Reconfiguring the interior of a Tesla Model 3 for autonomous driving purposes

The highly likely spread of autonomous vehicles has transformed the landscape of road travel, ushering in new opportunities and challenges in vehi-cle interior design. By removing the need for direct driver intervention, a wide array of Non-Driving-Related Activities (NDRAs) has become possible. These activities encompass working, studying, relaxing, and socializing during the ride, elevating the car from a mere instrument of transportation to an extension of our daily living space.In this context, this study aims to propose a new design for the Tesla Model 3, envisioning its evolution to SAE Level 5 autonomy, which denotes full auton-omous driving capability under any conditions and in any location. We have se-lected the Tesla Model 3 for examination due to its compact size, posing a sig-nificant challenge for interiors’ optimization.Starting with a critical review to identify the most pertinent activities for occu-pants, this study focuses on creating two virtual prototypes of the autonomous Tesla Model 3—one with 4 seats and another with 2 seats—to assess their spa-ciousness. 3D interiors model was created by CATIA V5 software, and the er-gonomic evaluation was conducted using the Ergonomics Design & Analysis module, employing mannequins representing a 50 percentile French male and adopting REBA method for the virtual ergonomic assessment.