Tesla fan: Can we please, please have a standard speedometer in Model 3? Elon Musk: No.

Well OK then.
 By 
Stan Schroeder
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

We don't know, exactly, what the interior of Tesla's Model 3 will be like, but prototype vehicles we've seen so far had a large center screen instead of a standard instrument cluster facing the driver.

If you're still hoping for a traditional, driver-centered instrument cluster or a HUD in Tesla's upcoming Model 3, Elon Musk's got some bad news for you.

Replying to a query on Twitter, the Tesla CEO said "no" to both options, reiterating his previous claims that Model 3 drivers won't care about the speedometer thanks to the car's high level of autonomy.

While this doesn't necessarily mean Model 3 drivers will have to rely solely on the center screen for information -- Tesla might have other tricks up its sleeve -- Musk did say last week that dash info is not very important when the car has a high level of autonomy. Replying to a query on Twitter, he even compared the Model 3 experience to riding in a taxi.

Putting aside for a second the fact that some drivers might prefer a traditional instrument cluster even in a fully autonomous vehicle, the problem with Musk's reasoning is that Model 3 is very unlikely to be very autonomous at launch. The first Model 3 cars will be delivered to customers later this year, and though the company did say they will feature the same autopilot hardware as seen on the far more expensive Model S and Model X vehicles, autonomous driving needs regulatory approval and that probably won't happen very soon.

To be fair, the one central screen that is present in the Model 3 is quite humongous, with more screen real estate than you'll find in some comparably sized cars. But if you don't like looking to the right (or to the left, if you're in the UK) to see your current speed, you might be out of luck.

Topics Tesla Elon Musk

Stan Schroeder
Stan Schroeder
Senior Editor

Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.

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