Steering wheels, being an integral part of a vehicle, have evolved through the years. The modern steering wheels do more than just controlling the direction of a car.
Fremont, CA: The modern steering wheels have become more sophisticated in technology but comfortable in usage. They are festooned with buttons that allow the drivers to make phone calls or change radio stations. But when the very first vehicles were manufactured, it did not have steering wheels, and the first real automobile used a tiller instead of a steering wheel. Steering wheel arrived in 1894 when Alfred Vacheron, a French engineer, was looking for an advantage in that year’s Paris to Rouen race. Understanding that a steering wheel would prove to be advantageous and provide precise control, he installed one on his Panhard et Levassor. Although Vacheron did not win the race, the steering wheel was there to stay.
Later, Daimler took the idea forward and adopted steering wheels in 1900 with the Phonex. Like modern cars, the automobiles of the 20th century had steering wheel-mounted controls, but in place of infotainment functions, they were now controlling things like the ignition timing.
With the passing years, steering wheels changed their look, gaining and losing horn rings, with additions like power assist and airbags. Big giants like Chevrolet designed the mid-engine C8 Corvette with a square wheel. At the same time, Infiniti uses a steer-by-wire system having no physical connection between the steering wheel and the road.
Later, Mercedes started to add buttons to its steering wheels in 1975; this was the time when cruise control has become the standard equipment on the 450 SEL 6.9 Sedan. This emerged as the automakers called its first ‘multifunctional’ steering wheel, which was first launched as a part of the first-generation COMAND infotainment system on the W220-generation S-Class in 1998. The company further went on to add small touchpads to the steering wheels of the 2016 E-Class and is taking things also with the mid-sized cars in the 2021 model year. The touchpads are now capacitive, similar to the one present on a smartphone.
The much-hyped about the arrival of autonomous driving may lead to the eradication of steering wheels. Still, as of now, they represent valuable dashboard real estate for automakers looking to integrate sophisticated tech features.
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