New safety rules mean futuristic half wheels are steering into extinction
50 minutes ago
- China updates steering safety rules banning half-wheel designs.
- New crash tests demand full rim impact points everywhere.
- Automakers like Lexus, Tesla must comply by January 2027.
Anyone living in China hoping their next EV would come with a spaceship yoke instead of an old fashioned steering wheel just got some bad news. New government safety rules mean half wheels will be fully extinct on new cars starting next year, just like pop-out door handles.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has published a draft of a new mandatory safety standard that takes effect on January 1, 2027. Buried in the legal language is a clear message that yoke-style steering wheels like the optionally available on some Teslas are not welcome.
Related: This Crash Is Why China Banned Hidden Door Handles
The updated rulebook replaces the long running 2011 standard and tightens crash requirements across the board, China’s Autohome reports. It aligns steering impact forces with international regulations and lowers the allowable horizontal force to 11,110 newtons in line with UN rules. It also sets stricter limits for how far the steering column can move upward or backward in a crash.
But the real headline is what the new standard demands from the wheel itself. Regulators now require impact testing at 10 specific points around the steering wheel rim, including the midpoint of the weakest area and the shortest unsupported section. If your steering wheel is missing its top half, those points simply do not exist. That makes compliance awkward to say the least.
Round Wheels Are Safer
Chinese officials cite accident data suggesting that 46 percent of driver injuries originate from steering mechanisms. A traditional round wheel provides a large buffer zone if the driver pitches forward in a collision. A half wheel can allow the body to slip past the rim during secondary impacts, increasing injury risk.
Airbag deployment is another sticking point. The new rules forbid hard projectiles facing occupants during airbag inflation. With their unusual shapes and support structures, yoke style wheels introduce unpredictable fracture patterns.
Parking Pains
There are also everyday usability grumbles. Unlike Formula 1 cars with tiny steering ratios, most road cars need big inputs for parking and U turns. Many Tesla drivers report difficulty in making urban maneuvers, though Lexus’s RZ attempts to minimize this though the use of ultra-high gearing at low speed on its SUV’s steer-by-wire system.
Also: Mercedes Is Going Yoke With Steering Wheels
When 2027 rolls around, all new models seeking approval for sale must comply, while existing cars will get roughly 13 months to adapt. Do you think the US should take a similar stand against yoke wheels? If you’ve tried one how did you find it? Leave a comment and let us know.
