If the Yoke is Mandatory, Tesla Can Count Me Out as a Repeat Customer
By Edward A. Sanchez – June 18, 2021
Tesla and Elon Musk, never the pair to shy away from controversy, has the industry abuzz with their stubborn insistence on pushing the “yoke” style steering wheel to market in the refreshed Model S Plaid. Still unknown is whether this will be a mandatory feature in all future Model S and X vehicles (Plaid or non-Plaid), and whether it will infiltrate its way throughout the rest of the Tesla lineup.
Despite Elon’s insistence that “it’s great” and other Tesla Stan apologists saying, “You get used to it,” to me, by all indications, it’s an egregious misapplication of the form factor. The only scenario where such a steering control would make sense is in an adaptive steering system, in which about a 200° total radial arc turn-to-turn would make sense. Much more than that, and you’re talking about crossed arms and general flailing. By all indications, the Plaid still retains a traditional mechanical, non-adaptive steering mechanism. It doesn’t even appear to employ a system like Ford has used with the Super Duty truck and Edge crossover, which combines a variable ratio motor within the steering wheel hub with a mechanical system.
I am a proud, and mostly happy owner of a 2019 Model 3 SR+. I am hoping to be a future repeat Tesla customer. But if the company stubbornly insists that all future models are equipped with this awkward design for steering, and especially without any supporting hardware such as steer-by-wire or an adaptive steering system, Tesla can count me out as a future customer.
Tesla is no longer the only game in town in terms of EVs. There are many very compelling alternatives appearing on the market, such as the Kia EV6, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, and dozens of other EVs just around the corner from various other brands.
To be clear, I’m not categorically opposed to the yoke wheel design in all circumstances. If it were combined with a steer-by-wire or adaptive system where the maximum radial arc would be approximately 180°, give-or-take, I think it would be an acceptable design. But by Elon’s own admission, they’re not there yet. Different for the sake of being different is a poor rationale for design. New designs should always be a tangible and compelling advancement in functionality and practicality. The yoke in its current application is neither. It is simply a goofy implementation of a sci-fi fantasy for LOLs. Musk is an admitted sci-fi fan, and in the official reveal event for the Plaid, even admitted the naming comes from the sci-fi comedy Spaceballs, evidently one of his favorites. Some have even inferred the yoke design is a nod to the 1980s series Knight Rider and the talking car K.I.T.T.
If Tesla’s yoke wheel is the only steering option, I might be shopping elsewhere for my next EV.
I’m as big a fan of sci-fi as anyone. But it’s one thing to have memorabilia on your bookshelves and posters on the wall, and another having your nostalgic fondness for pop culture dictate design decisions.
Before the official reveal of the Plaid, a sharp-eyed tech enthusiast noticed that a small change to the configurator URL revealed a more conventional steering wheel available in for the Model S refresh. The hidden easter egg was later removed from the site. Also, several Model S refresh prototypes have been seen on the streets with a more conventional steering wheel (although still a stalkless steering column). As I have noted in previous posts and podcasts, I am not altogether opposed to the elimination of the stalks, and the move to put those controls on the steering wheel. But making the yoke mandatory is a bridge too far.
Tesla needs to offer all current Plaid owners the option to retrofit their vehicles with a conventional steering wheel at no charge, as well as making a conventional wheel a no-cost option on future Model S and X models. It’s clear they’ve made at least a handful of prototypes with a conventional wheel, so it doesn’t seem like it would be more than a few months of retooling and production to get it to market.
My plea may be falling on Elon’s deaf ears, but based on the overwhelmingly negative response to the design by automotive design experts and Tesla non-Stans, it seems I’m not alone. Whether I get a 2024 Model 3, Model Y, or Cybertruck may depend on the steering wheel design. That may sound trivial and petty, but I’m quite serious about it being that big of a deal as a purchase consideration. Tesla, don’t force us under your yoke of submission.
(Images courtesy Tesla)
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