[ardy42]

> I'm genuinely curious, could you explain how the touchscreen is a disaster?

Touchscreens in cars are a disaster, in general. They're a bad technology for the use case. They're more so in a Tesla, because Tesla relies on them far more heavily than any other manufacturer, and gives users no alternative for most functions.

Cars should be designed to minimize touchscreen use, not maximize it.

[zbrozek]

I completely agree. They're not as reliable as buttons. A single failure breaks everything. They're not particularly robust to temperature extremes. I can't use them by touch alone. They don't work with gloves.

In fact, the reliance on a touch screen is why I've stricken Tesla off the list while shopping for an EV. I currently drive an old BMW and I love the interface. There are physical buttons for everything and there's no unnecessary fluffy stuff.

The most-modern vehicle I've driven whose interface I've liked was a Skoda Fabia.

[dmode]

Sounds like you are stating an opinion rather than some fact based on data. As proven by exponential growth in Teslas, there is clearly a massive fanbase of people who like touchscreen. I personally absolutely love it, and don't really know why other cars have knobs and buttons.

[fastball]

You're missing the part where Tesla is pretty gung-ho about having driverless cars in the near future.

[rsynnott]

So if that happens, embrace the touchscreens then? I mean, in the 90s, Microsoft was pretty hung ho about having voice as the main interface to computers in the near future. They kept the keyboard, which, given the history of early noughties voice recognition, was probably just as well.

[fastball]

I'm not sure I'm following you.

My points was that designing the interior of a car like a cockpit becomes kinda pointless when the driver isn't doing much driving.

[rsynnott]

My point is that you shouldn't design things being made right now for an entirely speculative future change.

I don't think anyone believes that Tesla will have actual self-driving cars, which don't require constant driver attention, within the lifetime of the cars currently being produced.

[fastball]

Tesla believes that, and they’re the ones designing the cars, so...

[rsynnott]

I seriously doubt Tesla actually, internally, believes that.

[princekolt]

Which won't happen anytime soon (despite what Elon says)

[fastball]

Well then Tesla's decision to go for not-a-cockpit might be the wrong one.

But obviously Elon is the CEO and you are not, so if you are right then it will be his failure.