---
title: "Tesla Yoke Steering Wheel Mandatory on Model S Plaid: Musk"
description: "When someone asked if there will ever be an optional round steering wheel, Musk told them \"no.\""
date: "2021-07-26"
modified: "2021-07-26"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/41681/tesla-yoke-steering-wheel-mandatory-on-model-s-plaid-musk"
categories:
  - "Car Tech"
  - "Electric Vehicles"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Tesla News"
tags:
  - "Electric Vehicle"
  - "Model S Plaid"
  - "sedan"
  - "sports car"
  - "Tesla"
---

# Tesla Yoke Steering Wheel Mandatory on Model S Plaid: Musk

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2021/07/Yoke-Hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

When driving a 1,020-horsepower, 200-mph-capable car, you want controls that work as expected. But form often seems to matter more than function to Tesla CEO Elon Musk of Falcon Door, [anti-yellow](<https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-factory-safety-20180418-story.html>), and ["Full Self-Driving"](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/39647/tesla-admits-current-full-self-driving-beta-will-always-be-a-level-2-system-emails>) infamy. That might be why Tesla's self-proclaimed "Technoking" decreed that the highest-performing car in Tesla's history, the Model S Plaid, will not be offered with a normal, tried-and-true steering wheel.

Musk shot down this possibility on Twitter, responding to a user asking whether this indispensable standby of automotive design will ever be an option on the Plaid. To this, the executive simply replied "no."

![message-editor%2F1627311970809-modelsplaidyoke.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1627311970809-modelsplaidyoke.jpg>)
*2021 Tesla Model S Plaid's interior with a yoke steering wheel, *Tesla**

Full steering *wheels* are a must to most drivers because, as anyone who has driven a KITT replica knows, [yokes aren't really good in road cars](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/38970/yoke-steering-wheels-suck-but-you-dont-need-a-tesla-to-get-one>). In situations requiring high steering angle, such as parking, hand-over-hand operation is awkward at best. At its worst, it's potentially dangerous, which is why [the Model S Plaid that triumphed at Pikes Peak](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/41311/ride-onboard-a-modified-tesla-model-s-plaid-as-it-hustles-up-pikes-peak>) ran without one—its driver [requested the yoke's removal](<https://twitter.com/mt_loverman/status/1404889359942242304>) after just a few test laps.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1418476111957270528

This isn't to say yoke-like wheels don't have *any* place in cars, of course. Purpose-built racing vehicles such as Le Mans prototypes or Formula One cars often have them, though they typically utilize far snappier steering ratios than would ever be pleasant in a road car. And though it has gone racing, the Tesla Model S Plaid is a road car through and through.

*Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com*

## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)