Tesla vehicles are certainly forward-thinking, but sometimes the company’s tech oriented approach results in a less than optimal user experience. Case in point: a recent CNN review of the Model 3 bemoans the fact that users are essentially required to play around with the car’s 15-inch touchscreen anytime they want to adjust even the most minor of controls or vehicular settings.
“To do almost anything, from adjusting the mirrors to tweaking the car’s speed while driving in Autopilot, I had to use the screen,” Petere Valdes-Dapena wrote last week. “There are two unmarked knobs on the steering that are involved in various functions but, before you can use the knobs, you have to poke around on the big screen first. It’s annoying and most people will hate it. More importantly, it’s terribly distracting.”
It’s a fair criticism, but Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently took to Twitter and promised that an impending software update should make tweaking various Model 3 controls and features more straight forward via enhanced voice control functionality.
Responding to a question about the Model 3’s screen-centric user experience, Musk intimated that Tesla’s software team has voice control on its radar.
Definitely. You will be able to do pretty much anything via voice command. Software team is focused on core Model 3 functionality right now, but that will be done soon, then we will add a lot more features.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 15, 2018
Meanwhile, the Model 3 ramp, which is a few months behind schedule, is certainly picking up steam. Last we heard, Tesla is manufacturing upwards of 2,500 Model 3 units per week. And though that’s a far cry from the 5,000 units per week Tesla claimed it would reach by December of 2017, it is nonetheless a stark improvement relative to where Tesla was at just three months ago.
Looking ahead, Tesla maintains that it will be able to reach the 5,000 week threshold by June of 2018.
