Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) is always striving to improve its vehicles in ways never seen before. Earlier this week, we saw the first video showing how to shift gears on the upgrade Tesla Model S, which no longer has a traditional gear selection rod like most other vehicles.
Tesla hopes that most of the time the car will be able to intelligently select which gear you want, but if the driver wants something different, forward, reverse or neutral they can be easily selected on the screen.
As with the Tesla stick steering wheel, some were concerned that this new gear selection method was not allowed due to federal regulations. But in a statement to The Verge, the National Road Traffic Safety Administration confirmed that touchscreen-based controls do not violate rules. NHTSA has also confirmed compliance with Tesla certification for all safety standards.
NHTSA quote:
A properly configured transmission shift control operated via a touch screen interface would not violate federal motor vehicle safety standards. In addition, Tesla has certified compliance with all applicable safety standards. There are currently no known compliance issues related to the configuration of shift control.
Although not confirmed, the photos of the new interior give the impression that the selection of gears is also possible from a button on the steering wheel. It seems that customers can choose whether to shift gears on the screen or with a physical button. In both cases, Tesla’s goal is that most of the time the car must handle gear shifting without driver intervention.
Click here to check Benzinga’s EV Hub for the latest news on electric vehicles.
Photo courtesy of Tesla.
© 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.