BMW is one of the most well-known companies that produces cars, its models being some of the most frequently seen even on the streets of Romania, but today we are talking about the future of German cars, not the past.
BMW is now focusing on electric and autonomous vehicles, so it is preparing a more serious competitor for Tesla, from several points of view. Recently, a series of patents of the German company were revealed, and one of them presents to the whole world a new, unusual type of steering wheel.
BMW also included a series of graphic materials presented in the patent submitted by the German company for registration, showing us a copy of the steering wheel introduced by Tesla for the S Plaid model, its shape being considered by some to be perfect for autonomous models.
However, BMW thought of a much more complex steering wheel than Tesla's, and this is because the side elements are not fixed, but mobile, so when the steering wheel rotates, its side parts are not exactly fixed. For an autonomous car, such a steering wheel would perhaps be something normal, and this is because the driver would not have to maneuver it too much, but in a normal car it would be difficult to use.
According to the sketches, it is still not possible to know exactly if the steering wheel could make the maximum rotation, and one of the graphic materials in the patent shows that the rotation could be limited to only 270 degrees. Thus, BMW seems to develop a steering system that allows approaching curves, or turning in areas with limited space, without turning the steering wheel as much as in the case of the current ones.
At the concept level, those from BMW seem to have a new type of steering wheel that will offer drivers a driving experience that could be much different from what they have now, especially if the cars will be able to drive themselves. However, it should not be forgotten that BMW is a brand that produces sports cars, and the way this steering wheel is designed does not allow the car to be driven in a too "sporty" style.
Editor MED
