Someone's invented a button bar you can add to your Tesla to give you the buttons you've been missing

If you’re missing the feeling of physical buttons in your Tesla, then a Norwegian startup may just have a solution.

With in-car technology advancing at a staggering pace, many carmakers decided to remove physical buttons in favor of a more minimalist feel. 

However, some folks miss the tactile experience of being able to press a button, rather than a screen. 

And if that sounds like you, then you’ll probably love the Ctrl-Bar 2 button from Greenmission. 

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The Ctrl-Bar 2 replaces the physical buttons on Tesla EVs

Greenmission launched its original Ctrl-Bar back in 2023, aimed at solving the problem of Tesla’s lack of physical buttons. 

Now, the company has launched the next-generation Ctrl-Bar 2. 

This time around, it has eight buttons, complete with their own little displays, and two rotating knobs. 

The button bar attaches to the bottom of the Tesla infotainment screen, and once it’s clipped on, it looks exactly like part of the cabin. 

The Ctrl-Bar 2 is compatible with the Model 3 and Model Y, and is powered via a hidden cable in the USB port inside the EV’s glovebox. 

Its eight buttons are completely customizable, and can be used to control all manner of Tesla features, including climate control, opening the frunk, locking and unlocking doors, changing the music, and putting the car into Dog Mode. 

In total, you can programme around 30 different features, all of which can be conveniently configured via an app. 

“From climate and media to locks and lights, Ctrl-Bar brings the most essential functions back to your fingertips,” the company said in a statement. 

However, if you’re keen to get your hands on one, then you might have a bit of a wait. 

The updated and upgraded Ctrl-Bar 2 is currently a Kickstarter project, so you can chip in and buy one now, but Greenmission told Inside EVs that it won’t stop shipping the button bars until April next year.

Could in-cabin buttons be making a return?

In recent times, several carmakers have removed physical buttons from their cabins, but the move hasn’t gone down well with everyone. 

So much so, that earlier this year, Volkswagen announced it was bringing buttons back because ‘it’s a car, not a phone’.  

Design chief Andreas Mindt went so far as to tell Autocar that the German company will ‘never, ever make this mistake again.’

Meanwhile, the newly launched MGSG EV will also feature physical buttons and dials, with the carmaker saying it had made the decision ‘based on customer feedback’.

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