Since you were using strong words like "loathing" I guess you'll be relieved to hear that Teslas have physical stalks for that. In the case of the newer Plaid S and X they automatically shift into reverse for you when needed, without any need to use the touch screen at all.
I'm not sure when you would use neutral but I suppose in a service situation, something pretty unusual and again on the vast majority of Teslas, whether you count by the number of models or the number of individual shipped cars, that's also done with a physical stalk so the touch screen is really a non-issue here. Yes, shifting into neutral is done with the physical stalk. As is reverse and drive.
But perception matters. I think Tesla should do a better job educating the public about their cars, because people form all sorts of opinions and then it's hard to even have a conversation because the baseline knowledge about what is going on has to be totally reset. Even people who drive a Tesla once come away mistakenly thinking it has no buttons (!!), which is so far from the truth it's hard to fathom what phenomenon we are witnessing here.
Even if it has some physical buttons, just take a look at the interior of a Tesla. It doesn't have nearly enough. I drove it for about 6 hours (it was a rental). And I distinctly remember being aggravated by the lack of physical controls. If they want to change their perception, maybe have more than just a touch screen in the middle of their dashboard.
I'm not sure when you would use neutral but I suppose in a service situation, something pretty unusual and again on the vast majority of Teslas, whether you count by the number of models or the number of individual shipped cars, that's also done with a physical stalk so the touch screen is really a non-issue here. Yes, shifting into neutral is done with the physical stalk. As is reverse and drive.
But perception matters. I think Tesla should do a better job educating the public about their cars, because people form all sorts of opinions and then it's hard to even have a conversation because the baseline knowledge about what is going on has to be totally reset. Even people who drive a Tesla once come away mistakenly thinking it has no buttons (!!), which is so far from the truth it's hard to fathom what phenomenon we are witnessing here.