When Tesla debuted a new racing car-esque steering wheel for new versions of the Model S and Model X electric cars there appeared to be a startling omission; a means of manually changing gear.
Unlike the current models, the 2021 steering wheel has no visible stalks. The company’s website initially claimed this enabled “the ultimate focus on driving: no stalks, no shifting.” That led many keen-eyed observers to quite reasonably ask: “How the bloody hell do I shift into reverse?”
The answer? You don’t. The car does. How does the car know? It guesses. In a tweet, Elon Musk revealed the new models can make the forwards/backward decision, in context. If the new Model S or Model X has gotten the wrong end of the (absent) stick, for whatever reason, drivers will be able to set it straight by using the centre console touchscreen.
“No more stalks,” Musk writes: “Car guesses drive direction based on what obstacles it sees, context & nav map. You can override on touchscreen.”
So, to expand on what the Tesla CEO says, thanks to the 360-degree sensors surrounding the car, and the highly accurate GPS maps, the vehicle should be able to make a very accurate determination of which way you want to go. In the rare circumstances it doesn’t work, it can be easily over-ridden with a prod of the touchscreen.
No more stalks. Car guesses drive direction based on what obstacles it sees, context & nav map. You can override on touchscreen.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 28, 2021
There’s also every chance the tech will learn based on your familiar routine. So, if you back out of the same parking spot every day, the vehicle will likely recognise that based on your location and the direction you’re currently facing.
In a further tweet replying to the @WholeMarsBlog account, Musk elaborated: “After you drive without using a PRND stalk/stick for a few days, it gets very annoying to go back & use a shifter!”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
