A Tesla Cybertruck prototype was photographed while on-road testing around the American EV maker’s headquarters in Palo Alto yesterday. The truck appears to be the latest iteration of the beta program that will go on at least until Summer, when production of the angular-shaped EV is scheduled to start.
Flavio Tronzano spotted the vehicle and posted a photo on his Instagram account, and while it’s unclear what version of the truck we’re looking at, there are some indications that it’s among the newer ones.
This is the first time the Cybertruck has been spotted wearing triangular-shaped side mirrors, which are more in-line with the car’s design compared to what appeared to be off-the-shelf mirrors in previous sightings. It’s also not what Tesla originally intended, with the carmaker planning to offer the EV truck without side mirrors, hoping to fit cameras that would feed images to screens inside the truck.
However, current US laws don’t allow such a thing, so the Cybertruck will probably ship with these triangular mirrors, although they look quite small, especially if you take towing into account.
Two other features that haven’t been seen operational on prototypes until now are the rear tonneau cover and the side windows, which are nothing to write home about, but it’s another indication that things are moving fast in the right direction, with more and more mechanisms of the car being put to the test.
Previously, Tesla’s Chief Designer, Franz von Holzhausen, said during a podcast that the Cybertruck is ready from a design perspective, while Elon Musk said in a recent Tweet that he reviewed the production beta prototype of the truck and that it’s “incredible.”
Until now, there have been few sightings of working Cybertruck prototypes on the road, but this might change quickly, with more beta vehicles on the horizon, as the vice president of vehicle engineering at Tesla, Lars Moravy, said during the company’s Q4 2022 financial results conference call last week:
“We’ve started installation of all the production equipment here in Giga Texas, castings, GA, general assembly, body shops. We built all our beta vehicles, some more coming still in the next month, but as you said, the ramp will really come [in] 2024.”
During the same conference call, Elon Musk said that production of the all-electric truck will begin in Summer 2023, with a ramp-up expected for next year.
What’s your take on this latest Tesla Cybertruck prototype? Let us know in the comments below.
