Lexus showcased a yoke-style steering wheel in the debut of its first electric vehicle, the RZ450e. However, the company has not yet implemented this steering system in production vehicles. During a test drive event at Fuji Speedway, it was observed that the low-speed response of the yoke steering wheel was still too eager.
Lexus has plans to continue developing this steer-by-wire system and aims to complete it by next year. The company has been making adjustments to ensure that the yoke steering setup meets their standards. Unlike Tesla, Lexus has made changes to the underlying steering hardware to limit steering travel and eliminate the need for hand-over-hand maneuvers.
Despite the delay, Lexus engineers have significantly improved the yoke steering system. The latest version allows the steering wheel to turn further, with a range of 200 degrees in each direction. By enabling a mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the front tires, the RZ450e utilizes redundancies to ensure continuous power even if the primary battery loses charge.
Although the yoke steering wheel has not yet been incorporated into the RZ450e or other models, Lexus has confirmed their intentions to introduce it in future vehicles. While there is no definite timeline for production, Lexus remains committed to implementing the yoke in their upcoming models.
Sources: Lexus