Since its presentation, Tesla’s Yoke steering wheel has been calling out. With its atypical shape, it intrigues and worries. Will it be approved in Europe? If we dissect the European regulations, nothing prevents it, including in France.
If the steering wheel and the entire steering system must meet a list of obligations to be homologated in Europe, nothing is specified as to the shape that the steering wheel must have. It is finally the use which ended up imposing a steering wheel of round shape, with sometimes one or two flats for the practical or aesthetic side. Tesla, which presented a steering wheel futuristic with its new Model S, is not the only manufacturer to venture into other forms of steering wheel.
The very first automobiles were well equipped with handlebars before the hoop took hold. Why couldn’t current innovations see this equipment evolve, before it is set to disappear with autonomous cars? If you can fly a plane with a yoke, you can probably steer a car too.
Concerns escalated to the government
Surprisingly enough, Tesla’s Yoke steering wheel even got involved in government questions. A few days after the presentation of this novelty, the deputy Damien Adam addressed a request to the ministry of the ecological transition to know its position on the subject for France.
In return, the ministry replied to the deputy in December by referring to the European texts concerned, namely regulations n° 79 and n° 121 of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations. What is not prohibited is in principle authorized. Tesla’s rectangular steering wheel has already been approved in the Netherlands by the competent authority (the RDW), as the ministry points out in its response.
At the regulatory level, the Yoke steering wheel is therefore considered legal in the European Union and, by extension, in France. The Ministry of Ecological Transition specifies that drivers will have to adapt to these new steering wheels, in particular for maneuvers such as a 180° turn.
And for the command switches?
If the shape of the steering wheel does not pose a problem, the absence of certain control stalks, in particular for the indicators, will perhaps force Tesla to make modifications to its model when importing into Europe. It would not be the first time for the American manufacturer, which has already modified the manual controls of its model to adapt to a market like Europe.
The excessive simplification of orders, desired by the brand, risks coming up against regulatory constraints in Europe. The question has already arisen in the past with the management of the windshield wipers of the Model 3 during this accident.
Are customers ready for the Yoke steering wheel?
More than a regulatory basis authorizing or prohibiting this new generation of steering wheel, the question to be asked is above all this: are European customers ready for this change?
There are pros and cons. This new generation of steering wheel is bound to change our habits (and especially our bad habits) of driving. Our colleagues from Frandroid have experienced this by adapting a Yoke steering wheel on a Tesla Model 3, we invite you to discover their opinion — Tesla: we tested the Yoke steering wheel over several thousand km.