The new Tesla Model S 2021 has arrived loaded with new features, some of them spectacular such as the Plaid and Plaid + versions with more than 1,000 horses. However, what has attracted the most attention is Tesla’s decision to launch the car with a groundbreaking and very futuristic design, but also daring and quite controversial. And it is that, beyond the design itself, the steering wheel has some little understandable points from an ergonomic point of view.
The steering wheel of the new Model S abandons the form traditional with a circular outer ring (or quasi-toroidal, more properly said) and instead we have a Rectangular-shaped steering wheel without a ring on the top. The new steering wheel of the Tesla Model S is more reminiscent of the ‘KITT’, the fantastic car, or the Audi RSQ that Will Smith drove in ‘Me, robot’ than that of a conventional car. And it is closer to science fiction than reality, although Tesla intends to take it (will take it) to production.
Very little ergonomic design and layout of controls
Beyond its design, which you may like more or less, there are some things that collide with what we understand should be an ergonomic object, not for comfort but also for safety. The lack of a top rim (it doesn’t even have a small overhang) makes it impossible, for example, to place your hands at a quarter to three. This preventive driving position allows you to be prepared for a possible avoidance or avoidance maneuver, if necessary. Even the presence of the Autopilot does not justify this lack, since the car does not have a completely autonomous driving.
Cockpit of the new Tesla Model S 2021.
On the other hand, in some situations it becomes faster to turn the steering wheel with one hand or by crossing both hands, taking advantage of the entire steering wheel rim. It can happen when trying to make a turn in a too narrow place, when leaving a parking space or when parking (although in the latter case, in some situations the car can do it automatically). In those cases, having a full rim (even if it’s not perfectly round) makes maneuvering easier and faster. VTC service drivers come to mind, who will have to deal with these day-to-day one-handed maneuvers relatively frequently.
If we stop at the layout of the controls, we also find some nonsense, such as having the two turn signal buttons on the same side of the steering wheel, one on top of the other, and with touch buttons. A priori, a very unintuitive layout when signaling a turn, since we do not even have a tactile reference that allows us to clearly and quickly differentiate between the left turn signal button and the right turn signal button.
Steering wheel of the new Tesla Model S, without ring on the top.
And is that the new Model S abandons the levers behind the wheel that the previous model had. The gear selector (P, R, N, D) is in the center console next to the wireless charger and, for example, the wiper drive is also on a touch button of the steering wheel. We imagine – and this is only speculation – that pressing that button opens a menu on the central touch screen (similar to the controls on the Model 3 / Y) to choose the speed of the sweep or to eject water on the windshield.
The horn, the dipped headlights, the voice control o la activation of Autopilot are the other functions that are also found on the buttons on the steering wheel. In addition to the tactile buttons, the steering wheel has the circular physical wheels, one on each side, which are mounted on the Model 3 and Model Y.
A conventional round steering wheel up the sleeve
The steering wheel of the new Tesla Model S is undoubtedly controversial and probably not the best option from a driving point of view. Because, again, we insist that you still do not have autonomous driving that allows you to let go of the wheel at all times.
Tesla has reserved the option of a conventional round steering wheel.
So much so that Tesla has kept an ace up his sleeve, probably in order to be able to homologate the car in Europe. As users of Reddit, Tesla has hidden in the configurator of its website a option to choose a conventional round steering wheel, but the images – already removed – were effectively from the brand itself.
However, we still do not know if Tesla will offer the option of equipping the conventional steering wheel by legal imperative in depending on which regions of the world, or perhaps – and this would also make a lot of sense – to satisfy those customers who prefer to continue driving their car with a steering wheel normal.
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