From Futurism · Joe Wilkins · · 1m 30s
Austin firefighters want the steering wheel back
Tesla's Cybercab has no steering wheel, and the people who have to move it in an emergency are not happy.
In brief
Tesla's Cybercab has no steering wheel, and the people who have to move it in an emergency are not happy. A touchscreen is a bad control surface for someone in gloves, in the dark, in a car that may have lost power. Originally reported by Futurism.
Gold Cybercabs hit Austin
Tesla's new robotaxi is on the streets of Austin, butterfly doors and all. The city's fire department has one objection: there is no steering wheel.
Manual controls live on a screen
Austin Fire chief Matthew McElearney told NBC that the Cybercab's manual controls run through the onboard touchscreen, which is a problem when responders need to move the car.
Screens need power
McElearney listed the drawbacks plainly: the touchscreen needs electricity, caps how fast you can move the vehicle, and takes practice to use at all.
“You need power to do that. It does have some limitations on speed.”
Gloves, dust and sweat
Fire scenes are not clean rooms. Responders wear gloves, get covered in grime, and often reach vehicles that are damaged or dead, all of which defeat a touchscreen.
When it zigs instead of zags
The chief's worry is precision. Nudging a two-ton car with fingertips on glass invites the wrong input at the worst possible moment.
“What I would not want is for somebody to put their fingertips on it and try to slowly roll it, and then it zigs when it's supposed to zag.”
Make it a federal rule
McElearney has the same concern about Zoox and Waymo, and says the choice should not sit with carmakers. He wants regulators to require a steering wheel.
“We need the feds to step up to the plate on this.”
The takeaway
A touchscreen is a bad control surface for someone in gloves, in the dark, in a car that may have lost power.
