Tesla plans to re imagine steering wheels with touchscreens and haptic feedback

Trust Tesla to raise the bar in automotive innovation time and time and again. After taking a sizeable lead in the field of electric mobility courtesy its technologically advanced range of cars, the company is charging ahead - no pun intended, towards equipping the existing and upcoming vehicles with massively updated accessories.

According to a report in Electrek which refers to a patent filed in the US, Tesla is developing a new-age steering wheel that is nothing short of a futuristic control pad to handle cars. The patent reportedly makes a case for a steering wheel with touchscreens on the left and right, and a third at the bottom. These apparently will remove the need for a gear stalk which is a common sight right next to the steering in current Tesla cars but is otherwise rare. It is claimed that the inputs on these touchpads will be reflected on the center console in order to navigate through menu controls.

Much like in almost every smartphone in the market currently, these touchpads will also provide the driver with a haptic feedback - essentially a slight vibration to confirm that the desired input has been received and registered. This could be a safety feature to ensure that eyes remain firmly on the road.

The patent from Tesla reportedly also makes a case for the new-age steering wheel to shine when autonomous cars become a common reality. The company reportedly claims that the technology can be further enhanced to support gestures.

Here, it is important to note that companies often seek to get patent rights on technologies which won't necessarily see the light of day. Nonetheless, this particular move has Tesla fans quite excited, also because the company has brought several of its plans from the drawing board to the light of day. Features like Sentinel and Camper modes have received an overwhelming response from Tesla owners around the world and make for a car that is not just capable but comfortably advanced.