At present, half-width steering wheels have become a trend, from Tesla to Zhiji to Lexus, there are more and more models equipped with this trendy gadget. However, knowledgeable friends know that only the half-width steering wheel of Toyota or Lexus is the real technology, and others, including Tesla, are just "fakes".
Don't think that Toyota's half-width steering wheel is the same as other steering wheels, just with a different handle. In fact, Toyota has integrated steer-by-wire technology into it, allowing steering to be achieved only on electrical signals without any physical hard link between the steering wheel and the front wheels.
The technology, which debuted last year in an all-electric vehicle launched by Lexus, has many advantages, such as simplifying steering system components, reducing the weight of the vehicle, and laying the technical foundation for autonomous driving.
Steer-by-wire also has a number of advantages in practice, such as the ability to adjust the steering ratio according to the driving mode. In Sport mode, the steering wheel rotates at 100% of the angle in a half-turn turn, and in Comfort mode, it takes a full turn to achieve the same steering angle.
Manufacturers who used half-width steering wheels before did not think about the problem from the perspective of steering, but simply removed the upper part of the steering wheel, which brought the result that when the steering wheel of other brands was turning, or turning around, half of it could not be grasped, which affected driving safety. Therefore, public opinion has been mixed about the half-spoke steering wheel.
But with the advent of Toyota's half-width steering wheel with integrated steer-by-wire, it will revolutionize the history of car handling.