ÆCIII
Well-known member
Currently my experience tells me that round steering wheels are more ergonomically safe, meaning that you can maneuver the wheels turn-to-turn without taking your focus from the surroundings outside of the car, because your muscle memory will lay your hand where it expects the ring of the steering wheel to be - no matter how many turns you've made. I'm not talking about hand-over-hand either, because no one should ever do that as it's a recipe for loss of control. I'm just thinking about where you're maneuvering in a parking lot or residential area where you have to constantly look out for kids, people, or animals running out, while at the same time you may have to be executing a sharp turn. You'd feel bad if you hit a kid while backing into a parking place, if your focus was for an instant distracted trying to make sure your hand was landing on an irregular shape of a yoke steering wheel wouldn't you? Now those are just some initial reservations or things my experience tells me.
However, I have noticed that the Model-S Plaid yoke design is (sort-of) round too, and not harshly square like some dragster and airplane yokes are made (dragsters and airplanes mostly go in a straight line though, with very infrequent rapid sharp turns). So I would be willing to give the current Tesla yoke design a try, while keeping an open but objective mind. I might even like it, and realize the factors I think are relevant might not be as relevant as I thought. That's one thing about actuation and implementation of a situation, process, or model - you have to actually do human trials to really know how something is going to work.
I have to bring up another point though. A yoke steering wheel is not anything that was suddenly made available by recent technology from Tesla or anyone else. Whereas a touchscreen user interface could only be manufactured into vehicles within the last two decades or so, a yoke steering wheel has always been an option for really the last 120 years since cars first began appearing on roads. Nothing has stopped automakers (any of them) from offering a yoke steering wheel in vehicles all these decades. Why haven't they? Do you not think they would've at least tested yoke steering wheel configurations? Why haven't yoke steering wheels become mainstream long before now? People loved cutting-edge technology interfaces even back in the 1950s, where Chrysler Imperials, Buick Specials, and Cadillacs sported retracting electric radio antennas, push-button gear selectors for transmissions, electric windows, and the list goes on. Actually, I think the Model-S yoke steering wheel design would look 'right-at-home' in either one of these 50s cars, or even in a Corvette or 57 Thunderbird. So why weren't they even offered in them? No one can say the yoke was not even thought of, because they were already putting them in airplanes back then, and they were certainly exploring all aspects of interior styles too. Not forgetting that telescoping and tilt steering wheels were also offered in cars very early as well. So if the legacy automakers did any testing of a possible yoke steering wheel as an option, what did they find or conclude? I just don't think this is a new concept or breakthrough idea at all, but maybe one that is being revisited because it's not been mentioned for a while - sort of like a song that get's recycled and covered by a newer artist, and people think the cover artist was the first to sing that song. The yoke wheel concept has been around for decades. Why isn't it mainstream already? As great as a Tesla is, I don't think there is anything in Teslas that make a yoke wheel any more or less viable. I know some would quickly tout FSD and disagree, but at the end of the day Tesla cars are also very fun to drive. I just don't think people are ready to give that up 100% and when they want to 'take the wheel' they'll want a wheel they are comfortable with. So again I would have to try the yoke and see for myself.
One other option would be to make a morphing steering wheel, that would become a yoke if desired, or revert to a round wheel when driving in maneuver-intensive parking lots or areas. Now that would be an advance in technology too, that is probably within reach but likely would have manufacturing expenses that would not scale well.
-ÆCIII
However, I have noticed that the Model-S Plaid yoke design is (sort-of) round too, and not harshly square like some dragster and airplane yokes are made (dragsters and airplanes mostly go in a straight line though, with very infrequent rapid sharp turns). So I would be willing to give the current Tesla yoke design a try, while keeping an open but objective mind. I might even like it, and realize the factors I think are relevant might not be as relevant as I thought. That's one thing about actuation and implementation of a situation, process, or model - you have to actually do human trials to really know how something is going to work.
I have to bring up another point though. A yoke steering wheel is not anything that was suddenly made available by recent technology from Tesla or anyone else. Whereas a touchscreen user interface could only be manufactured into vehicles within the last two decades or so, a yoke steering wheel has always been an option for really the last 120 years since cars first began appearing on roads. Nothing has stopped automakers (any of them) from offering a yoke steering wheel in vehicles all these decades. Why haven't they? Do you not think they would've at least tested yoke steering wheel configurations? Why haven't yoke steering wheels become mainstream long before now? People loved cutting-edge technology interfaces even back in the 1950s, where Chrysler Imperials, Buick Specials, and Cadillacs sported retracting electric radio antennas, push-button gear selectors for transmissions, electric windows, and the list goes on. Actually, I think the Model-S yoke steering wheel design would look 'right-at-home' in either one of these 50s cars, or even in a Corvette or 57 Thunderbird. So why weren't they even offered in them? No one can say the yoke was not even thought of, because they were already putting them in airplanes back then, and they were certainly exploring all aspects of interior styles too. Not forgetting that telescoping and tilt steering wheels were also offered in cars very early as well. So if the legacy automakers did any testing of a possible yoke steering wheel as an option, what did they find or conclude? I just don't think this is a new concept or breakthrough idea at all, but maybe one that is being revisited because it's not been mentioned for a while - sort of like a song that get's recycled and covered by a newer artist, and people think the cover artist was the first to sing that song. The yoke wheel concept has been around for decades. Why isn't it mainstream already? As great as a Tesla is, I don't think there is anything in Teslas that make a yoke wheel any more or less viable. I know some would quickly tout FSD and disagree, but at the end of the day Tesla cars are also very fun to drive. I just don't think people are ready to give that up 100% and when they want to 'take the wheel' they'll want a wheel they are comfortable with. So again I would have to try the yoke and see for myself.
One other option would be to make a morphing steering wheel, that would become a yoke if desired, or revert to a round wheel when driving in maneuver-intensive parking lots or areas. Now that would be an advance in technology too, that is probably within reach but likely would have manufacturing expenses that would not scale well.
-ÆCIII
Sponsored