The automotive industry is going through a significant change. On the one hand, studies for electric, hybrid and hydrogen-powered vehicles for the transition to zero emissions are accumulating, on the other hand, steps are being taken for vehicles that can communicate with each other and move fully autonomously.
As all of this is happening, the designs of the vehicles are also changing. Since it is important, especially with electric vehicles, to use energy as efficiently as possible, simpler and rounded exterior designs that optimally direct the airstream are gaining ground.
However, there is another important part of the automotive industry that has been changing its design in recent times, and it has managed to divide both the industry and drivers. The “reinvented” steering wheels, so to speak, are at the center of the discussion. So much so that since 1885, when the first car with an internal combustion engine was produced (Mercedes-Benz Patent-Motorwagen), the steering wheels with a round design that were used were replaced by the steering wheel designs known as the “butterfly” without a top.
FIRST MODEL OF TESLA
Tesla was the first brand to offer the butterfly design steering wheel in production models. When renewing its flagship Model S in 2021, the brand also introduced a new butterfly-like steering system called “York”.
Unlike traditional steering wheels, this system had a completely cut off upper part. The first reaction of those who saw it was that the steering wheel could cause safety problems in maneuvers that require a few turns and in sudden situations. Tesla, on the other hand, said this design improves the vehicle’s forward vision and the built-in cameras more accurately track the driver’s eye movements.
The first user comments on the butterfly steering wheel, which is currently offered in the Model S and Model X, boil down to the fact that steering is very difficult for the driver, especially when reversing. In addition, some videos reflected on social media showed that drivers had major problems with butterfly steering wheels. In short, drivers need to retrain their muscle memory to get used to this steering wheel design.
ALSO PARTICIPATE IN JAPANESE
After Tesla, it was the Japanese who carried the butterfly steering wheel to production models. The Japanese manufacturer Toyota showed the new butterfly steering wheel for the first time in its electric car bZ4X, which will be available soon. This steering wheel had a unique butterfly design with a fully cut top part, just like Tesla. Then, in recent weeks, Lexus, Toyota’s premium automaker, shared the same platform with the bZ4X, and the RZ 450 model was introduced to the world with butterfly steering.
The brand announced that it would offer steering technology called “One Motion Grip” as an option. However, Lexus reports that it has completely eliminated the mechanical linkage and steering column in the steering system (unlike Tesla) and developed a system that can adjust the steering angle according to vehicle speed. The first reports from abroad also underline that the butterfly steering wheel from Lexus takes more getting used to than Tesla, but still requires a serious familiarization period.
It is not known if the new steering wheel trials will spread to other brands with the “butterfly effect”, but it is certain that we will see these steering wheels in Turkey in the years to come. On the other hand, both pundits and drivers experience a sharp distinction when it comes to butterfly steering. Safety concerns underlie this distinction. While some say butterfly steering wheels can compromise driving safety during sudden maneuvers and routine turns, others find the new design successful.
WHAT DOES THE DRIVING TECHNOLOGY SAY?
The idea for butterfly steering wheels is actually quite simple. The companies defend this situation as follows: “As the technology develops and the widespread use of autonomous driving functions, vehicles will take over a significant part of the driving themselves. For this reason, no steering wheel is needed in the cabin. In addition, with butterfly steering wheels, it becomes easier to monitor driver behavior and detect eye movements. This increases driving safety.”
With a normal steering wheel, however, it becomes impossible to carry out the steering wheel movement that is given when maneuvering “hand in hand” with the butterfly steering wheel. This raises questions about driving safety.
Speaking to Hürriyet’s Taylan Özgür Dil on the subject, Yener Gülünay, a specialist in advanced driving techniques, said: “Safety systems and following distances in the new generation vehicles are monitored autonomously by computer. Therefore, sometimes it becomes impossible to throw the vehicle out of the way even if you want to. However, trusting 100 percent is not always true. We don’t yet know what we will face if sudden maneuvers are required or we somehow lose control. We’ll learn better when it’s widely used. At the moment we cannot say unequivocally that this is objectionable, but there is a possibility of jeopardizing driving safety,” he commented.
Odatv.com
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