Elon Musk says the new Tesla Roadster (production will begin in 2022) can fly a bit, so maybe the new Model S yoke will be used so that the driver retreats on it to fly.
Of course, the Model S yoke has been at the center of much discussion following the unveiling of the updated S. So much so that even Lucid Motors poked some fun into its curious design. We later found out that it will likely be optional, with a standard steering wheel available for those who don’t want the yoke, but what if Tesla always planned to test the yoke in the Model S before it hit real target? that creature to enable the flight that Musk talks about in the new Tesla Roadster.
We got word about how the yoke could control the car via Twitter (see the different tweets below). While the idea may seem a bit otherworldly, we should keep in mind that Musk often likes over-the-top ideas and he absolutely loves flights, at least flights that take us beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
If the yoke does indeed offer additional controls, one should definitely activate the “flight” mode on the Roadster. Now we don’t believe the Roadster will actually leave the ground, but perhaps pulling back on the yoke will activate those SpaceX thrusters and provide the ultimate in acceleration.
However, with the Tesla Model S Plaid + doing 0 to 60 MPH in 1.99 seconds and the Roadster certainly even faster than that, activating those thrusters will definitely make the car feel like it’s flying.
The yoke can also be used for various other maneuvers like some crazy turns, drifts and so on, but the focus on flight is what Musk often mentions, so we’ve highlighted that aspect here.
Check out more images of the recently redesigned Model S, as well as some additional photos of the yoke in the gallery below.
27 photos