The 2023 versions of the Model 3 and Model Y will benefit from the same steering wheel as the Tesla Semi, with touch controls to replace the joysticks.
The 2023 update to the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y will bring a major change to the interior of these vehicles. According to Chris Zheng, who has links to sources in Tesla’s supply chain in China, the automaker plans to equip its electric cars with a new steering wheel.
This one would abandon the levers and the pallets to integrate touch buttons for vehicle control, including gear changes and turn signals. Tesla is therefore committing a little more in this direction, while the steering wheel of the Model S and Model X is already of this type of technology. According to the source, the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y should not adopt the steering wheel of the Model S and Model X, but rather that of the Tesla Semi, the electric semi-trailer announced in 2017 and postponed several times, for which the pre-orders are finally open in some countries.
No customization options for the steering wheel of Model 3 and Model Y 2023?
The steering wheel of the Tesla Semi, and therefore of the future Model 3 and Model Y if the information in this report is confirmed, has a fairly classic circle-shaped design. Good news for consumers who are not fans of the yoke steering wheel Model S and Model X, which is inspired by that of racing cars.
The choice of tactile keys to replace the traditional levers is consistent with Tesla’s strategy of pooling equipment in order to streamline the production of its vehicles and achieve economies of scale. But from a practical point of view, these buttons are not always ideal, especially for quickly changing the turn signal during maneuvers, overtaking and changing lanes on the motorway, and especially in roundabouts. The latter are very rare in the United States while they abound in Europe, which could motivate Tesla to offer a classic steering wheel on the old continent. But let’s not have too much hope: the Model S and Model X sold in Europe do have the famous mandatory Yoke steering wheel, like across the Atlantic.