Tesla may offer conventional steering wheel for Model S Plaid
Tesla Model S Plaid buyers may soon be able to swap out the controversial ‘yoke’ for a traditional round steering wheel when ordering their new car.
Electric vehicle specialist Tesla could be preparing to offer a conventional circular steering wheel in place of the controversial ‘yoke’ currently fitted to its Model S Plaid – according to recently-surfaced
service tool code.The existing aeroplane-inspired controls were revealed to much fanfare at the high-performance
sedan’s reveal in January 2021.However, some drivers found the stalk-free layout to be inconvenient when manoeuvring and potentially dangerous under some conditions.
— green (@greentheonly) February 24, 2022
This week Tesla hacker ‘Green‘ revealed embedded service tools referencing the the option of “Yoke” or ”Round” steering wheel options (rendered below).
While not confirmation of specific plans, the code gives the best indication yet the marque is preparing to offer an alternative to the controversial yoke.
It’s unclear if the move is due to customer demand, or a necessary move to sell the currently North America-only model in markets where the yoke would not pass local safety regulations.
Drive has contacted Tesla Australia executives via text message for comment on the new reports, however the company has a policy of not responding to media enquiries.
While denied by CEO Elon Musk, the option of a circular wheel has long been rumoured online.The Tesla configurator originally included buried photos of a conventional steering wheel only accessible through a tweak to the URL (shown above), and the car has previously been spied testing without the yoke (shown below).
As with all Tesla vehicles, Australian customers can currently put money down for a Model S Plaid. However, there is no timeline for right-hand-drive delivery.
The Model 3 sedan – the only model currently offered with estimated arrival date – now has a local wait time of five to seven months.
Tesla was the best-selling electric car maker in Australia by a significant margin throughout 2021.
Despite originally claiming it has sold a record 15,054 vehicles, this figure was subsequently revised to 12,094.The post Tesla may offer conventional steering wheel for Model S Plaid appeared first on Drive.