Tesla unveils the butterfly-shaped “yoke” steering wheel when the Model S got its Plaid refresh. Initially there were thoughts that the yoke would be optional, but instead so far it’s been the only option. You can’t get a round steering wheel on a new Model S, but that may be set to change at some point in the future.
A well known Tesla hacker that goes by the screen name “green” on Twitter spotted something interesting in an update to Tesla’s service tools – a mention of a steering wheel swap with two options: Round and Yoke.
This hopefully means Tesla is preparing to offer a round steering wheel as an option for new purchases of the Model S Plaid, and maybe even as a retrofit for those who already have the car and don’t enjoy the yoke. But this is little more than wishful thinking at this point, with nothing being official. Still, we can hope.
The yoke shape of the steering wheel looks great in pictures and renders but is rather obviously a usability nightmare in some scenarios – especially given that it has a normal steering ratio – so you need to “turn” it exactly as much as you would a round wheel. You can see how this isn’t an ideal thing, right? Apparently a nonlinear steering curve is in development, but will take years to materialize.
In the meantime, certain maneuvers, like trying to regain control after some slips on ice, can be downright dangerous to attempt with the yoke. But no one at Tesla seems to care, at least so far. Let’s see if that ever changes.
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