The saga of the Tesla Model 3’s heated steering wheel feature is quite extensive, with the function being long-requested by EV enthusiasts and the electric car maker being silent about the feature. If recent reports from a Tesla owner in Switzerland are any indication, however, it appears that the highly-anticipated feature may very well be coming to the all-electric sedan at last.
Back in October, longtime Tesla owner-hacker @greentheonly, who is known in the EV community for discovering upcoming features and updates that are poised to be rolled out on the company’s electric cars, stated on Twitter that the Model 3 refresh will have a heated steering wheel, among other new features. Tesla, for its part, remained silent as before.
This silence has not stopped rumors about the Model 3’s heated steering wheel feature. Owners of new Model 3 remarked that their vehicles’ steering wheels felt a bit thicker than previous iterations of the car. Just a few days ago, Germany-based Tesla owners also shared images of a Model 3 that directly referenced the feature when responding to a voice command for warmer heating. These rumors, however, pale in comparison to recent reports from a Tesla owner in Switzerland, who reportedly confirmed that the feature was indeed coming.
What is rather interesting was that the Model 3’s heated steering wheel was reportedly confirmed by Tesla Switzerland itself, giving some degree of legitimacy to the latest rumors. According to @MXSwitzerland, who reportedly received the information from Tesla Switzerland, he was informed that the Model 3’s heated steering wheel is poised to be activated with the upcoming holiday software update.
While the Model 3’s heated steering wheel remains a rumor, it is understandable why speculations about the function have been very persistent for some time now. Tesla, after all, is known for rolling out updates and upgrades as soon as they are ready. The company is also known to activate features that have previously been unavailable through an over-the-air update, such as the heated rear seats of the Model 3 Standard Range Plus.
Elon Musk did state that Tesla’s upcoming holiday update will include features that have been requested and some that even owners didn’t know they wanted. The Model 3’s heated steering wheel feature does seem to fit that mold.