These Tesla Model 3 Shots Reveal the Stunning New Dashboard

One of the Tesla Model 3’s most controversial features, a single-display dashboard design, has been spotted in new spy shots uploaded to a fan page. The $35,000 vehicle, set to enter production in July, is expected to ditch the instrument cluster in favor of an all-in-one central console. As the company tests release candidate models on the road, new sightings are offering the public a glimpse of Tesla’s first foray into the entry-level electric vehicle segment.controversial features, a single-display dashboard design, has been spotted in new spy shots uploaded to a fan page. The $35,000 vehicle, set to enter production in July, is expected to ditch the instrument cluster in favor of an all-in-one central console. As the company tests release candidate models on the road, new sightings are offering the public a glimpse of Tesla’s first foray into the entry-level electric vehicle segment.

On Sunday, Thomas Preisler posted a series of images to the Tesla Model 3 group on Facebook.

The eight images show a silver Model 3, one of the color options that’s being tested on public roads, with a wood-look dashboard.

The 15-inch central touchscreen, used to both control the car and offer entertainment, will take the place of the instrument cluster, and Preisler’s photos demonstrate the minimalist setup in action.

Instead of offering a speedometer behind the steering wheel, the Model 3 will display the car’s current speed on the touchscreen.

CEO Elon Musk claims the speed will fade in and out of opacity depending on whether the speed is relevant at that time. It is unclear how this will work in practice, but could be tied to the car’s semi-autonomous Autopilot mode.

Ultimately, the company hopes to release a software update by the end of this year to enable fully autonomous cross-country Tesla road trips. In these situations, a speedometer may be unnecessary information to the person sitting in the driver’s seat.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Inverse that speedometers must be located so that when activated, they are visible to a driver when the driver has adapted to the ambient light roadway conditions and is restrained by the seat belt. In many cases, automakers place the display behind the steering wheel, but the rule allows for variation.

The Model 3’s lack of a display behind the wheel helps reduce costs, allowing the company to release a car that’s far cheaper than anything else it currently produces.

Tesla plans to ramp up production to reach an annual rate of 500,000 cars per year by the end of 2018: currently, the company makes around 100,000 per year. When the car finally launches, we should have a better understanding of whether the lack of a second screen is a successful cost-cutting measure.