4 ms·

Why would you design it that way? I mean, if you’re going to have a manual wiper control anyway, why make it so limited compared to what every other car can do?

• mcherm 6y ago
  > anyone know the standard term for that? I'm not sure what the standard term is either. I frequently use the term "tactile controls" to indicate controls that can be operated without looking at them. For what it's worth, I think essentially ALL controls intended to be used while in motion in a car ought to be "tactile controls" by that definition -- the operator's gaze is NOT available while operating the vehicle. (I'm OK if configuring bluetooth is done over a touchscreen, but NOT if turning on the radio or the windshield wipers is done that way.)
• akerl_ 6y ago
  As somebody who is obviously not knowledgeable about why Tesla did it that way, but somebody who does own/drive a Model 3, I can only offer my conjecture: It makes the controls simpler in a way that makes the parts and assembly cheaper. The Model 3 seems like Tesla tried very hard to streamline (read: cut corners) anywhere they reasonably could as part of lowering the cost to manufacture the car, in order to hit a more reasonable price point. The stalks already have a known history of breakage, many folks have had to have them replaced in relatively young Model 3s. I suspect somebody at Tesla HQ decided that having additional twisting elements or more control surfaces on them would have further increased cost. Another potential rationale is that, from Tesla’s vantage point, those controls are vestigial. The automatic wiper sensor should handle wiper activation, rendering the stalk controls unnecessary. In practice, that sensor is still in need of further tuning. But if Tesla’s goal is to build the car of the future, it’s possible they’re willing to front-run the software in picking hardware choices.
  • waiseristy 6y ago
    Ford, Chevy, FCA, etc. wiper stalk design is ubiquitous even on extremely low price vehicles. They are even cheap to replace when they break. I'm betting you're closer on the latter
• cavisne 6y ago
  There is no twisting part on the stalks in a model 3, so you only have the option of short press and long press. It is definitely the least safe part of the Model 3 imo. Having the rest of the controls on the screen is not a big deal but adjusting wiper settings can be important for safety and its not very intuitive.
  • frosted-flakes 6y ago
    Why don't they do what many other cars do, and put the wiper controls on its own stalk on the right-hand side of the wheel? Then they don't need any buttons at all, on either stalk (on my 2003 VW, the left stalk is for high beams and turn signals, the right stalk is for the wipers, and the steering wheel buttons are for cruise control). Or is the gear shifter on the right stalk?
    • akerl_ 6y ago
      The latter; the right stalk already exists and is the gear shift (and relatedly the autosteer/cruisecontrol interface)
• brianwawok 6y ago
  It’s better, and I wouldn’t want my car to operate any other way.