The new versions of Tesla Model S and Model Y, Presented 12 months ago by the American firm and only available on the market for now, they are characterized by many new features compared to the versions they replace. In particular, it was the particular steering wheel that caught the eye, as well as sparking countless comments: it is the yokea joystick that completely replaces the traditional steering wheel.
However, Tesla doesn’t seem to be the only one interested in an alternative device to the traditional steering of one’s own cars. Indeed, it appeared that BMW filed a patent at the end of last December with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a steering device that “has angled handles on the sides”.
From the image, the first impression is that of having a sort of transposition of the Yoke of Tesla Model S and Model X in BWM sauce, but in reality its operation is different. When you rotate it, the two handles stay together in a vertical position as the column part rotates in the desired direction, coming together until they overlap
In this way, the hands always remain oriented the same way, in fact with the thumbs placed on top, even when the device is rotated up to 180° or 360°. By imagining how this works, it is obvious that a product of this type requires a minimum of learning to be used effectivelybut conceptually it seems like a very interesting approach.
Tesla Model S Yoke Steering Wheel
This is a patent it is not clear that a solution of this type can be implemented in a product intended for sale but it’s certainly interesting to see BWM also experimenting in finding proposals that go beyond the current status quo, perhaps going beyond the functionality of the Tesla Yoke. Will it come in future electric cars from BMW? Only time will tell.