Photo: todd2fst4u via Reddit
A new version of Tesla’s steering yoke was caught on camera and this might signal the EV maker is willing to adjust to customers’ requests. The new yoke on test has a regular airbag horn instead of the touch-sensitive button of the steering wheel introduced with the refreshed Model S and Model X.
Not everyone was pleased to see the peculiar “butterfly” design of the steering wheel Tesla introduced on the redesigned Model S and Model X. The new system was Elon Musk’s saying the car will soon not need a steering wheel at all, why not just make it harder to use one now. Nevertheless, the new design started to appeal to other carmakers, too. This includes Toyota, which presented its version with the introduction of the electric bZ4X.
People who used the new yoke steering started to complain about it being unpractical at low speeds and when maneuvering in tight spaces. Another gripe concerns the touch-sensitive horn button that is hard to find in emergency situations. To be sure, Tesla implemented an alternative way to activate the horn, by covering all buttons on the right side of the steering wheel with your hand. But this is just as inconvenient and, sometimes, even dangerous.
In short, people wanted to have a normal steering wheel or, at least, a regular airbag horn, like all other cars. Of course, Elon Musk disagreed, famously tweeting “almost all input is an error,” but it turns out he might be willing to budge. At least when it comes to the horn button, for now.
A new picture shared on Reddit shows the same infamous yoke steering but with a twist. A sticker reading “Airbag horn enabled in SW-352573” was attached in the upper part. The Redditor that shared the picture says the car he snapped was a refreshed Model S with manufacturer plates, so we figure is a test car to try new features. Or, in this case, revisit old ones.
Hopefully, the test drivers will find out how natural it is to honk the horn of a vehicle by just leaning towards the airbag. Who knows, they might even conclude a round steering wheel is not such a bad idea, after all. This is also the conclusion most people came to after driving the new Model S and Model X.
People who used the new yoke steering started to complain about it being unpractical at low speeds and when maneuvering in tight spaces. Another gripe concerns the touch-sensitive horn button that is hard to find in emergency situations. To be sure, Tesla implemented an alternative way to activate the horn, by covering all buttons on the right side of the steering wheel with your hand. But this is just as inconvenient and, sometimes, even dangerous.
In short, people wanted to have a normal steering wheel or, at least, a regular airbag horn, like all other cars. Of course, Elon Musk disagreed, famously tweeting “almost all input is an error,” but it turns out he might be willing to budge. At least when it comes to the horn button, for now.
A new picture shared on Reddit shows the same infamous yoke steering but with a twist. A sticker reading “Airbag horn enabled in SW-352573” was attached in the upper part. The Redditor that shared the picture says the car he snapped was a refreshed Model S with manufacturer plates, so we figure is a test car to try new features. Or, in this case, revisit old ones.
Hopefully, the test drivers will find out how natural it is to honk the horn of a vehicle by just leaning towards the airbag. Who knows, they might even conclude a round steering wheel is not such a bad idea, after all. This is also the conclusion most people came to after driving the new Model S and Model X.
Google News