About that "yoke" steering wheel

[omarsultan]

The one thing we have not seen is the back of the yolk--maybe a paddle shifter or at least buttons on the back of the wheel to shift gears or override the computer would make some sense. My old Jeep Grand Cherokee has buttons on the back of the steering wheel to control some functions, so its not exactly radical.

 

[Maybe22]

Im relatively new to Tesla but I find it totally amateurish that they role out a major refresh wish such incomplete details and sketchy information all while taking active orders. Reminds me of Steve Jobs' arrogance, which doomed Apple once and might have again if he had stayed with us...

 

[sonofagunn]

Agreed. I would imagine that inputs are blocked above some nominal speed, similar to current stalk inputs. But still could imagine leaning on the wheel or something while stopped and not realizing you've switched to reverse (I imagine that pulling the yoke is drive and pushing is reverse, for some reason)

I thought the same thing at first too, but envisioned it as tilting the top of the wheel forward would select drive, tilting the yoke back towards you would engage reverse. But then I discounted this idea when I thought about how easy it would be to accidentally engage (unless you had a paddle/trigger on the back of the yoke that had to be held down to change gears).

 

[Hayseed_MS]

I have been driving for a few days not going above 9 and 3 - usually do not anyway so no biggie.

Have been able to take round-abouts, pull into garage, 90 degree slow and fast turns, parking, etc. No issues. You will not like if you have already convinced yourself that you cannot make it a habit. I am looking forward to it and feel it will be just as safe for me.

 

[Wol747]

>>5 minutes driving it around the Tesla parking lot and parking will let you know immediately if it is a deal breaker or not,<<

I think not! This is a SUBSTANTIAL change to a lifetime acquired set of habits (Assuming of course that the whole thing is not a wind-up by Musk).
You will need to test it in high traffic conditions, three point turns, slow and fast and, if you can get into a high anxiety position, there too. But make sure your insurance covers a Tesla test vehicle!

 

[Tiger]

Im relatively new to Tesla but I find it totally amateurish that they role out a major refresh wish such incomplete details and sketchy information all while taking active orders. Reminds me of Steve Jobs' arrogance, which doomed Apple once and might have again if he had stayed with us...

FYI: This is nothing new, this is how Tesla rolls. There are enough buyers to fill the orders before quality or details are complete. As Elon said, the very early cars will be ok and the cars after 100k mark, out of luck for the ones in the ramp (or end of quarter).

 

[thebishop]

Im relatively new to Tesla but I find it totally amateurish that they role out a major refresh wish such incomplete details and sketchy information all while taking active orders. Reminds me of Steve Jobs' arrogance, which doomed Apple once and might have again if he had stayed with us...

was that the doom when they rolled out the iPod, iTunes or iPhone? I keep forgetting. Apple is doomed so often since Jobs came back it’s hard to keep track.

 

[Maybe22]

was that the doom when they rolled out the iPod, iTunes or iPhone? I keep forgetting. Apple is doomed so often since Jobs came back it’s hard to keep track.

This was when Jobs almost killed Apple after Macintosh before he came back and went to start NeXT.... blinding arrogance blotting out any sense or practical reality....

 

[totoro722]

This was when Jobs almost killed Apple after Macintosh before he came back and went to start NeXT.... blinding arrogance blotting out any sense or practical reality....

I always thought it was John Sculley who almost killed Apple. Jobs headed the recovery from the Sculley years.

 

[thebishop]

Should give him credit for pulling together the next team. What they accomplished was serious nextgen for its time. It’s the foundation tech for all apple devices software today and saved apple from extinction in the late 90s. The late mr Jobs might have been an a-hole in the 80s, but the experience from the decade with next did set him up for a different approach the other way around. Almost one wished Elon had a similar experience. (And I do have extensive first-hand experience working with NeXTs products. All from NeXTStep 2.0 and forward until apple reverse-acquired them)

 

[whitex]

I have been driving for a few days not going above 9 and 3 - usually do not anyway so no biggie.

Have been able to take round-abouts, pull into garage, 90 degree slow and fast turns, parking, etc. No issues. You will not like if you have already convinced yourself that you cannot make it a habit. I am looking forward to it and feel it will be just as safe for me.

Besides guessing which direction you want to go, directional signals on the steering wheel instead of the steering column are also a problem, and likely hazard. Plenty of time when parking I hit the wrong thumb wheel attempting to mute the radio, only to realize that the wheel is 180 degrees turned, therefore left button on the right and vice versa. If the yoke goes into production, it might take a couple of years and some high profile accidents, where someone signaled the wrong way (say you were pulling out from being parallel parked on the right side of the road, your wheel is turned 180 degrees, you think you are signaling to the left but actually you just engaged the right blinker - you pull out and kill some bicyclist who saw your blinker and understood you are pulling in, not out) before they are recalled.

Buttons on a moving steering wheel are notoriously hard to find without looking, then again all buttons in a Tesla touchscreen and Tesla never cared that for example you have to look all the way down in a Model S to peck at menus to find the phone app, or to change suspension, so perhaps they don't care if they make directional signaling harder to use and easier to signal incorrectly. I'm sure at some point Elon will promise the car will guess when you want to signal and which way, a feature coming "soon" of course, and if it ever arrives, it will be in Beta for the next decade after that (read, Tesla not responsible for anything it does, you are).

 

[46&2]

only to realize that the wheel is 180 degrees turned

You still believe it will work that way, an idea your whole post is based on.

No way the yoke should turn 180 degrees!

I could always argue differently:
- many cars exist with turn signal switches on the wheel
- when about to exit a roundabout, and having a common wheel turned 90 degrees only, hands on 9-3 (which is 12-6 now), I find it awkward to let go of the wheel just to reach for the blinker stalk that hasn't followed my left hand.

So, just imagine:
- you have to turn it 30 to 45 degrees to do a 'normal' turn, like at an intersection
- your hands stay where they are, on the yoke
- blinker is at your finger-tip.

 

[whitex]

You still believe it will work that way, an idea your whole post is based on.

No way the yoke should turn 180 degrees!

I could always argue differently:
- many cars exist with turn signal switches on the wheel
- when about to exit a roundabout, and having a common wheel turned 90 degrees only, hands on 9-3 (which is 12-6 now), I find it awkward to let go of the wheel just to reach for the blinker stalk that hasn't followed my left hand.

So, just imagine:
- you have to turn it 30 to 45 degrees to do a 'normal' turn, like at an intersection
- your hands stay where they are, on the yoke
- blinker is at your finger-tip.

Check out the videos of Cybertruck rides during the reveal - the Tesla driver of the cybertrucks had to turn the wheel more than 180 degrees on a couple of occasions.

EDIT: Same thing in the Roadster - check out video in post #5 of this thread.

You claiming Model S will be different has absolutely no basis in any facts available today.

 

[46&2]

Check out the videos of Cybertruck rides during the reveal - the Tesla driver of the cybertrucks had to turn the wheel more than 180 degrees on a couple of occasions.

EDIT: Same thing in the Roadster - check out video in post #5 of this thread.

You claiming Model S will be different has absolutely no basis in any facts available today.

I've seen, and mentioned here myself, these videos.

Still, I just don't want to believe (accept ) Tesla is going to do that with the yoke. So stupid.

(I am with you: if it were that way, that would suck!) There was this article about the European authorities not having anything against a steering devide that's not round, and that only turns 90 degrees. That's why I was hoping Tesla changed that from pre-production CT and demo Roadster to a real product Model S and X refresh...

But then, of cours you're right: we got nothing from Tesla, so far...

 

[Iain]

>>5 minutes driving it around the Tesla parking lot and parking will let you know immediately if it is a deal breaker or not,<<

I think not! This is a SUBSTANTIAL change to a lifetime acquired set of habits (Assuming of course that the whole thing is not a wind-up by Musk).
You will need to test it in high traffic conditions, three point turns, slow and fast and, if you can get into a high anxiety position, there too. But make sure your insurance covers a Tesla test vehicle!

Let me ask you this, if you went over to Australia, South Africa, England and rented a car, how long do you think it would take to break a lifelong habit of driving from the left seat? I travel a lot and it normally takes me upwards of ten minutes and in those Countries it’s normally a manual stick. My guess is after an hour you will forget the wheel is different.

 

[Hayseed_MS]

Let me ask you this, if you went over to Australia, South Africa, England and rented a car, how long do you think it would take to break a lifelong habit of driving from the left seat? I travel a lot and it normally takes me upwards of ten minutes and in those Countries it’s normally a manual stick. My guess is after an hour you will forget the wheel is different.

Interesting view. When I lived in Japan with the company many years ago, I had to drive aright hand manual. Took a bit of retraining not just my side of the vehicle but also clutch foot retrain.

It will be weird but I feel far from the apocalypses some are predicting.

 

[thebishop]

Interesting view. When I lived in Japan with the company many years ago, I had to drive aright hand manual. Took a bit of retraining not just my side of the vehicle but also clutch foot retrain.

It will be weird but I feel far from the apocalypses some are predicting.

I think it is just the right way to think about it, my experience from driving left-traffic (after a 30 hour flight) was that it was a non-issue after the first hour or so. Then it felt weird when I came home, almost drove on wrong side of the road first time when back...

 

[thebishop]

I've seen, and mentioned here myself, these videos.

Still, I just don't want to believe (accept ) Tesla is going to do that with the yoke. So stupid.

(I am with you: if it were that way, that would suck!) There was this article about the European authorities not having anything against a steering devide that's not round, and that only turns 90 degrees. That's why I was hoping Tesla changed that from pre-production CT and demo Roadster to a real product Model S and X refresh...

But then, of cours you're right: we got nothing from Tesla, so far...

‘I think it will work exactly as in the videos, and be good enough to sell well.

 

[BestRadar]

I just wish Tesla for an $80k starting price Model S would have made the interior feel more like a luxury vehicle. I think Lucid Air will be a big competitor to the Model S and I feel their interior is much nicer.

 

[Hayseed_MS]

@BestRadar I agree that that is very nice interior and more "luxury" in some ways. However, to me it looks too mainstream and Buick like. That is my personal taste (maybe bad taste), but I like the refresh better.