I dislike it enough when Microsoft or Apple slip in a UI update with a feature update. For something like a car the driving needs to be instinctual so I can spend my attention on the other vehicles. Changing the UI gets in the way of that instinct.
I don't want touchscreens in a car. I don't want my UI to change. That doesn't change the fact that many people do. Companies build for what customers want, not what engineers want. And even then, many (maybe even most) engineers would align with the average customer.
Except touchscreens are a clear danger to the driver due to the attention they pull away from the road.
Controls for the driver need to be physical, full stop.
There's more than just driver preference at play here; there's physical usability and its impact on safety, and that should override expectations people have with tablets.
We're flying around with 2 ton missiles, it's best we treat them with the appropriate respect.
For what it's worth, you can also use voice control.
Or you can put the Tesla on autopilot for the few seconds while fiddling with the touch screen, which (to me) feels much more safer than e.g. messing with a physical radio in a car without such assistence features.
(I'm not arguing with you, in fact I mostly agree with you.)
"Of the 30 different vehicles tested from 18 different brands, not a single vehicle from the study produced a low level of demand for the driver’s attention. Seven vehicles tested produced moderate demand, while 23 generated a high or very high demand. In fact, the study found drivers distracted, with their eyes completely off the road for as long as 40 seconds at certain times.
The concentration of critical functions being housed within a centre touchscreen becomes even more problematic given the lack of any feedback they offer, forcing drivers to look at the screen to confirm activation. Industry research has shown that it’s significantly easier to locate a physical control than hunting through sub-menus, as tactile or haptic feedback lets drivers develop muscle memory for key controls."
And it's an editorial but I fully agree with its conclusions:
I understand that part - but why have touchscreens for core functionalities that won't change?
Like switching the AC on/off. You can hide away all the complex thermostat settings in the touchscreen but at least give me a physical AC button.
Saw the new Rivian and it has touchscreen controls for moving the AC vents around! What could ever change in the near future that moving the AC vents needs a feature upgrade?
>touchscreen controls for moving the AC vents around
Tesla has the same and it has changed the UI for AC operation in the past. To be clear, I'm not convincing people that it is a good thing and I understand the frustration. But I personally like how the car changes, the same way I like how iOS changes.
Of course there are significant drawbacks as well.