Why does Model S not have a trip computer?

slcuervo · Oct 3, 2014

I have owned my Model S now for a little over 4 months, and driven 13.000 km (about 8.000 miles) with it, and there is something that still surprises me: how come it does not have a trip computer?

I don't mean the measurement of Wh/km, trip counters, and projected range & energy calculations. I mean the good old trip computer features that are present in ICEs:

- Average Speed
- Driven Time (since last charge, or last trip)
- Speed Warning + separate speed warning setting for winter tires (sets a chime that sounds when you exceed a certain speed)

I really miss those 3 on my Model S. :crying:

Anyone know if this is on the "to-do" list from Tesla Motors? This should be a quick fix than can be rolled out by software upgrades.

Johan · Oct 3, 2014

Agreed. Should be simple enough. Could even feature (user deactivatable of course) "where have I been" mode which saves position data say every 60 seconds. Requires very little storage capacity.

Gabzqc · Oct 3, 2014

Perhaps journey computer is a better title for this thread

AnOutsider · Oct 3, 2014

Isn't speed warning available in new Model S's?

bsd · Oct 4, 2014

AnOutsider said:
Isn't speed warning available in new Model S's?

Shouldn't need new hardware: GPS is sufficient. Navigon for iPhone offers a speed warning.

AnOutsider · Oct 4, 2014

bsd said:
Shouldn't need new hardware: GPS is sufficient. Navigon for iPhone offers a speed warning.

The release notes stated that it used a camera to read speed limit signs when available, and GPS info when not.

CHG-ON · Oct 4, 2014

I REALLY miss elapsed time. I use it on every trip in my (now spare) Acura. Always in a rush...

slcuervo · Oct 5, 2014

Gabzqc said:
Perhaps journey computer is a better title for this thread

Maybe, yes. I used "trip computer" because that is how it was called in my previous ICEs.

- - - Updated - - -

TDial said:
I REALLY miss elapsed time. I use it on every trip in my (now spare) Acura. Always in a rush...

+1

4SUPER9 · Oct 5, 2014

Agree completely. This is such a simple software request, and should have been there from the beginning.
-Average Speed
-Trip Time
-Average MPG. Oh wait, don't need this one! :tongue:

HankLloydRight · Oct 5, 2014

The other thing I'd like to see, which is also a trivial software upgrade is not just TWO trip odos, but as many as I want, say up to 10. Let me name each one, so I can keep track of different legs of a trip. Allow me to toggle them on and off. Add elapsed time and elapsed driving time, stopped time, average MPH, average temp over the leg, etc. Also add a permanent "lifetime" odo with all the same stats, so we don't have to use up one of the trip odos for lifetime wh/m. Also, adding a "regen wh/m" meter would be nice for each odo.

Oh, and while they're at it, store waypoints for each trip odo, so you could easily bring up a map of each one.

brianman · Oct 5, 2014

HankLloydRight said:
Also add a permanent "lifetime" odo with all the same stats, so we don't have to use up one of the trip odos for lifetime wh/m.

I'm kind of amazed this isn't in the car by now.

"Well maybe they weren't storing the numbers for lifetime..."
In new cars? Seriously. If it's not there, add it to the production line now.

Runs Kwh · Oct 6, 2014

This is the one feature that I miss from my VW Jetta Sportwagon - just the simple tracking of individual trips (they don't even need to be accumulative). I just want to know the distance traveled, the total time (of car in motion) and some sort of efficiency.

4SUPER9 · Oct 6, 2014

HankLloydRight said:
The other thing I'd like to see, which is also a trivial software upgrade is not just TWO trip odos, but as many as I want, say up to 10. Let me name each one, so I can keep track of different legs of a trip. Allow me to toggle them on and off. Add elapsed time and elapsed driving time, stopped time, average MPH, average temp over the leg, etc. Also add a permanent "lifetime" odo with all the same stats, so we don't have to use up one of the trip odos for lifetime wh/m.

^ Yes, this. Typically with trip meters, there is no way to shut them off. You start it, but can never stop it. Your suggestion is something that I too thought of, and could be "easily" implemented. I say easy because I am not a computer programmer, and just assume that it is easy. :wink: It would be awesome to "end" a trip, at which time, a screen would pop-up to ask "Name your trip".

Runs Kwh said:
This is the one feature that I miss from my VW Jetta Sportwagon - just the simple tracking of individual trips (they don't even need to be accumulative). I just want to know the distance traveled, the total time (of car in motion) and some sort of efficiency.

Some of this is already there. There is a Trip A and Trip B that mark distance traveled and energy used. What's missing is time and speed.

HankLloydRight · Oct 6, 2014

4SUPER9 said:
^ Yes, this. Typically with trip meters, there is no way to shut them off. You start it, but can never stop it. Your suggestion is something that I too thought of, and could be "easily" implemented. I say easy because I am not a computer programmer, and just assume that it is easy. :wink: It would be awesome to "end" a trip, at which time, a screen would pop-up to ask "Name your trip".

I am a computer programmer (among other things), and yes, all the features I mentioned are essentially trivial compared to most of the other functions in the touchscreen and the Model S.

Once Tesla publishes an SDK or API for access to simple things like energy used and miles traveled, it would be trivial to create a third-party app that does all these things.

My beta web app which I need to finish (LogMySc.com) does many of these things, but requires user input for each leg, but doesn't really do the exact same thing as the built-in trip odometers do, or could do automatically.

schneiderjohn · Oct 6, 2014

Shouldn't be too difficult to upgrade the existing readout:

N4HHE · Oct 7, 2014

I agree it should be an easy thing to do. Seeing as how much seems to have been "borrowed" from Mercedes-Benz I'd like to have the same functionality as my 2009 ML320 Bluetec. I reset "From RESET" and the master trip odometer with fuel purchases. The "From START" display of time travelled and average speed is always interesting no matter how bad the MPG "Fool Computer" lies. After 1017 miles the actual MPG with calculator was 31.1 MPG.

Runs Kwh · Oct 19, 2014

I find it incredibly annoying that my old cars (VW Passat and a VW Jetta TDi) both had the trip computers. But super perplexed as to why the S doesn't.

Not a major fail on the part of Tesla, but somewhere akin to probably not hiring the best and smartest to work in their software development group.

rdrcrmatt · Oct 20, 2014

I came into this thread thinking… are you kidding me? but I completely agree. So many things on the user / driver interface that could be done much better than they are done.

AudubonB · Oct 20, 2014

TDial said:
I REALLY miss elapsed time. I use it on every trip in my (now spare) Acura. Always in a rush...

What is it this datum provides that is useful?

Stated otherwise, how do you use it?

4SUPER9 · Oct 20, 2014

AudubonB said:
What is it this datum provides that is useful? Stated otherwise, how do you use it?

I find elapsed very useful. Well, "useful" is certainly subjective. I "like" to know how much time a particular leg of trip took. Certainly, I could calculate average speed from that. I just think a trip computer should do that for us.

Why does Model S not have a trip computer?

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