Tesla Yoke Revisited after 3 Months 

It's just a fact of life. The horn on a vehicle is a "Panic Button" of sorts. It's been that way since the beginning of automobiles. Tesla needs to stay with that concept and put the horn activation back as the center of accessibility. As with many Tesla owners, my Tesla is not my only vehicle I drive. I need consistency here!

I had a friend cancel his plaid order recently after trying it out with another car. The yoke is cool to some degree, but I think Tesla should have made it a option. When your spending 150k I guess you can be more picky.

“The more I drive it the more I get used to it”. And “hurdle” is not the experience I want when driving a car.

After driving my Plaid for nearly a year, yoke needs improvements, 1) turn signals n emergency lights should relocate to both thumb tips or index tips at back of handle ber, double press for blinks. 2) horn button should go back to traditional center 3) steering yoke could shrink size by 2 inches, lower right corner blocks lower left screen a bit 4) eliminate lower horizontal bar cuz they do noting

Great follow-up video!!! Outside of the audio, fantastic production too. Thank you.

Haven’t had any problems adjusting to yoke, from day one. Didn’t expect to like it. Now I do.

Great review, I came to this video just now after I found out the Cybertruck was only going to be fitted with the yoke as I was considering cancelling my reservation, but think I’ll stick it out now, very informative thank you

I'm with you.. The horn is the biggest thing that bothers me by far. Adjusting to the rest of it was pretty quick. The most annoying part about the horn is that the "button" that you'd usually think to use is still there staring you in the face, but it doesn't do anything.

Adjusting to the yoke itself only took a few days. However, I still dislike the signal and horn buttons. For the signals, I would prefer an upwards swipe motion for a right turn and a downwards swipe for a left. Either that or have the the signal buttons on each side of the yoke. And the horn should have just had a normal placement in the center like other cars.

Great video! Very informative!

Was gonna do an after market yoke. Still gives you the stalks and normal horn. Great video

Yeah, the turn signals and horn is a issue. Indication to where you plan to move in traffic with turn signals is important to let others around you know where you want to go. Also the horn is a way to communicate to other's around you regarding thing's such as an emergency situation or to warn someone that you in there general space of driving.

Thanks for the update, i do hope to update to the Model S in the future

It's impossible not to break the law when using this in Europe, where we have so many runabouts. It's also dangerous, and you risk having someone run into you because you can't fund the button to signal out of the runabout in time. It's extremely confusing when you're in the middle of a steep turn and need to blink one way or the other, but the buttons keep shifting positions depending on the angle of the yoke, and sometimes they will be upside down and "reversed" even.. It won't allow you to use muscle memory.. When, in a turn, you have to keep looking down instead of on the road, which is not safe. Tesla has so many great innovations, but this is not one of them..

Nice video, great background. Thanks for the information.

I like how your channel has grown, keep it up \G/

Outstanding presentation!

Very nice review on the yoke! This reminds me of Knight Rider with KITT being fitted with a yoke. As cool as it looks, I think the yoke is a bad idea. They are better suited for F1 cars and airplanes where steering is rather limited but for daily driving cars there are potentially dangerous. There are two reasons (as well as concerns) as to why the yoke is dangerous. First, imagine driving on the street one day and you accidentally hit a pothole and the impact forces your hands to slide up and the next second your hands are grasping at air? You could easily lose control and get into an accident. At least with a steering wheel you can lose your grip but quickly regain control because it is round, however, you can't do that with a yoke. Second, imagine you're driving and suddenly another car abruptly and unexpectedly pulls up in front of you at the last minute, coming from nowhere and you had merely seconds to perform the hand-over-hand maneuver in order to avoid a collision. If you have the yoke you will instinctively attempt to perform the hand-over-hand maneuver, only to find that there is no wheel at the top and before you know it, you're in a car crash. There is a reason why the steering wheel has been around for over 100 years, it's extremely effective. Besides, I like the sensation of having a steering wheel slide through my hands, it's kind of seductive! 😆😆😆 You can't do that with a yoke! 😉 I like Elon Musk and admire his accomplishments, and I encourage innovation, but with the yoke he is wrong. Plus, those buttons on the yoke are cumbersome, especially the placement of the horn, it needs to be redesigned and placed on the center of the wheel. Anyway, I very much enjoyed your review. I look forward to seeing more of your videos! You just earned a new subscriber and friend! 🙂 By the way, you have an awesome voice! Are you a professional voice over actor?

Great review! Observations are spot on. Also, you are a great driver!

Great videos and detailed info! Now that you have come accustomed to using the yoke and know it's pluses & minuses would you stay with the yoke or opt for Tesla retrofit round steering wheel? I notice that the yoke is wider at the bottom than the round wheel, it seems to protrude more into the bottom of the center screens visibility but the round wheel will protrude slightly into the upper portion of the screens visibility as well. What are your thoughts? Thank you

Thanks for the video. Not sure if you mentioned this in your other videos. Did you get any ppf or ceramic coating on your Plaid?

Great coverage on this topic. My problem is not with the yoke but the safety hazards which you mentioned. The loss of functionality of the horn, turn signals and wipers mid-turn are safety hazards that will almost certainly lead to causing loss of life in the aggregate. I can't understand why a company that prides itself on safety would be so reckless while adding negligible benefits.

I have been waiting for the round steering wheel option for awhile, but will the horn be in the center? Now I'll order my MSP! If I was forced to buy it with only the yoke I would have but now I don't have to... I just noticed this in the configurator today 1/6/23, hope they add the Power Frunk soon as well, maybe better brakes, suspension & handling, longer range, HW4+Radar. Wish wish wish… OR I can order a MSP with the yoke then after delivery I can order the retrofit round steering wheel and have Tesla Service install it for a total of $700! Then I can swap between the two whenever I want and have the best of both worlds. Decisions, decisions...

The indicators would bother me so much. I appreciate Tesla’s opting for a clean, minimalist look but you have to retain good functionality as well

The matte finish around the “buttons” on the yoke seem to show oil and fingerprints easily. Do you think the frequently touched parts will start to leave a shine over time?

I’m a one hand driver . I drive with my left hand on top of the steering wheel. Do you recommend the Yolk or the traditional steering wheel for my type of driving. Hood driving lol

great review

Well done especially since you have a MX round wheel for comparison!

Can you drive in reverse mad max style with the yoke. Head looking back arm over the passenger seat one hand on yoke? This is an important skill.

5:49. In an emergency situation, the center hub of the steering wheel is the LAST place you want your hand because it’s IN THE PATHWAY OF THE AIRBAG. Where Tesla has the horn button is the safest place. Tesla has since updated it to if you press the right side of the yoke with your cupped hand it will also sound the horn.

Thanks for the video. I am switching to yoke just bc what you said and round wheel blocking the screen areas. Also, good point on button and how you would hold the wheel by the sides while driving anyway (except doing 180 turns)

I’m still curious as to why they didn’t use the center of the yoke. Just received my Plaid and I’ve watched all your videos. Love them!

Make the horn button a wildcard button that is programable. The horn should be where the horn has been for the last 100+ years!

The yoke is really good, the only problem is: When Parking, the turning signals in the round abouts, the square form in the bottom, the horn, the haptic buttons, the self drive and the yoke itself, but is really good

Very professional channel.

Let’s talk about the front license plate frame still there! Haha kidding aside, good video man!

Can you do a video on active noise cancellation? Thanks!

Great video!! Looks like a Tesla commercial

I know someone who got into an accident from a Model S Plaid owner due to not being able to swerve due to half the wheel being gone. Its an extreme safety hazzard. Sure you can get an aftermarket wheel for 3K but still. Its the exact reason I went with the Y over the X. That Yoke should not be on the road.

Good videos In your opinion do you think Tesla recall for upgraded brakes or do u think they’re just fine for daily use

I got checking the steer wheel of my new 2022 Model 3 and ....no holes in the back of it (for disengaging the airbag). Might there be a template I can apply to accurately drill or perhaps some other way for an accurate drill hole(s) ?

Enjoyed the vid! I liked how you showed that with some practice, the yoke and the shifting approach can work from a practical standpoint - unlike the clownish antics in the Edmund's reviews and others. My opinion is that physical gear shifters and stalks aren't necessarily sacred in an EV - especially with everything controlled by software in the vehicle. There are other ways to get the job done!

The horn position is downright dangerous. As of today they only offer the new horn placement (middle) on yokes. For people with the wheel, you'll need to either buy a yoke or wait for a retro-fit that might not happen

I think cars with the yoke should have variable ratio steering racks linked to speed to limit the amount the yoke turns at slow speed manoeuvring? I remember reading somewhere that Elon said it was a few years away and costly.

A wheel would have more contact point and IMO more secure. In an emergency, you could just grab any part of the wheel quickly to keep the vehicle under control.

The stalks and center horn are simply too basic to driving to give up to save a few parts and a few bucks on a car. Maybe some day when the car drives itself, always and totally, that can be revisited, but by then we will be getting rid of the entire steering assembly. There's no way I can drive that without turn signals on a stalk through roundabouts and complex left, right turning situations in dense, urban situations.

Didn't Tesla reprogrammed the horn with a panic feature where you put your palm on the right side and the horn engages?

Great review. Most reviews intentionally make the yoke excessively awkward.

best turorial so far

I think it would have been better if there was a button on the back of the yoke (like a game controller has a finger trigger) to use for turn signals or the horn. Large enough where its easy to find no matter what the position of the wheel is in.

My Model X Long Range will be here in September, and I cant wait to adapt to the yoke! I see your point about the horn though. Hmmmmmm.

I’m waiting for my model x plaid , what I see on your wheel , marks on buttons when you always press it, and it’s only 3 months use , I’m scare what happens after year two . What do you think about any protective film for wheel some thing similar for screen ?

Great suggestion regarding the adjustable turn radius. Hope it can be accomplished with a software adjustment. Also, the $#@& HORN position is crazy stupid and adding the FSD icon so close to it is uncommonly (for Tesla) inappropriate and unnecessary, especially with so much unused real estate underneath and on the left side. The wiper icon and the horn icon positions are reversed. Using the horn if it was in the washer position would allow emergency honking with the thumb without lifting the right hand from the wheel.

The gear shift and horn are both issues

If someone offered me a kit that gave me a Model 3 wheel and stalks for $2000, I'd gladly pay it.

The question for me is, since its been shown that you can install a Model 3 wheel & column on the Model S....is the reverse true? Can I install a Model S yoke on a Model 3?

It should be an option

Hey @blacktesla, love your videos... Question for you:. Have you considered just keeping your hands inside the steering wheel instead of the outside and turn your wrists etc? Instead of trying to turn from the outside.

Alternately, you can activate the horn by pressing the heel of your hand against all of the buttons on the right side of the yoke. It'a an easier maneuver to do in an emergency situation.

Maybe I missed that point, but what makes the yoke BETTER than a wheel? It seems everybody is talking about how the yoke is not really horrible, but I haven't heard a real benefit of the yoke yet. Why not stick with the wheel? I have never heard anyone complaining about the functionality of the wheel.

Just a question can that yoke be added to the new highland model3 stear by wire system

I like it very much

Yoke feels you are driving special car The fastest production car in the world. Makes me smile driving the plaid

Nice

I am looking forward to a yoke

Best yoke review so far. I hope Tesla or Elon himself may see this.

Thankfully Tesla has brought back the steering wheel and made it the default option. Tesla has clearly heard many complaints

The yoke does feel pretty good in the majority of situations and I don't think I would trade it either. I also agree with the horn placement but I don't find myself honking that often so it is not a daily annoyance. I have more trouble with turning quickly when cannot take my eyes off the road. I find that I often hit the wrong directional indicator and I'm blinking the opposite direction of my turn. This often occurs in lane changes, especially in traffic, when there are last second decisions being made.

I got used to the loss of my right arm. Not my first choice however.

I thoug there were an update that you can slam your entire hand on the right buttons and the horn sound?

I did a turo S 460 miles and canceled my Plaid order. It’s annoying and that’s not good when spending 135k. Works great until you have to turn.

How about parallel parking? That seems like that will be difficult.

The swipe for gear is fine. People talk about better visibility, but you loose that as soon as you turn the yoke. When you turn it 180 degrees it blocks more than a normal wheel. The yoke belongs in sport cars like Tesla Roadster etc, but in a terrain vehicle like Cybertruck, it's very stupid. The Yoke still has too many problems, i will reject it. It should only be an option on Tesla, not standard. I prefer the Model 3/Y steering-system. If the yoke can be swapped to that, i will.

Have anyone tried this in the California Ortega highway?

when did you order your car, and when did you receive delivery?

You can choose which wheel you want now, when you order a tesla

The turn signal issue is not uncommon I think, at least not in Europe where you have to signal to get out of a roundabout. And we have A LOT of roundabouts. Multi-lane roundabouts even where you might have to switch lanes midway through. I think this touch-signal will be incredibly dangerous. Life & death dangerous to be honest because people will have to look down at the yoke while at the same time switching lanes in a roundabout, because the touch button will be located somewhere else than usual since yoke won't be straight in a roundabout. As for just driving with the yoke, I think that looks amazing though. Might take a little while to get used to but the yoke part of the yoke has never been an issue in my book. It's the removal of the turn signal stalk that's the main issue. That and the horn placement.

I'm excited about the Yoke -- was one of the deciding factors between the Y and X for me. Ended up getting the X Plaid which will arrive next year. Also, it looks like we're in the same part of the country. When my X plaid comes youre welcome to take it out for a spin for a video of yours if you'd like.

FYI: I have a Plaid and I just used my palm to blow the horn as if there was an emergency. It worked quite well. You might want to give it a shot.

Why not make a click on version where you can choose between a wheel and a yoke.

If you had one functional arm do you think you’d be able to drive a model x 23’?

My anxiety could not with all those hazards in there.

My top tier phone doesn't respond all of the time to touches, but yeah, I'm gonna trust a machine that weighs about a ton that's travelling god knows what speed with touch controls.

1st and loyal viewer

Gripping the top of the nubs gives me a feeling of control that is just amazing. I am really loving the yoke. For those who say, “but muscle memory,” take some time doing a mindfulness meditation while driving it and you’ll reprogram really quickly. Even in the Sierra Nevada with curving mountain roads, I do just fine and really like it.

Didn't the manual mention an alternative way to honk? You can touch all the buttons on the right side with your palm, a lot easier for emergencies. 🙂

These are good pro-arguments for the yoke, but I really doubt the yoke being the future. I base this on the yoke benefits not being great enough to outweigh the negatives of a mass switchover for the manufacturers and the public. Even on Teslas, it's only on the top-of-the-line Plaids. Only if the yoke clearly, unambiguously, and EXCLUSIVELY becomes the better option for control will it ever be implemented as the standard.

Do you think drive by wire would be better?

It's flat out a damn steering wheel, ain't nothing outdated about a normal steering wheel.

I love the yoke. I'll never go back to the wheel

And yes I’m subscribed 🚩

I didn't know how the Tesla yoke worked at all, so it's neat to get an idea from your video. I guess it's one of those "you won't truly know till you use it" experiences. I don't like something about it, though I'm not sure if it's a real problem. A steering wheel has a predictable circle shape, so if you suddenly have to grab it, you don't have to look. But my concern is that when the Tesla is in autopilot and the yoke is turned very sharply, what if you suddenly have to grab the yoke to control it yourself? Would you have to take your eyes off the road to grab the yoke by the handles, and would there be a significant delay? You can't keep your hands on the yoke in autopilot when it's making a sharp turn, so you'll have moments when you're not holding it. Also, letting the yoke center itself seems like a similar situation. It would've been interesting to see if they could've kept the circle shape, but had the yoke controls. The circle would just be for easier emergency control and making sharp turns, but you still get the benefit of the yoke if I'm not mistaken. I'm imagining disadvantage is it blocks your view of the instrument cluster like a traditional wheel, and reduces leg space.

💪🏽🙌🏽

Improved yoke buttons: The colored luminous stickers are waterproof and can absorb light (can glow for a short time when entering tunnels, parking lots, and dark places). After placing the color according to the intuitive color position, you can quickly press the key you want to press using your peripheral vision. , practical and beautiful, increasing safety. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gNwD25SkHIg.html After all the yoke lights are bright and spinning in circles, the focus of your eyes cannot be found immediately (there will be hesitation)

👍🏻👍🏻

I still don't know about driving a yoke. The steering wheel is still the general, catch all solution. A wheel minimizes any chance to be caught off guard during emergency maneuvers -- you reach anywhere along the radius and you are grabbing the wheel. So it doesn't matter if low visibility, distracted, driving one-handed, driving hands at the bottom, in whatever state of mind, you can't not expect the handle to be where you reach. Or if bumpsteer is a thing in the Tesla that could cause problems when not prepared for it. Also I can't imaging every type of person being able to adapt to this -- from non-enthusiastic first time drivers to seniors. Or if you need to loan the car to the significant other and they find themselves needing to do an emergency maneuver. Of course you would say just buy another car, but that may be difficult if what you want is Tesla and if they end up moving to yoke on all models you are otherwise interested in. Really the yoke would be nice as an option, for track or when up for spirited driving, and if the yoke also unlocked a tighter lock-to-lock ratio.

My problem with the yolk is muscle memory. It will take a very long time for most to do things on this wheel that will require no conscious thought. That, and yeah, that horn button. When you mad or need to sound that horn real fast to alert another driver, your first instinct is going to be to press the middle of that wheel for the horn. This is not the only car with the horn not in the middle, but still, like you said, very dangerous. I could probably get used to the wheel too in time, but the horn is not going to be a matter of time, most dont use the horn but once in a blue moon.

Interestingly enough, all of the people commenting about the horn, and I dont even own the car, but, know that you can put your entire right palm over the horn, right spoke, to honk the horn.

Got my after market Yoke on my M3P. I have gotten use to it, and it looks really cool.

The indicator buttons are useless in roundabouts.