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Tesla's Supercharger Team was recently laid off. We discuss what this means for the company on today's TMC Podcast streaming live at 1PM PDT. You can watch on X or on YouTube where you can participate in the live chat.
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3Victoria
Active Member
It is part of the strategy to reduce costs. A HUD is cheaper than a wired, multicomponent dash. In addition, it allows other features in the dash (eg air flow), and is very malleable as can be updated easily OTA.
PS - It also simplifies the build.
Yeah, they will redesign the whole dash area. Count on it. They will bring the HUD to the S/X first. This is consistent with previous guidance, previous history, and logic. In fact that is why I continue to be osborned on buying a new S. I need a 100D with HUD/interior redesign. I keep moving the goalposts...
I suspect we are 3-5 years away from self driving being common. That is essentially the life of a car at this point. So it will be a cool feature, and it is "needed" since they clearly didn't bother to design in a cluster on the model 3.
The problem for Ford is both cost and supply. They are merely following GM's footsteps and using the LG's anticipated pricing for 2020. The problem for them is that they need to chip in quite a few billions of dollars in order to expand the supply to have any meaningful volume of BEVs. And once that conversion is in full flight, their ICE side has a lot of stranded assets.
3Victoria
Active Member
3Victoria
Active Member
I think the HUD suggested is interactive. It can project onto the windshield and give AR, and onto a passive screen which is touch interactive. In short: sweet.
jgillispie
Member
You are missing out. My brand new S 90D is better in almost every way than my previous P85D and way better than my previous P85+.
(Had the stock gone up more than it has quicker than it has, maybe that would've been a new P100D...
)Mike
3Victoria
Active Member
Absolutely. And, by the way, note the hire from Volvo. (Side note, Volvo has been my long time favorite for cool, simple, 21st century, yet luxurious and gorgeous interior design, so YAY!)
I bet there is a complete redesign of the interior of Models S and X in the works, with more "European like" luxury and the HUD. It may come on S first and X a bit later, but I also bet it comes before M3 release. Expect a surprise event later this year!
jgillispie
Member
Certainly that makes sense from a cost standpoint long-term. However there are R&D costs, testing and implementation in the short-term that make me think a $35,000 car on a tight timetable isn't the place they will start with it.
We haven't seen the finalized interior yet so maybe that's why? I could be very wrong here.
jgillispie
Member
Thanks! I know I have read some SA articles thru my Google Finance feed and had never had that issue.
phigment
Member
Anders Bell of Volvo only started in December. I'm sure any design they've had in mind for the S or X before the '3' reveal is already done and won't be attributed to Anders.
Here is the relevant stuff
- Model 3 design details show or imply specific innovations that demonstrate Tesla is strongly favoring simplicity and manufacturability - very good news for Tesla investors.
Innovation Two: Display
At the Model 3 unveiling, we were treated to a most unusual dashboard display - none. The Model 3 dashboard has nothing on it - no controls, no gauges, not even AC vents! All the Model 3 controls were on a single, large touch screen, suspended in space above the center console. But what we saw isn't what we'll get.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has tweeted that Model 3 will have a more exotic user interface than what was shown at the Model 3 unveiling event.
DLP - Digital Cinema In Your Car
DLP (Digital Light Processing) is a technology developed by Texas Instruments (NYSE:TI) that uses arrays of micro-mechanical mirrors, each roughly the size of a red blood cell, to generate and project images. If you go to a cinema and watch a "digital movie", you will experience DLP technology. In the last several years, DLP technology has been applied to smaller, less costly image projection systems, including automotive Head Up Displays and even cell phones.
By removing the conventional instruments, and even the air conditioning duct work from the dashboard, Tesla has created the room needed to install an exceptional head up display or HUD in Model 3. With a HUD, the driver essentially looks into the optical system and sees a virtual image focused in space several tens of feet ahead of the car.
But the field of view of most HUD displays is limited. To achieve a wide field of view - a large, compelling image for the driver - a large aperture optical system is required. By removing everything else from the dash, Tesla has made room for very large HUD optics, enabling a compelling display.
It should be appreciated that the cost of the HUD is mostly in the display generating components - the DMD (Digital Micromirror Device), illumination source, drive electronics. The exit optics - that is the 'big' components - are just inexpensive, molded plastic mirrors.
The largest barrier to putting a great HUD in cars is finding the volume within the dash for the necessary large optical components. Tesla appears to be taking the innovative approach of replacing the conventional instruments with the HUD, thus freeing up the necessary volume to make a great HUD display. At the same time, what is saved by eliminating conventional instruments will largely, if not entirely offset the cost of the HUD.
The same DLP technology used for the HUD can also be used to project images on to a 'frosted' screen from the back. In fact, the same optics used to display images can be used to detect operator gestures, allowing an interactive touch screen to be implemented on an inert piece of frosted glass without any wiring. In other words, the touch screen shown in the Model 3 at the unveiling could be implemented using the same imaging technology as the HUD with nothing more than a piece of frosted glass or plastic positioned in front of the dashboard.
Digital Light Processing - the same technology that projects digital movies in theaters - can also be used for automotive head up displays, and to implement interactive touch screens on inert surfaces. Tesla's unusual dashboard arrangement in Model 3 appears optimized to utilize DLP image projection technology. - image Tesla, annotations, Author
3Victoria
Active Member
The contract was for 2014 - 2017 announced back in Oct 2013 (going off of memory) for almost 2 billion cells. So this year should be the last year of the agreement.
Fair point, but I feel like that hire is too much of a coincidence. He could still contribute to fine tuning the design and to execution.
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Thank you for posting link to this!
Quotes of the day:
"Cell production for testing and validation began in December, but today's batteries are the first that will power Tesla products"
"The company fulfilled its promise to rapidly complete a massive battery storage project to back up the grid in California (confirmed by Bloomberg today)"
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