Starting next year, Mercedes-Benz plans to integrate a new steer-by-wire system and a yoke-style steering wheel into its vehicles. In the by-wire system, the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels is replaced by an electronic link. The system has accumulated over a million test miles across test benches, proving grounds, and public roads. It is expected to be introduced in the updated EQS sedan in 2026. More and more automakers are using steer-by-wire technology, and Mercedes-Benz is the latest to do so. The company hopes to show off its first vehicle next year. Your car’s steering wheel and front wheels no longer have a mechanical link between them. Instead, there is an electrical one, or “wire.” Mercedes says that by-wire technology is better than traditional mechanical methods in a number of ways. The company says that by-wire technology makes turning easier, better, more maneuverable, and faster and requires less effort. The system also has a variable steering ratio that speeds up the steering when the vehicle is moving slowly (like when stopping) and slows it down when it is moving quickly (like on the highway). The company that made the device also says that it may “almost completely” get rid of the feeling of uneven road surfaces on the steering wheel. We don’t know a lot about it. Mercedes plans to replace the traditional round steering wheel with a flat-bottom yoke, similar to those found in the Lexus RZ and Tesla Cybertruck. The by-wire method lets you change the steering ratio, so switching to a yoke lets you get more legroom without having to move your hands while you’re driving. Markus Schäfer, Mercedes’s chief technology officer, says that the flat wheel works better with SAE Level 3 automatic driving because it lets you see the dashboard screen better “when streaming your favorite show, for example.” This really seems like what our future holds. To make a second alternate system for safety (and peace of mind), Mercedes adds more sensors and actuators, backs up the data and sets up a backup power source. The car will still work even if all of its parts fail because it has backups. Over a million test kilometers have been driven on the system on the test bench, the proving grounds, and in real traffic. Mercedes says the technology works perfectly in cars that turn from the back, like the S-class and EQS sedan. The EQS, the top-of-the-line electric car, will be the first to use the new tech when it gets a makeover next year.
