Blog Model S Plaid With Yoke Steering Wheel Spotted Near Factory

A Tesla Model S Plaid was spotted near the company’s Fremont factory last week, signaling that the top-of-the-line sedan may be ready for deliveries soon. 

Twitter user @BLKMDL3 shared the photos, featuring a Midnight Silver Metallic Model S with a Plaid badge. He said the car also featured a yoke steering wheel, a design that is reportedly under review by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1375617631248556033

The Plaid will have 390 miles of range, pack 1,100 horsepower, travel 0-60 mph in less than 2 seconds, and a top speed over 200 mph. Chief Executive Elon Musk said last week that the Model S Plaid will be Tesla’s “best car ever.”

The new photos show the Plaid edition’s updated exterior, featuring a wider body intended to improve the driving experience for the high-performance sedan. 

With several sightings of Plaid cars around Tesla’s factory in recent months, it seems Tesla is close to a production version of the vehicle. The Model S Plaid starts at $119,990.

 

[Sbaimo]

I have no concerns about driving with the mew yoke. But I think I will miss resting one hand at the bottom of a round steering wheel during long highway rides. I know I shouldn’t do that, but I certainly do on occasion.

 

[whitex]

Always wanted a yoke for my ModelS so the screen won't be blocked. Can't handle a yoke (??) sheesh, I've driven cars with just a vicegrips on the steering shaft.
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Vice grips are coming to Model 3/Y (budget version of a yoke), soon after they are done removing the lumbar support from the production of the seats. The vice grips streering wheel will have a cool name - "Short Squeeze" perhaps, and will be easily detachable for when FSD will drive your Tesla while you play games on your AMD powered Gaming MCU3.

 

[whitex]

I have no concerns about driving with the mew yoke. But I think I will miss resting one hand at the bottom of a round steering wheel during long highway rides. I know I shouldn’t do that, but I certainly do on occasion.

Elon will tell you that you can rest both your hands on your seat, your knees, or anywhere you you wish, you just have to be patient for Tesla to come up with actual Full Self Driving (you know, like what Tesla sold as FSD between 2016 and 2019, it will come back if you believe it), which should be happening soon (so in the next decade or two).

 

[Sbaimo]

Elon will tell you that you can rest both your hands on your seat, your knees, or anywhere you you wish, you just have to be patient for Tesla to come up with actual Full Self Driving (you know, like what Tesla sold as FSD between 2016 and 2019, it will come back if you believe it), which should be happening soon (so in the next decade or two).

Maybe Elon should drive me around.

 

[AMPd]

Vice grips are coming to Model 3/Y (budget version of a yoke), soon after they are done removing the lumbar support from the production of the seats. The vice grips streering wheel will have a cool name - "Short Squeeze" perhaps, and will be easily detachable for when FSD will drive your Tesla while you play games on your AMD powered Gaming MCU3.

Will there be a door pocket to throw the vice grips in while FSD is driving you around?

 

[whitex]

Will there be a door pocket to throw the vice grips in while FSD is driving you around?

Nope, the glove compartment will have a dedicated Short Squeeze Handle Bars storage, like the J1772 adapter storage in the original Model S.

Then Elon will have an epiphany - even more savings to go from handle bars to a single joystick, they will name it the Elon Stick. Marketing will compare this to fly-by-wire fighter jets, fanboys will drool and hand over their money.

 

[TarmacSurfer]

Love the yoke personally… reminds me of being in an aircraft cockpit. Incidentally I was trained years ago that keeping your hand at the 12 o’clock position is a really bad idea because if the air bag goes off (unexpected crash or whatever else) you’re going to likely break your wrist and your nose when your wrist hits it. Ideally you hold 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions so your hands are well clear of any deployment.

I’d take a yoke any day. Looks cool IMO.

 

[Uncle Paul]

With the new personal camera their may be no need to rest your hand on the wheel to provide torque to cancel the nag. Autopilot may become Nag Free.

 

[VLTWGGN]

Yoke steering typically has electronically controlled progressive motion depending on the degree of tilt (like on a fly-by-wire aircraft). I'm a bit perplexed how it is a better ergo decision for a wheel that needs to be turned 360 degrees, but I'm open to the idea and look forward to trying it out.

 

[dfwatt]

Whole lot of questions about the new Plaid:

1) thermal dynamics. Obviously they've significantly improved the car's ability to remove heat from the motors and the battery. But how much? Does this mean it's equal to the Model 3, way better than the Model 3, in other words as good as the Porsche Taycan?

2) Battery pack - can't find confirmation that this has the new 4680 cells? Does anybody know? Tesla's own official pronouncement is that they're 12 months away from volume production? Does this mean they've got small volume for the Plaid?

3) They seem to have created an incredibly linear power output from those Motors. Almost no drop-off in power as the Motor gets into its upper RPM ranges and 200 miles per hour without even a second gear would suggest that they've found a way to virtually eliminate field weakening at high RPM. Does anybody know anything about that?

3) Vehicle Dynamics and tire compliment. Obviously you're not going to be able to go 200 miles an hour on even a Pilot Sport 4S. Anybody know what the tire compliment is for the Plaid going to be? I think I've seen 295 at the rear with the 21s but I don't know what the front tire is but I suspect it's a 275 if you get the 21 inch wheel option. Have they done something to make the car feel more agile? Firmer shocks? Better control over body roll? Vehicle Dynamics was where the prior Model S really could not compete with the Taycan.