Even though the steering wheel has been around ever since 1894, when Alfred Vacheron entered a Panhard in the Paris-Rouen race that he had modified by replacing the ‘tiller’ with a steering wheel, it’s not the only steering device available.

Motorcycles and snowmobiles do just fine with a handlebar, whereas small boats are still controlled by a tiller, while larger craft also find the steering wheel practical. Then of course there are forms of transport where the steering yoke has become the de facto steering device.

The steering yoke has found a natural home in the aerospace industry, where the rotation is limited, but another direction of movement is needed for vertical control. The cramped cockpit and limited ‘steering lock’ of the modern single-seat race car has seen several classes, such as Formula one, also adopt the steering yoke over the wheel.

However, until Tesla shipped several early-production Model S Plaids without steering wheels, the yoke had never been used on a production car before. And for good reason: For precision and leverage across a wide speed range the steering wheel has proven its worth.

It’s for this reason that there’s an up swell in the debate raging around the wisdom of fitting a steering yoke over a wheel in a production road car – with many concerned over its legality and safety.

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In Europe, According To UN Regulations, The Steering Yoke Is No Different To The Wheel

The Steering Yoke's Functionality Is Very Different To The Wheel
Via: Byri

In Europe, Regulation No 79 of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations (UN/ECE) that governs the approval of vehicles with regard to steering equipment, makes no differentiation between a steering yoke and wheel.

While the regulation gives no directive as to the shape or type of steering control, it does lay down guidelines for ‘Steering forces’ and ‘Mean steering ratios’ - the ratio of the angular displacement of the steering control to the mean of the swept steering angle of the steered wheels for a full lock-to-lock turn.

The regulation also defines the ‘nominal radius of steering control’ as the shortest distance from the center of rotation to the outer edge of the rim. In the case of any other form of control, such as a yoke, it means the distance between the center of rotation and the point at which the steering effort is applied. If the steering is not symetrical, the distance requiring the greatest effort must be used.

And finally, the one section of the regulation that could pose a challenge to any road-going vehicle fitted with a steering yoke, can be found under the General provisions in section 5.1.1. This section stipulates that manufacturers certify that the steering system ensures easy and safe handling of the vehicle up to its maximum design speed. Which in Tesla’s case could be debatable.

Thus, while much of the current discussion is focused on the futuristic shape of the Tesla steering yoke, the debate is really about the functional safety of the system in vehicles operating on public roads.

So even though NHTSA is yet to come out with a statement on the legality of the system’s use on American roads, the agency has made it clear that current FMVSS standards do not outlaw what the federal government calls “non-circular steering controls.” Instead, manufacturers are given the responsibility to certify compliance and ensure that all vehicles meet the relevant safety standards.

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These Vehicles Have Also Chosen The Steering Yoke Over The Wheel

Nardi Torino Two Spoke Yoke Steering Almost As Good As A Wheel
Via: repubblica.it

Yoke steering is far from being a new idea. Over the years several automakers have toyed with the idea, but it’s never proven practical enough to reach production.

As far back as 1953 Harley Earl, inspired by aircraft design, used a yoke steering wheel in the turbine-powered Firebird I concept car at GM’s Motorama. Then in 1982 yoke steering made a reappearance on K.I.T.T., the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that starred in the NBC ‘Knight Rider’ drama alongside David Hasselhoff.

While all of these yoke steering systems suffered from the same maneuverability shortcomings of the Tesla rendition, an Italian company, Nardi, came up with a novel design that allowed the yoke grips to swivel. Sold as the “Two Spoke”, in 2007 Nardi got test driver Giampaolo Tenchini to try out a 330mm yoke fitted to a Porsche 911 GT2.

The feedback was nothing short of glowing, with Tenchini claiming the device to be safe and innovative offering perfect control even with the steering rotated through 180 degrees.

Despite the apparent success of the Two Spoke, yoke steering, at best aims to achieve the same level of functionality as the wheel with no obvious advantages. Of course with the rollout of Level 4, geo-fenced autonomous, self-driving vehicles this could change – a yoke may be easier to retract into the dashboard than a wheel.

Until then, yoke steering remains a novelty, too different to the tried and trusted steering wheel to justify serious consideration.

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