Ten days ago, Tesla hosted it’s Autonomy Day event with lectures about how self-driving cars work and what their approach is for the future of driverless transportation.
As usual, the event was an eye-opener for Tesla’s enthusiasts and vexing for the company’s detractors. We don’t intend to step into the crossfire.
However, taking back seat at the event was the prototype of the second generation Roadster, which we can all agree is worth discussing.
Tesla has been teasing the crowd at several events, showing off the upcoming 2+2 coupe. But, until Autonomy Day, only pre-paying customers have had the chance to get inside the car.
Attendee Hamid Shojaee was able to shoot a short video of the 2020 Roadster’s interior, giving us the much-anticipated sneak peek.
Starting off with the swipe unlock feature. It’s innovative and very fancy, but also confusing. Even Hamid gets it wrong two times before he’s able to get it.
Commenters pointed out that during an accident, first responders may not be able to unlock the car to help its passengers. However, given Tesla’s electrical engineering aptitude, we can expect some safety system that pops the doors open anyway.
Moving on to the interior – it’s very ascetic, to say the least. The dashboard is comprised of a single panel of what looks to be carbon fiber. There are no buttons, or dials to be found – just the huge central infotainment console.
There is a race-type ergonomic steering wheel with a couple of buttons either side that likely control media and Autopilot functions.
View this post on InstagramA few more pictures of this beauty! #tesla #teslaroadster #roadster #autonomous #autonomyday
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Of course, having a simpler interior is not necessarily a bad thing. Presumably, Roadster owners will focus on the driving aspect and avoid distractions. If the Roadster delivers the promised 0 – 60 mph acceleration in 1.9 seconds, drivers would want their eyes fixed on the road – not the interior features.
Either way, the vehicle on display is pretty much a prototype. Things are bound to change for the production version next year, so we shouldn’t take anything to heart.