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At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit Tesla had many stories to tell. We displayed three cars, each representing a facet of the Tesla story. VIN 1000 embodied a significant production milestone. The Road Trip Roadster, filthy from its drive to Detroit, was a testament to the durability and toughness of our technology. The Model S symbolized Tesla’s future – the ruby red car dazzled media, fans, and industry leaders alike. Peter Rawlinson, Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, met with Engineering TV to talk about the Model S development process.
Watch the video to learn more:
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Nice to have new engineering blog entry.
This wasn’t as good as JB Straubels previous blog, but OTOH I can’t recall any that was better, and this is no worse than usual blogs here. Maybe my expectations were a bit too high.
Still no new info about Type S. Nothing about batteries, car energy usage or practical user experiences about that 17″ touchscreen. I’m very worried about that last one. I really want my controls be usable without looking what you are doing, which that obviously is not, and also how that affects your vision at pitch black night. The less light-sources there are in the cabine at night the better.
I wont be ordering my car before I have some real info about real life range, that touchscreen and car battery durability.
Well, maybe after a few years that info is available. Five or so. Maybe we get Mr Fusion by then
(jokes aside, it is possible that something like Focus Fusion reactor might be possible to build so small that it fits in truck (what is that word…the part of the truck that makes the work, not the cargo). Then you would have practically infinite range for long range trucks).
The touchscreen is overkill - after all the publicity about distracted driving, it is possible that such displays might be illegal by the time the Model S hits the streets. Tesla needs to have a back-up plan, such as a manageable 6″ or 7″ touchscreen for navigation applications, with normal, physical knobs and buttons for standard functions, like A/C, fan, heat, stereo volume, etc., with redundant buttons on the steering wheel. Perhaps hiring some people for developing voice-activation (or licensing the tech from someone else) would provide a permanent work-around so that the details of the physical interface are relatively immaterial.
Otherwise, I think the Model S is awesome, and I look forward to the day in the near future when I am able to comfortably put my money down.
Tom A.
I agree that Type S is gorgeous. One of the most beautiful cars I have ever seen. Better than Roadster for sure. Maybe I get to see one live someday in near future, so that I can see it in practicality point of view. Ground clearance, how good it is to sit on, that sorts of things. I’m a bit big person (180cm, 110kg, with broad shoulders), so many cars in last car show didn’t have enough shoulder room for me to be comfortable. Subaru Impreza WRX had that space, and then there was those clumsy certain-bodypart-extensions that also did have that space, but I don’t need such a vehicle.
Timo: I don’t think they have the info you, and the rest of us, want to know - they only have two fully-operational pre-production units. Tesla probably doesn’t have the 300-mile pack operational yet; there’s probably no user experience studies yet; they even admitted that they are still designing the car - looking for more room in the “boot” and 3cm more headroom in the cabin. In short, the Model S isn’t “done” - it’s not ready for production. I think they are giving all the info that they actually have, or are willing to provide at this stage in the development process. Perhaps the recently-announced IPO will require more transparency.
I am grateful for an update on the engineering blog, though the lack of details and specs is disappointing. However, the design isn’t finished, so I guess there’s only so much we can reasonably expect at this time. Frustrating, but reasonable.
Finally, the truth from Tesla (I just now watched the video) - the Model S design isn’t complete yet. That explains why they haven’t verified the range, 0-60 times, internal dimensions (leg room and head room, size of “trunk” under hood, etc.), traction control results, 300-mile pack testing, etc. There’s no final product to measure/test yet. That explains everything. Once I saw a driveable car, I assumed that it was a production vehicle. I didn’t realize that it was just a prototype.
I agree, Timo, that I would like to see a production vehicle in person so that I could sit in it. I’m 6′4″ and I hear that Elon Musk and other top brass are over 6′ tall as well, so I assume that I’ll be able to fit comfortably, though there’s nothing like sitting in it to be sure. Just about every Japanese vehicle I’ve ever driven is a tight fit, particularly for my legs. That’s also true of the many recent US products. I don’t think that I’ve ever sat in the driver seat of a European vehicle…oh, I drove my uncle’s 525i once…I was still in high school then, so I wasn’t fully grown and I don’t remember how it felt, except that I kept stalling it - the clutch was so smooth that I could not feel when it started to grab.
Anyway, it looks like we’ll just have to wait a little longer for the design to be completed and the subsequent test results and dimensions.
Good luck, Tesla. We’re watching and waiting.
Why does he say that the Roadster Sport has about 240 horsepower? I thought it was more like 288…
Actually the touchscreen is a great idea. I have a Roadster which has a small touchscreen and it works well. Many cars like luxury vehicles from Europe use buttons which have cryptic or no labels due to lack of space and are vary hard to use while you are driving. A touchscreen allows clearly labeled controls for a radio for example that you don’t need to pull out a manual to figure out how to operate. A touch screen Nav system as part of it would be a big improvement over typical button based in car systems. With a touch screen because you can use the entire space for the display instead of button you can for example get a much larger map screen, you can have separate screen for separate functions so there are not dozens of tiny button which are hard to select when you are driving down the road. Really because the ease of use you can do a much better job of keeping you eyes on the road.
Stuart Koford:
Do you look at the touch-screen in your Roadster when you use it? If you do, then it is a bad thing. Optimal situation is that you never ever need to look at any of the controls you are using, and can go by feel or instinct alone. Even looking at speedometer is a risk in traffic (but obviously necessary when you can’t trust a feeling how fast you are really going).
Obviously knots and buttons should be user friendly and basic settings should be usable without looking, which isn’t the case for many cars, but for example basic radio/CD/mp3/whatever volume control is easy with a single knob. Not so easy with touchscreen. You could of course move those basic controls out of the center console and to the steering column. This is probably the safest option, and very useful after you get used to it. But a bit confusing for first time users.
Another concern about 17″ touchscreen is its durability and usability in different conditions and situations like -30C cold or +40C hot, how well it behaves after billion use, how well you can control it with gloves on, how well it withstands small impacts (like for example tossing laptop-backpack to the passenger seat, and part of the pack hits the screen), does it reflect sun for example at some position. etc. etc.
It might be good, and then again it might not. Nobody really knows yet.
Just because it is a 17″ touch screen doesn’t mean that they can’t put some kind of bezel over part of the display to provide “pits” for the various buttons. For all we know the 17″ screen could appear to the user as multiple separate smaller displays.
In any event don’t get too wound up about things before they have shown a production intent car. Remember they only get the screen in the dash on the show car a couple of days before the unveiling!
Has anyone considered tapping off the battery cooling system to heat the cabin during road travel. I understand that the battery system has a water/glycol cooling system.
Another thing about a touch screen: if it goes “down”, you’re SOL — no controls. Impossible to make a screen as robust as a mechanical knob.
That could be a really good idea if it produces enough heat, but I haven’t heard anything. Given how far they have yet to go (the electric motor isn’t even finalized yet, according to the video), they might be working on using the heat from the battery pack as we speak.
I do not know if they do that with the Roadster. Probably not, or we would have heard about it by now.
Andy: good point about the touchscreen - I hadn’t thought about a bezel or the fact that it IS just a prototype. Given all that has been going on about distracted driving, etc., I wouldn’t be surprised if tactile-less interfaces, like the prototype has, will be illegal before the Model S hits the streets.
Besides, the real future is voice-activation with a few redundant buttons for critical things like lights, wipers, stereo volume, A/C, heat, fan speed and cruise control on the steering wheel and column.
Tesla makes, hands down, by far the best EVs on the road today and for several years into the future (based upon concepts and prototypes from the major automakers), but to stay on top, they will need, among other things, to work toward vocal interfaces. “hands-free” is the name of the game for safety as well as convenience (as long as it works).
From an Engineering point of view, how does Tesla ensure the breaks are fully functional during the re-gen process? With the latest press about the Toyota Prius, one helps to wonder what Tesla has done to ensure this type of problems don’t happen on their cars. What are the fail safes and differences from the Tesla safety break system and say another hybrid car on the market? What about the Tesla S model as well; how is that being designed?
The CODA interface is much better - a touch screen of manageable proportions, while having normal, mechanical knobs and buttons for fan, A/C, etc. Their built-in bluetooth, microphone and other various hands-free technology is fantastic.
Very little has been reported by Tesla - does the R, and will the S - have hands-free features, such as bluetooth or equivalent? I’ve read just about everything there is to read about Tesla, from this site to autobloggreen, to wherever, and I can’t answer this question. Can someone? Timo? cablechewer? Brian H? Tesla staff?
Thanks.
Actually, my last comment (which is still “awaiting moderation” at the time of this entry), was kind of dumb - “I’ve read just about everything there is to read about Tesla…” In my defense, I am putting emphasis on “just about”:
Edmunds.com discloses that the Roadster has Bluetooth capabilities for hands-free cell phone use. If I were to peruse the owner’s manual for the Roadster, it would probably say so, as well. It would be reasonable to assume that the base Model S would have Bluetooth and iPod functionality, as well (I would hope so, for a $50k+ vehicle).
Robert;
Tesla Roadster regen braking is basically engine braking when you lift your feet off the accelerator. Brakes are just brakes, no regen there. As reliable as any car with basic brakes (if there is such thing as “basic” for brakes anymore).
What I have read this can be a bit confusing at first, but fantastic when used to. You can drive in traffic with one foot. Your accelerator becomes both: accelerator and deaccelerator and actual brakes are used only for real emergency or when regen is not slowing you fast enough. With one pedal doing both you get a very precise control about your car pace when closing traffic stops.
If regen breaks it basically means that your engine has broken, but you would still have brakes. If brakes break you would still have regen to slow you down.