Tesla’s latest video of the next-generation Roadster’s user interface lands like a transmission from another decade. Developed entirely in-house, the system discards the familiar white-on-black tablet look of current Teslas in favor of a pure black field punctuated by high-contrast red graphics and a live 3D wireframe model of the car itself.
The official post frames the design explicitly: “Inspired by fighter jet cockpits, Roadster’s interface was designed around the pilot.” On screen the car appears as a floating holographic wireframe against a dark grid. Drivers can select the rear wing and cycle it through stowed, low-drag, and high-downforce positions while the model animates the change in real time. Hood vents open and close with a tap; exterior lighting toggles between off, daytime running lights, on, and auto; barge boards and aero-load settings appear as labeled callouts on the same 3D view. The effect is less “settings menu” than a custom loadout screen from a science-fiction game.
Track mode pushes the fighter-jet analogy further. A central lap map shows elevation and sector splits while the car’s position updates live. Surrounding panels display brake, acceleration, and regen percentages, battery/motor/brake temperatures, individual tire pressures and temperatures, and a thruster gauge locked at 5,500 PSI with “Boost Ready” status. Dynamics, aero balance, brake balance, ESC, TCS, and fan modes are all adjustable without leaving the screen. Session lap times and a “best” reference sit beside the map, giving the driver immediate feedback on every variable that affects a lap.
Outside of track mode the same dark aesthetic persists. Vehicle dynamics pages let drivers choose Comfort, Balance, Sport, or Custom for acceleration, ride & handling, and ride height, with corresponding changes reflected on the rotating 3D model. A music player surfaces sci-fi-leaning tracks (“To The Stars,” “Passing Kiln”) under a clean red-on-black list. The persistent bottom bar—Home, Vehicle, Listen, Climate, Navigate—keeps core functions one tap away, while the top bar retains PRND, state of charge, and time.
Earlier event footage from the mid-October reveal already hinted at the same language, including a 3D battery visualization on the charging screen and a small animated hedgehog Easter egg that appears in reverse. The new official video simply confirms the interface is intentional, polished, and deliberately unlike anything else in Tesla’s lineup. It treats the driver as a pilot managing active aero, thrusters, and dynamics rather than a passenger scrolling through apps. Whether that philosophy survives contact with real-world usability remains to be seen, but on screen the Roadster’s UI already feels like the cockpit of a vehicle that was never meant to stay strictly on the ground.