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Tesla 3 owner here. Beyond tapping up / down temperature arrows I don't ever need to touch my A/C settings and it remembers my settings when I pick my profile (

Tesla 3 owner here. Beyond tapping up / down temperature arrows I don't ever need to touch my A/C settings and it remembers my settings when I pick my profile (and soon it will recognize me automatically) so I think it's less annoying than analog setup personally.

propogandist 7y ago
Having to fiddle with a touch screen to manage windshield wipers is unnecessary.
- radium3d 7y ago
  The wipers wipe automatically when the camera detects rain on the windshield. If you want to do a window clean you just push the button on the end of the blinker handle on the left of the steering wheel. It's one of the few physical buttons of the 3.
  - rkagerer 7y ago
    How often do you find yourself wanting to tweak the rate?
    - radium3d 7y ago
      Rate is set automatically based on the amount of rain. The wiper clears the windshield for the cameras for autopilot so it keeps the view clear. I haven't had the urge to adjust the rate yet.
      - rkagerer 7y ago
        My car has that, but I tend to manually adjust it regardless as I find it's often a bit to slow or a tad too fast. Maybe I'm just picky. Or maybe your car's algorithm is better :-).
  - the_angry_angel 7y ago
    How well does the auto wipe behave on Tesla’s? I’ve owned multiple cars with the feature over the last 10 years - the only one which has ever got it close was a Lexus (quite some time ago). The rest I’ve had and still need to constantly police.
    - babuskov 7y ago
      I don't know about other cars, but on my 2014 Passat it works flawlessly. I don't remember ever having to manually touch it.
    - Cthulhu_ 7y ago
      I have a fairly new car, one of VW's brands, and at best I twiddle with the sensitivity a bit from time to time, but that's mostly unnecessary.
    - tyrbo 7y ago
      I haven't had to manually turn on the wipers, but I have had to turn them off on one or two occasions when the computer _thought_ it was raining for some reason.
    - Angostura 7y ago
      Works OK on my 2016 Seat Alhambra. There's a little control that lets you adjust frequency/sensitivity on the wiper stalk.
    - theshrike79 7y ago
      2012 Passat and two Priuses (2nd and 3rd gen), all worked 95% of the time.
      - cheschire 7y ago
        So 3 minutes of every hour of rain were left unwiped? Sounds dangerous. Or was that "internet statistics"?
    - aedron 7y ago
      It's a solved problem on newer cars. What I want next is an automatic sunscreen that slides down based on sensing the angle of the sunlight. I think there is also technology to dynamically darken glass that could be used. I hereby grant a free perpetual license to auto manufacturers to use this idea. :)
  - jstummbillig 7y ago
    Now that's just unlucky for parent :) The great thing about the touch screen is not the UI experience, but the flexibility when it comes to updates that also include new features. When you go the hardware controller route on a product that is still heavily being interrated on, you quickly run out of intuitive ways to clearly label and/or manipulate things or an exzessive number of buttons with integrated screens (to indicate their function in any given context), neither of which is great UX wise and also pretty expensive.
    - NullPrefix 7y ago
      >The great thing about the touch screen is ... the flexibility when it comes to updates that also include new features That's the main problem. Change is good only if it's optional, by choice. Forced redesign only makes designers happy, because they can now stop looking at that old version that they released some years ago and want to sunset it.
      - xeromal 7y ago
        If you look at the 2012 Tesla dashboard, you'll see that it's influenced by really aged design patterns, it's good that they iterate on the UI as long as it's kept in check and doesn't become a Windows 7 to Windows 8 fiasco.
  - jmpman 7y ago
    They also automatically turn on in the car wash.
    - radium3d 7y ago
      v10 added car wash mode, maybe this is the reason
darpa_escapee 7y ago
Tesla owners are known to be willing put up with things other car owners aren't. I don't want to fool around with a touchscreen in traffic.
- dewski 7y ago
  You can use the steering wheel and scroll up or down and you changed the temperature. No fooling around with touchscreen in traffic. It’s way better than any analog system I’ve used across Jeep’s and Audi’s. You can control temperature, fan speed, brightness, and more all from the steering wheel.
  - xedeon 7y ago
    Yes: https://youtu.be/kLIBYlgsHis?t=560 https://youtu.be/kLIBYlgsHis?t=560 That video tutorial is now outdated since there has been many UI improvements, but the steps should still be the same.
    - benj111 7y ago
      Are you not highlighting another problem. Buttons are always in the same place, I know where they are, I don't have to go hunting for the thing that used to be there, but is now in a sub sub menu, meanwhile you aren't looking where you're going.
      - thrower123 7y ago
        Give me physical buttons and knobs any day. I'm afraid with the direction that things are going, that may become more and more difficult, and go the way of crank windows and manual transmissions, however. Oh well. The way that sticker prices keep going up on new pickup trucks, frankensteining old ones together and rebuilding the engines and transmissions is looking like more and more of a viable and cost-effective option.
        xedeon 7y ago
jmchuster 7y ago
i have an analog vehicle, and the car doesn't need to have to remember my settings because they are physically in the same location.
- DangerousPie 7y ago
  And what if you share your car with someone who prefers different settings?
  - herewego 7y ago
    Like in any modern analog car, the knobs are free spinning and therefore remember their settings. It’s a tactile version of tapping a screen that is a better UX IMHO. When my significant other uses my car, they hit #2 on the preset settings and everything slides and turns into place. This is a well solved problem and has been for many years. Note: I am a former P85D Model S owner.
    - whenchamenia 7y ago
      Free spinning knobs are not analog, but digital encoders.
      - herewego 7y ago
        “relating to or using signals or information represented by a continuously variable physical quantity such as spatial position, voltage, etc.” - from our friends at Oxford. https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/analog https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/analog
  - epalm 7y ago
    Then they change the settings, and if they're a considerate human being, they change them back. If they're not, then you get to grumble a bit, change them back yourself, and consider not sharing your car with that person again. I don't think the world has lost anything substantial here. Just realized I might be a grumpy old man.
kerkeslager 7y ago
Okay, but you're only looking at the (very minor) difference in user experience, without looking at all you're giving up. How easy is it to repair your A/C? If you can't or don't want to repair it yourself, can you hire someone other than Tesla to do it? Is not having to turn a knob worth having your car collect a bunch of personal data on you? In accordance with Parkinson's Law of Triviality[1], the only discussion my post has generated has been about the experience of touch screens versus knobs, without talking about the more complicated repairability and security issues. My impression of Tesla is that they understand Parkinson's Law very well, and are working hard to get the color of the metaphorical bike shed just right. That's not to say that they're getting the nuclear reactor completely wrong, it's just to say that everyone's talking about the bike shed when the nuclear reactor is way more important. At the end of the day, what I said was ultimately my preference, and your preference is your preference, and there aren't an objective arguments we can make that will change each other's subjective preferences. I'm just frustrated that the direction the industry seems to be going will cater to what you want, and not to what I want. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_triviality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_triviality
- radium3d 7y ago
  Another user mentioned the Bollinger brand, they are making their EV's completely analog -- even more analog than ICE cars, their philosophy may be right up your alley. Unfortunately it doesn't sound like they're going for mass market (yet). You should also look into how the A/C system works on the model 3, it's fascinating how simple it really is. It literally uses air to push the air up and down. This reduces the complexity with less moving parts. It's a very genius system IMO. Tech Forum YouTube channel made a video of it disassembled so you can see how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvNkcPcrBxw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvNkcPcrBxw
  - kerkeslager 7y ago
    > Another user mentioned the Bollinger brand, they are making their EV's completely analog -- even more analog than ICE cars, their philosophy may be right up your alley. Unfortunately it doesn't sound like they're going for mass market (yet). Yeah, I saw that other comment and if the reality is even close to the marketing materials, those are gonna be awesome vehicles. I probably wouldn't get one new unless the price is very low (the benefits of buying new aren't worth the loss in value that happens when you drive a new car off the lot, IMO). So by the time they start hitting the used market I expect the reality will be clearer. > You should also look into how the A/C system works on the model 3, it's fascinating how simple it really is. It literally uses air to push the air up and down. This reduces the complexity with less moving parts. It's a very genius system IMO. I dunno, it's simpler in that there are fewer moving parts, but from the video it seems like part of how that was achieved was by using existing plastic molding and whatnot to direct the air, which makes it harder to replace i.e. one duct in isolation--it's not very modular. And having simpler moving parts is a small decrease in complexity compared to the increased complexity of digital controls. Of course it's hard to tell from the video, so that impression has to be taken with a grain of salt.

propogandist 7y ago

Having to fiddle with a touch screen to manage windshield wipers is unnecessary.

radium3d 7y ago
The wipers wipe automatically when the camera detects rain on the windshield. If you want to do a window clean you just push the button on the end of the blinker handle on the left of the steering wheel. It's one of the few physical buttons of the 3.
- rkagerer 7y ago
  How often do you find yourself wanting to tweak the rate?
  - radium3d 7y ago
    Rate is set automatically based on the amount of rain. The wiper clears the windshield for the cameras for autopilot so it keeps the view clear. I haven't had the urge to adjust the rate yet.
    - rkagerer 7y ago
      My car has that, but I tend to manually adjust it regardless as I find it's often a bit to slow or a tad too fast. Maybe I'm just picky. Or maybe your car's algorithm is better :-).
- the_angry_angel 7y ago
  How well does the auto wipe behave on Tesla’s? I’ve owned multiple cars with the feature over the last 10 years - the only one which has ever got it close was a Lexus (quite some time ago). The rest I’ve had and still need to constantly police.
  - babuskov 7y ago
    I don't know about other cars, but on my 2014 Passat it works flawlessly. I don't remember ever having to manually touch it.
  - Cthulhu_ 7y ago
    I have a fairly new car, one of VW's brands, and at best I twiddle with the sensitivity a bit from time to time, but that's mostly unnecessary.
  - tyrbo 7y ago
    I haven't had to manually turn on the wipers, but I have had to turn them off on one or two occasions when the computer _thought_ it was raining for some reason.
  - Angostura 7y ago
    Works OK on my 2016 Seat Alhambra. There's a little control that lets you adjust frequency/sensitivity on the wiper stalk.
  - theshrike79 7y ago
    2012 Passat and two Priuses (2nd and 3rd gen), all worked 95% of the time.
    - cheschire 7y ago
      So 3 minutes of every hour of rain were left unwiped? Sounds dangerous. Or was that "internet statistics"?
  - aedron 7y ago
    It's a solved problem on newer cars. What I want next is an automatic sunscreen that slides down based on sensing the angle of the sunlight. I think there is also technology to dynamically darken glass that could be used. I hereby grant a free perpetual license to auto manufacturers to use this idea. :)
- jstummbillig 7y ago
  Now that's just unlucky for parent :) The great thing about the touch screen is not the UI experience, but the flexibility when it comes to updates that also include new features. When you go the hardware controller route on a product that is still heavily being interrated on, you quickly run out of intuitive ways to clearly label and/or manipulate things or an exzessive number of buttons with integrated screens (to indicate their function in any given context), neither of which is great UX wise and also pretty expensive.
  - NullPrefix 7y ago
    >The great thing about the touch screen is ... the flexibility when it comes to updates that also include new features That's the main problem. Change is good only if it's optional, by choice. Forced redesign only makes designers happy, because they can now stop looking at that old version that they released some years ago and want to sunset it.
    - xeromal 7y ago
      If you look at the 2012 Tesla dashboard, you'll see that it's influenced by really aged design patterns, it's good that they iterate on the UI as long as it's kept in check and doesn't become a Windows 7 to Windows 8 fiasco.
- jmpman 7y ago
  They also automatically turn on in the car wash.
  - radium3d 7y ago
    v10 added car wash mode, maybe this is the reason

darpa_escapee 7y ago

Tesla owners are known to be willing put up with things other car owners aren't. I don't want to fool around with a touchscreen in traffic.

dewski 7y ago
You can use the steering wheel and scroll up or down and you changed the temperature. No fooling around with touchscreen in traffic. It’s way better than any analog system I’ve used across Jeep’s and Audi’s. You can control temperature, fan speed, brightness, and more all from the steering wheel.
- xedeon 7y ago
  Yes: https://youtu.be/kLIBYlgsHis?t=560 https://youtu.be/kLIBYlgsHis?t=560 That video tutorial is now outdated since there has been many UI improvements, but the steps should still be the same.
  - benj111 7y ago
    Are you not highlighting another problem. Buttons are always in the same place, I know where they are, I don't have to go hunting for the thing that used to be there, but is now in a sub sub menu, meanwhile you aren't looking where you're going.
    - thrower123 7y ago
      Give me physical buttons and knobs any day. I'm afraid with the direction that things are going, that may become more and more difficult, and go the way of crank windows and manual transmissions, however. Oh well. The way that sticker prices keep going up on new pickup trucks, frankensteining old ones together and rebuilding the engines and transmissions is looking like more and more of a viable and cost-effective option.
      - xedeon 7y ago

jmchuster 7y ago

i have an analog vehicle, and the car doesn't need to have to remember my settings because they are physically in the same location.

DangerousPie 7y ago
And what if you share your car with someone who prefers different settings?
- herewego 7y ago
  Like in any modern analog car, the knobs are free spinning and therefore remember their settings. It’s a tactile version of tapping a screen that is a better UX IMHO. When my significant other uses my car, they hit #2 on the preset settings and everything slides and turns into place. This is a well solved problem and has been for many years. Note: I am a former P85D Model S owner.
  - whenchamenia 7y ago
    Free spinning knobs are not analog, but digital encoders.
    - herewego 7y ago
      “relating to or using signals or information represented by a continuously variable physical quantity such as spatial position, voltage, etc.” - from our friends at Oxford. https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/analog https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/analog
- epalm 7y ago
  Then they change the settings, and if they're a considerate human being, they change them back. If they're not, then you get to grumble a bit, change them back yourself, and consider not sharing your car with that person again. I don't think the world has lost anything substantial here. Just realized I might be a grumpy old man.

kerkeslager 7y ago

Okay, but you're only looking at the (very minor) difference in user experience, without looking at all you're giving up. How easy is it to repair your A/C? If you can't or don't want to repair it yourself, can you hire someone other than Tesla to do it? Is not having to turn a knob worth having your car collect a bunch of personal data on you? In accordance with Parkinson's Law of Triviality[1], the only discussion my post has generated has been about the experience of touch screens versus knobs, without talking about the more complicated repairability and security issues. My impression of Tesla is that they understand Parkinson's Law very well, and are working hard to get the color of the metaphorical bike shed just right. That's not to say that they're getting the nuclear reactor completely wrong, it's just to say that everyone's talking about the bike shed when the nuclear reactor is way more important. At the end of the day, what I said was ultimately my preference, and your preference is your preference, and there aren't an objective arguments we can make that will change each other's subjective preferences. I'm just frustrated that the direction the industry seems to be going will cater to what you want, and not to what I want. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_triviality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_triviality

radium3d 7y ago
Another user mentioned the Bollinger brand, they are making their EV's completely analog -- even more analog than ICE cars, their philosophy may be right up your alley. Unfortunately it doesn't sound like they're going for mass market (yet). You should also look into how the A/C system works on the model 3, it's fascinating how simple it really is. It literally uses air to push the air up and down. This reduces the complexity with less moving parts. It's a very genius system IMO. Tech Forum YouTube channel made a video of it disassembled so you can see how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvNkcPcrBxw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvNkcPcrBxw
- kerkeslager 7y ago
  > Another user mentioned the Bollinger brand, they are making their EV's completely analog -- even more analog than ICE cars, their philosophy may be right up your alley. Unfortunately it doesn't sound like they're going for mass market (yet). Yeah, I saw that other comment and if the reality is even close to the marketing materials, those are gonna be awesome vehicles. I probably wouldn't get one new unless the price is very low (the benefits of buying new aren't worth the loss in value that happens when you drive a new car off the lot, IMO). So by the time they start hitting the used market I expect the reality will be clearer. > You should also look into how the A/C system works on the model 3, it's fascinating how simple it really is. It literally uses air to push the air up and down. This reduces the complexity with less moving parts. It's a very genius system IMO. I dunno, it's simpler in that there are fewer moving parts, but from the video it seems like part of how that was achieved was by using existing plastic molding and whatnot to direct the air, which makes it harder to replace i.e. one duct in isolation--it's not very modular. And having simpler moving parts is a small decrease in complexity compared to the increased complexity of digital controls. Of course it's hard to tell from the video, so that impression has to be taken with a grain of salt.