About that "yoke" steering wheel

[whitex]

Hmmm, considering that I've used a yoke to fly a plane and before that, years of flying a jet with a STICK, this seems pretty easy and natural to me. But I can understand it seems a bit strange to some people

Obviously different people feel comfortable with different things. You might like a Tesla with a stick instead of a steering wheel, someone else might light a dual stick "tank drive" (could turn the car on a dime!), but the issue at hand is what most people are used to in cars. Tank drive would make the car more maneuverable by a minority of drivers, but cause accidents by the majority, hence it's disallowed by the regulations.

 

[drtimhill]

Obviously different people feel comfortable with different things. You might like a Tesla with a stick instead of a steering wheel, someone else might light a dual stick "tank drive" (could turn the car on a dime!), but the issue at hand is what most people are used to in cars. Tank drive would make the car more maneuverable by a minority of drivers, but cause accidents by the majority, hence it's disallowed by the regulations.

In other news, Tesla swaps around the brake and accelerator pedals.

 

[EVDRVN]

Elon is just slowly taking away pieces of the yolk until there are none....

https://www.meijer.com/shop/en/pant...-free-egg-white-pasta-fine-12-oz/p/7173000718

The new S has pedals that fold up under the dash.

 

[baldwin]

The latest leaked pics show the back of the yoke--circled areas could be buttons/paddles...or just the way the yoke is assembled.

Yes, I am choosing to die on this hill

View attachment 640563 View attachment 640564

Yep, I’m thinking the same thing! It could be another set of context aware controls. Stationary? Drive shifter. Moving? Configurable fart noises? Endless creativity in this information drought.

edit: maybe turn signals while in motion

 

[Rogue Synapse]

Yep, I’m thinking the same thing! It could be another set of context aware controls. Stationary? Drive shifter. Moving? Configurable fart noises? Endless creativity in this information drought.

edit: maybe turn signals while in motion

Gotta be turn signals

 

[elguapo]

Gotta be turn signals

Missiles.

 

[Wol747]

FWIW I tried driving a short distance yesterday just using the bottom half of the wheel as if it was a yoke - impossible!
Turning into my development is a right angle - my right hand had to go round to the 7 o'clock position, which meant it had to go THROUGH my thigh.
If there was a yoke with some sort of FBW modifying the input so that it multiplied at low speeds - what happens when you have an emergency swerve necessary at high speed - there'd be little turn available.
Perhaps you could go into the sub-sub-sub menu and select the speed regime as the opposite car approached.....

 

[MarcG]

Yep, I’m thinking the same thing! It could be another set of context aware controls. Stationary? Drive shifter. Moving? Configurable fart noises?

I highly doubt it will happen, but I would love regen paddles.. other sporty EVs seem to be doing it successfully.

 

[omarsultan]

Missiles.

Missiles would be good

 

[omarsultan]

I highly doubt it will happen, but I would love regen paddles.. other sporty EVs seem to be doing it successfully.

The nice thing is that if they are buttons, they can be contextual--when stopped they shift gears, when driving, they could control re-gen or something else driving related.....or missiles.

 

[Skotty]

I fail to see what the issue is with the new steering wheel. How often do you people really use the top of your wheel? because even when parking and backing up or making hairpin turns i touch the top once like every 5k miles, i use the bottom and the sides pretty much always. Its unnecessary to have the top portion of the wheel there, so why not remove it to save costs?

I use the top 50% of the steering wheel almost exclusively. It's where I'm comfortable putting my hands. The only time I use the bottom is sometimes on long cruise control cruises. As I noted in another thread, a yoke steering wheel is a deal killer for me, even though I've always been a huge Tesla fan. No way I'm buying one with a yoke steering wheel.

One possible exception to this is if some aftermarket company comes out with a steering wheel replacement, but I kind of doubt that will happen; too much electronic gadgetry in it for the aftermarket probably.

 

[drtimhill]

I fail to see what the issue is with the new steering wheel. How often do you people really use the top of your wheel? because even when parking and backing up or making hairpin turns i touch the top once like every 5k miles, i use the bottom and the sides pretty much always. Its unnecessary to have the top portion of the wheel there, so why not remove it to save costs?

Get a jar of vaseline, then smear some on the top 25% of your steering wheel. Go for a drive .. see if any gets on your hands.

 

[Wheely]

I see the yoke as a gimmick that will attract some people and turn off others. The bigger issue in my view is removing the stalks. Guessing if you want to go forward or backward absolutely will not work. It can not work. Having gear selector buttons off the steering column can work fine but is not as intuitive in my view. In my 2017 X, using the console controls while driving is always less secure than pressing a real button. I do not understand why Tesla want all their cars to look exactly the same inside. It's boring and unimaginative.

 

[IronCoffee_Max]

I see the yoke as a gimmick that will attract some people and turn off others. The bigger issue in my view is removing the stalks. Guessing if you want to go forward or backward absolutely will not work. It can not work. Having gear selector buttons off the steering column can work fine but is not as intuitive in my view. In my 2017 X, using the console controls while driving is always less secure than pressing a real button. I do not understand why Tesla want all their cars to look exactly the same inside. It's boring and unimaginative.

There are buttons on the wheel to shift gears I believe from one of the reports.

 

[elguapo]

There are buttons on the wheel to shift gears I believe from one of the reports.

My current total speculation is they’ll give people a choice, somehow. They don’t want all of the “I won’t drive with a yoke” folks to walk away”, but they also want to be innovative. Not sure how they’ll do it. Not concerned about approvals. I think they’ll got what they need for approvals.

 

[David29]

Get a jar of vaseline, then smear some on the top 25% of your steering wheel. Go for a drive .. see if any gets on your hands.

When I was driving today to run a short errand, the memory of this comment came to me suddenly as I was maneuvering in a supermarket parking lot. I was not consciously trying to use or avoid any particular part of the steering wheel (nor had I coated my lovely leather wheel in Vaseline as an experiment!), but I realized I had my hand on the top of the wheel as I was turning the wheel to navigate out of a parking space. Then I let the wheel spin back through my hands as the car straightened out. This simple recognition while I was in the middle of a routine maneuver illustrated to me how much I use and would miss having a full wheel -- although I admit there was no way to simulate the variable steering ratio that people have postulated would make this possible for such low speed maneuvers.
I have been driving for more than 50 years. The idea of so totally altering the driving environment (including both the wheel and the control stalks) seems absurd, intimidating, overly risky, and unnecessary.

 

[Hayseed_MS]

When I was driving today to run a short errand, the memory of this comment came to me suddenly as I was maneuvering in a supermarket parking lot. I was not consciously trying to use or avoid any particular part of the steering wheel (nor had I coated my lovely leather wheel in Vaseline as an experiment!), but I realized I had my hand on the top of the wheel as I was turning the wheel to navigate out of a parking space. Then I let the wheel spin back through my hands as the car straightened out. This simple recognition while I was in the middle of a routine maneuver illustrated to me how much I use and would miss having a full wheel -- although I admit there was no way to simulate the variable steering ratio that people have postulated would make this possible for such low speed maneuvers.
I have been driving for more than 50 years. The idea of so totally altering the driving environment (including both the wheel and the control stalks) seems absurd, intimidating, overly risky, and unnecessary.

Realizing you have developed a 50 year habit through a one-time experiment in a parking lot does not necessarily make this "absurd, intimidating, overly risky, and unnecessary.".

 

[David29]

Realizing you have developed a 50 year habit through a one-time experiment in a parking lot does not necessarily make this "absurd, intimidating, overly risky, and unnecessary.".

Fair point about the "one-time experiment."
But, respectfully, my comment stands in terms of my opinion of the removing the stalks and providing a "yoke" part-wheel. The comment is based upon all the discussion I have read here and elsewhere, as informed by those many years of driving experience, plus a bit of engineering judgment.

 

[Hayseed_MS]

I have considerable experience and engineering judgment and am cautiously optimistic it will not be a dumpster fire of an idea. I have been driving for several weeks using the bottom half of the wheel when I "remember" - I use the lower half normally anyway as habit. I have found it not that bad and needing to totally rid myself of any "upper" habit. The beauty of the yoke is that it will force me to rid myself of that habit (better than Vaseline).

Willing to try it and deal with an alternative if need be.

 

[boonedocks]

Fair point about the "one-time experiment."
But, respectfully, my comment stands in terms of my opinion of the removing the stalks and providing a "yoke" part-wheel. The comment is based upon all the discussion I have read here and elsewhere, as informed by those many years of driving experience, plus a bit of engineering judgment.

I think I’ll reserve judgement until the yoke and stalkless system are released, hopefully to me soon, and the reviews and hands-on experiences are shared. Seems change in the Tesla community is always a little bit of a sore point.