As somebody who is obviously not knowledgeable about why Tesla did it that way, but somebody who does own/drive a Model 3, I can only offer my conjecture: It m

As somebody who is obviously not knowledgeable about why Tesla did it that way, but somebody who does own/drive a Model 3, I can only offer my conjecture: It makes the controls simpler in a way that makes the parts and assembly cheaper. The Model 3 seems like Tesla tried very hard to streamline (read: cut corners) anywhere they reasonably could as part of lowering the cost to manufacture the car, in order to hit a more reasonable price point. The stalks already have a known history of breakage, many folks have had to have them replaced in relatively young Model 3s. I suspect somebody at Tesla HQ decided that having additional twisting elements or more control surfaces on them would have further increased cost. Another potential rationale is that, from Tesla’s vantage point, those controls are vestigial. The automatic wiper sensor should handle wiper activation, rendering the stalk controls unnecessary. In practice, that sensor is still in need of further tuning. But if Tesla’s goal is to build the car of the future, it’s possible they’re willing to front-run the software in picking hardware choices.