Image: ftronz/Instagram
Tesla Cybertruck, which could be a new Beta prototype, was spotted in the wild. The pickup truck differed from the earlier version with side mirrors and brake lights.
The Tesla Cybertruck prototype was spotted in the wild in Palo Alto, California just a few hours ago. ftronz/Instagram shared a video and a photo of the pickup truck, reporting only the location where it was seen. This could be a new Beta prototype, as some differences could be seen, although the video only showed the Cybertruck from the rear and right side.
The first difference that catches the eye is the brake lights. In the first prototypes, brake lights were located on the folding part of the bed and shone along its entire length. The prototype, which was spotted on Thursday, had small, neat brake lights located on both sides of the fold-down door of the bed. Keep in mind that this could also be customized with a software update and not related to the fact that this is a prototype produced from a different pattern.
The other significant difference is the side mirrors. In the prototype seen in Palo Alto, they were small and triangular in shape. Earlier Cybertruck prototypes did not have side mirrors like the ones shown during the 2019 event. However, in order to meet regulatory requirements, Tesla retrofitted prototypes with big rectangular mirrors to test them out. The prototype spotted on Thursday could have simply been fitted with new mirrors instead of those previously tested, or indeed be a new prototype.
During the Q4 2022 Earnings Call, Andrew Baglino, SVP, Powertrain and Energy Engineering at Tesla, said the company has already built some beta vehicles while talking about the progress of installing the Cybertruck production line at Giga Texas. He also noted that more prototypes will appear next month, referring to February.
"Like just to emphasize on that, we've started installation of 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 2024."
© 2023, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.
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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts; follow him on Twitter
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
