Tesla Roadster’s New User Interface Screen Brings Fighter Jet Layout to a Production Sports Car

When Tesla finally rolled out the redesigned second-generation Roadster at its McGregor event this month, most of the attention stayed on the thrusters, the suction fans, and the short flight off the end of an inverted track. The cabin itself received far less stage time, yet videos posted by Sawyer Merritt and a fresh clip from Tesla itself now give the clearest look yet at the interface that sits beside the squared-off yoke.

The screen on that car is set against a black background with bright red and white graphics, which Tesla describes as being inspired by fighter jet cockpit screens and developed with the driver in mind. All of the status information is at the top, the drive selector and climate controls are to the left, and at the bottom is a row of tabs: Home, Vehicle, Listen, Climate, and Navigate. Two smaller speed and lap displays are tucked into the bottom of the windshield, displaying your speed in large red numbers but also allowing you to view other essential information without taking your eyes off the road.

Home provides a wireframe 3D representation of the car that can be scaled down to see elements like as engines, suspension, and even the thrusters themselves, which are all highlighted in a gorgeous metallic gold. Tapping it allows you to adjust the back wing, hood vent, lighting, and even the thrusters themselves. There’s also a view that allows you to monitor the battery and adjust the charge limit, and right above the tabs, a small music strip allows you to choose your songs.

Vehicle allows you to customize your driving profile by selecting from Comfort, Balance, Sport, or Custom, as well as adjusting a variety of additional settings such as acceleration, ride height, and suspension stiffness. Track mode transforms this into a full telemetry display, complete with lap times, session stats, all of the typical monitoring information, and even a circuit map.

Listen simply displays the album art and what’s playing, Climate depicts a graphic of the airflow and how warm or cool your seat is, and Navigate provides a crisp map view. When you put it in reverse, the screen shows an animated small hedgehog going up the driveway and waving, a charming little Easter egg that can be seen in the event video. The accent color in light and dark modes alternates between red and white, but the backdrop remains dark in both.

It’s still 2028 before production begins, so the exact layout and labeling can still be tweaked, but the event videos and the Tesla video give a good idea of what the interface will be like, as it treats all of the fancy hardware as if it were just ordinary controls rather than something to show off, and keeps the most important numbers right in front of you so you can focus on the road rather than fiddling with the menus.