Tesla Lead Engineer defends Cybertruck’s steer-by-wire system

By Simon Alvarez

Posted on March 31, 2024

A Tesla Cybertruck Lead Engineer has defended the all-electric pickup truck’s steer-by-wire system, which has so far been received warmly by reviewers but also criticized by more traditional auto fans.

The Tesla Cybertruck is starting to be delivered to more and more customers. And with the increasing number of Cybertrucks on the road, questions are now emerging about whether the Cybertruck could truly establish itself as an iconic vehicle. YouTube auto reviewer Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) discussed this in a recent review, where he noted that the Cybertruck has already become iconic.

Underrated intro @MKBHD and team

Let’s continue your game – think about this answer: Would you consider the 911 an Iconic car?

I’d say so and there’s more than 1.2M on the road. My opinion, but I think CT has Icon staying power. I’ve personally lived with Cybertruck day in and… pic.twitter.com/DS8jBj0zPw

— Wes (@wmorrill3) March 30, 2024

One of the things that MKBHD praised in his review was the Cybertruck’s steer-by-wire system, which Tesla Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill also noted has ruined everything else for him. With steer-by-wire, pretty much every vehicle that still uses a traditional steering system immediately feels outdated. Such a comment caught the eye of some critics, one of whom noted that no one wants steer-by-wire in sports cars and that Tesla engineers are engineers first and car guys second.

In response to the steer-by-wire critic, the Cybertruck Lead Engineer explained the advantages of steer-by-wire, including the system’s capability to behave like a power-assisted steering system if necessary. He also noted that drivers can amplify feedback in a steer-by-wire system.

Steer by wire and modern power assist steering are both doing the majority of the work for the driver and can have the same responsiveness and road feedback, in fact you could amplify the feedback if desired. The main difference is that steer by wire can have a variable steering…

— Wes (@wmorrill3) March 31, 2024

“Steer by wire and modern power assist steering are both doing the majority of the work for the driver and can have the same responsiveness and road feedback; in fact, you could amplify the feedback if desired. The main difference is that steer by wire can have a variable steering ratio which is better for low speeds. You could make a steer-by-wire system behave exactly like a power-assisted system if that’s what you really wanted to do,” Morrill wrote.

The Cybertruck is the only vehicle today being shipped with a steer-by-wire system, so it’s no surprise that the feature is seeing resistance from some avid car enthusiasts. One thing is sure, however. The Cybertruck may be the first consumer vehicle to have steer-by-wire, but it certainly won’t be the last. With the system working in the Cybertruck, it would not be surprising if later iterations of the Model S Plaid or the next-generation Roadster are also released with a steer-by-wire system.

Watch MKBHD’s Cybertruck review in the video below.