Tesla Model 3 refresh to bring RGB interior lighting and steer-by-wire Yoke

23 June 2023

Tesla Model 3's refresh shapes up to be more than just a regular facelift. In fact, all evidence shows it's going to be a complete overhaul. The new exterior will be paired with an updated interior and new hardware - Hardware 4.0 onboard computer, to be exact, which is used for Tesla's FSD.

According to Teslascope, the so-called project Highland will introduce a slew of new features, including interior RGB lighting and a steer-by-wire Yoke steering. This is actually a big deal as it's potentially going to fix the Yoke introduced with the Model S Plaid, which was a complete disaster.

The Model S' new steering wheel design is the worst of both worlds in a sense. It uses a regular mechanical system to steer the wheels, while the nature of the Yoke requires adaptable steering control depending on the speed, so an electronic system with precise adjustments on the fly is needed. That's where the steer-by-wire comes into play.

The steer-by-wire system relies solely on electronics to provide the correct steering ratio depending on the speed and scenario and provide feedback from the wheels up to the steering wheel itself. Lexus introduced its own version of the steer-by-wire Yoke a few months back and it looks promising.

Additionally, the Model 3 will likely adopt matrix LEDs on all trims on top of the RGB ambient lights inside the cabin. A new front bumper camera is also on the menu, likely to serve as a dash cam feature like on the Model S. Lastly, the Twitter thread has a few other mentions such as better audio and more comfortable seats.

Although unconfirmed, Teslascope claims to have a reliable source coming straight from the Tesla employees working on the Highland project.

Source