With a new design that seems to hamper 'shuffle' and 'hand-over-hand' steering techniques, Tesla's homage to the Knight Industries 2000 will receive government scrutiny.
CNET:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Roadshow on Friday it has reached out to Tesla following the news of its planned yoke-style steering wheel for the refreshed Model S electric sedan. The government agency did not say if the automaker has been in touch with regulators since it debuted the radical new wheel.
Tesla this week revealed the refreshed flagship sedan, along with a revamped Model X SUV, with the steering yoke grabbing eyeballs across the internet. Roadshow's Editor-in-Chief Tim Stevens has laid out why the design is a likely safety risk, but US regulators will certainly get to the bottom of it. NHTSA told Roadshow that on first glance it "cannot determine if the steering wheel meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard." If Tesla's in violation of the standards, the yoke will have to go.
