The First Model 3 Production Unit Gets Delivered In Austin, TX, Reveals Car’s Learning Curve
Tesla is putting the pedal to the metal in the production of the Model 3. As revealed in a recently uploaded and now-deleted YouTube video, the first production variant Model 3 has been delivered to a lucky customer outside California. Interestingly, the recent Model 3 delivery in Austin, Texas, also revealed the learning curve that the EV came with, thanks to its rather unconventional central touchscreen display.
The Model 3 delivery was filmed and documented by Matt Holm, a Tesla enthusiast and real estate agent in the Austin area. According to the Tesla aficionado, the owner of the white Tesla Model 3 in the video allowed him to film a sneak peek at the electric vehicle. The 8:26 clip, filmed in a Tesla showroom, depicted the car’s owner and a salesman discussing the features of the mass-market compact sedan.
Interestingly, Holm’s video, which has since been deleted, depicted the learning curve that the Tesla Model 3 requires from its driver, thanks to its central touchscreen, which practically controls all the functions of the car, according to a Clean Technica report. In the video, even the Tesla salesman could be seen fumbling with the touchscreen controls to activate otherwise basic features such as the windshield wipers and the car’s aircon vents.
Many of Tesla’s critics pointed out that the central touchscreen would be a liability for Model 3 owners, since it would force drivers to take their eyes off the road. The vehicle’s windshield wipers were a perfect example of this, since it took a few taps on the car’s center touchscreen to get the otherwise basic feature working.
Fortunately, Tesla is also rolling out a variant of the Model 3 with a more conventional windshield wiper stalk, which would make driving the EV a lot more familiar for those who would sit behind the wheel of the vehicle.
The rest of the now-deleted Model 3 video featured the owner of the vehicle and a Tesla salesman going through all the other features of the central touchscreen. Everything, from the touch-controlled air vents and the vehicle’s radio, was tried out, and just like the car’s windshield wipers, every feature pretty much required a few taps to get everything working.
The Model 3 is a completely new type of electric vehicle. Considered as the culmination of Elon Musk’s first Master Plan, the Model 3 is designed to be a vehicle that would completely usher in the era of self-driving cars. Thus, its learning curve, at least at this stage, is something that is quite understandable and justifiable.
[Featured Image by Tesla]
