to the poster who shared the video link !). They are not exactly a big outfit (3000 people?) and in comparison a low volume shop. But with that modern factory they can build the S to a very competitive price. Starts from €60.5k plus VAT here. Impressive really. Stock market seems to like them as well, so looks like they can even make money at those prices...

[EskimoArapaho]

In other news, it looks as if Toyota is serious about releasing a fuel cell car. It'll be at the Tokyo Motor Show, Avensis-sized and a lot more affordable than the Tesla.

[DonkeyApple]

loose cannon said:

Is it even possible to drive it at night with that huge tablet ? Looks bloody ridiculous lol

Least of its problems. To change any function on the car you have to take your eyes fully off the road and also try and steady your hand. It's a bloody stupid feature and one where an IT spod got a massive boner and no one with common sense pointed out the bloody obvious as to why cars have tactile switchgear and controls.

[Kolbenkopp]

DonkeyApple said:

Least of its problems. To change any function on the car you have to take your eyes fully off the road and also try and steady your hand. It's a bloody stupid feature and one where an IT spod got a massive boner and no one with common sense pointed out the bloody obvious as to why cars have tactile switchgear and controls.

Fully agree, although I'm pretty sure who ever is in charge of costs at Tesla also got very exited. A lot less mechanical stuff, vastly reduced amount of parts, equipment variants can be done in software, so can LHD/RHD specifications and future feature upgrades... I hope this does not catch on but I'm not overly optimistic :/.

[jamieduff1981]

It sounds promising but I couldn't live with that screen.

I absolutely hate distracting myself from driving trying to find which part of the menu operates things I want to use. I just don't do it, so journeys are music-less and temperatures are not adjusted in such equipped cars.

In this, the sunroof would be dead mass and a potential leak path, as I'd never touch it if it was screen operated.

Utterly terrible engineering, and I hope it's a fashion that engineers soon dump in favour of dedicated switchgear to operate the car's features. Not everything new is an improvement, and touchscreens are awful.

[DonkeyApple]

Kolbenkopp said:

DonkeyApple said:

Least of its problems. To change any function on the car you have to take your eyes fully off the road and also try and steady your hand. It's a bloody stupid feature and one where an IT spod got a massive boner and no one with common sense pointed out the bloody obvious as to why cars have tactile switchgear and controls.

Fully agree, although I'm pretty sure who ever is in charge of costs at Tesla also got very exited. A lot less mechanical stuff, vastly reduced amount of parts, equipment variants can be done in software, so can LHD/RHD specifications and future feature upgrades... I hope this does not catch on but I'm not overly optimistic :/.

Very good points. Losing all the switchgear and centralising controls in a left/right friendly must be a significant cost savings.

If I were looking to replicate then I would create a panel that drew on a system of having maybe just two tactile dials and a set of switches above that controlled the functionality of them between ICE, climate, nav etc. could all be designed to be tactile around the hand. The design remit would need to be akin to feeding the pony at the student disco.

The screen can then be raised towards line of site but also not required at all times.

[98elise]

DonkeyApple said:

loose cannon said:

Is it even possible to drive it at night with that huge tablet ? Looks bloody ridiculous lol

Least of its problems. To change any function on the car you have to take your eyes fully off the road and also try and steady your hand. It's a bloody stupid feature and one where an IT spod got a massive boner and no one with common sense pointed out the bloody obvious as to why cars have tactile switchgear and controls.

I love the car, but I've got to agree. I can't see how you can operate this safely while driving.

[Victor McDade]

Interesting car however at that price I wouldn't really want one. But massive respect to those who designed and brought this to production.

The founder of Tesla was on newsnight a few weeks ago and he stated that they will be creating charging locations throughout the UK which will offer free charging for life. Now that would be revolutionary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OOHvoM3GnE

[kambites]

98elise said:

I love the car, but I've got to agree. I can't see how you can operate this safely while driving.

I can't even live with iDrive type systems, let alone a touch-screen.

[EskimoArapaho]

Victor McDade said:

Interesting car however at that price I wouldn't really want one. But massive respect to those who designed and brought this to production.

The founder of Tesla was on newsnight a few weeks ago and he stated that they will be creating charging locations throughout the UK which will offer free charging for life Terms and conditions apply. Definition of 'free charging' may differ from that shown implied or even understood by any normal person. May contain traces of nuts. Now that would be revolutionary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OOHvoM3GnE

EFA

[otolith]

Haptic touchscreens will be the development which makes that whole issue moot.

[Vince70]

Pistom said:

Looks a bit like an Insignia. I like it. How much will they be?

+1

[AnotherClarkey]

EskimoArapaho said:

In other news, it looks as if Toyota is serious about releasing a fuel cell car. It'll be at the Tokyo Motor Show, Avensis-sized and a lot more affordable than the Tesla.

That's interesting. How much will it cost? How much will it cost to fill with hydrogen? Come to think of it, where will you fill it with hydrogen? How durable will the fuel cell be? When will the battery need replacing?

[Kolbenkopp]

DonkeyApple said:

If I were looking to replicate then I would create a panel that drew on a system of having maybe just two tactile dials and a set of switches above that controlled the functionality of them between ICE, climate, nav etc. could all be designed to be tactile around the hand.

Bit like an iDrive but with more dedicated switch gear for important functions? Sounds good to me.

DonkeyApple said:

The design remit would need to be akin to feeding the pony at the student disco. The screen can then be raised towards line of site but also not required at all times.

I would hope any fluids are an optional part of the spec . Rewarding to use controls: very nice to have, pretty difficult to do.

[Kolbenkopp]

otolith said:

Haptic touchscreens will be the development which makes that whole issue moot.

But only haptic feedback (vibration basically) on a flat surface is not enough IMO. Needs to work without looking, rough direction comes from a good controls layout. So you'll just know where the button is you want to use. The rest is getting confirmation by feel (finger tips).

Newer know, might be possible with a clever touch screen interface. I'll be convinced when the product on the left is as good to use as the one on the right .

[otolith]

Kolbenkopp said:

But only haptic feedback (vibration basically) on a flat surface is not enough IMO. Needs to work without looking, rough direction comes from a good controls layout. So you'll just know where the button is you want to use. The rest is getting confirmation by feel (finger tips).

There is better tech than that coming;

http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/consumer-electr...

[tali1]

so 7 seats... just wish they were forward facing


Autocar


"The Model S is, quite simply, a
landmark moment in our motoring
lives. Some of the things that it can
do are extraordinary. And none of
the things that it does are ordinary.
If this is at least part of what our
motoring landscape will look like in
future, then the future looks good.
No, it looks fantastic."

[k-ink]

Kolbenkopp said:

I'll be convinced when the product on the left is as good to use as the one on the right .

That is never going to happen. Unless we invent screens that can morph shape, like something out of the Terminator / Flight of the navigator movies. It would be far easier to use voice control, which we can already do right now.

[Igurisu]

Does anybody have any information about the expected life of the Battery? I looked at the Tesla website but all it says is "Battery lifetime is affected by two things: age and the energy it delivers over the years". I understand that there aren't enough in the market, or old enough to judge the average lifetime, but I do wonder where the need for one will kick in.

I still have the issue with EV's that if the battery has a 5 year life (for example), who would ever buy one at 4 years old unless it was discounted enough to allow for battery replacement. Given the (expected) large costs for batteries it seems like an open ended time bomb to me.

If taking the cars on a battery lease scheme as now available from some manufacturers, at least you know that big bill isn't waiting for you in a few years.

[otolith]

k-ink said:

That is never going to happen.

There is already technology to give the tactile impression of a 3D surface on a flat screen:

http://www.disneyresearch.com/project/3d-touch-sur...