Is Tesla Already Giving Up on the Idea of Yoke Steering?

• Tesla quietly adds a round steering wheel option to the Model S (pictured above) and Model X, after introducing the yoke to both models in 2021.

• Those who purchased Teslas with yokes will also be able to retrofit their cars with a round steering wheel for $700 at a Tesla service center.

• Toyota and Lexus are also experimenting with yoke-style steering in their electric models, along with steer-by-wire systems but only as an option.

Tesla's sudden experiment with yoke steering arrived almost without warning about two years ago, as the first photos of the updated Tesla Model S began circulating. The yoke also seemed to appear absent any noticeable demand from Tesla owners or prospective owners, even though some were clearly excited about the addition of this feature to the Model S and the Model X as they received a number of exterior and interior updates in 2021.

But Tesla stopped short of offering the yoke in the Model 3 and Model Y.

Now Tesla has quietly made the round steering wheel a no-cost option in its two aging models, and it has also begun offering to retrofit a round steering wheel to existing cars—for a price, of course. Owners will need to shell out $700 and visit a Tesla service center for installation.

But Tesla wasn't the only company to begin experimenting with yokes seemingly absent any market demand.