As soon as the foldable cover of a tow truck in California unfolded, a Cybertruck prototype was revealed from the inside — loaded with weird equipment and wires attached to its body and wheels. This equipment consists of cameras, wires, and transducers.
These instruments and wires are actually used for validation and testing of Tesla’s upcoming electric pickup truck. Tesla started testing the Cybertruck at its Fremont factory test track for performance and acceleration in December last year.
And the Cybertruck 4-wheel steerability tests started earlier this year in February also at Fremont. This time the testing equipment is different and the Cybertruck seems to have gone under rigorous stress tests by the looks of it (all dirty and muddy).
The pair of special cameras installed on the front trunk (frunk) cover are most probably there to calibrate Tesla Autopilot Vision on this test mule Cybertruck.
If we look closely, these are not the original wheels seen on the Cybertruck when it is out in the public. These are Wheel Force Transducers that measure different forces of acceleration and deceleration while driving.
A wire is also going towards the roof from the sensors/equipment installed on the right front fender. The data collected from this type of extensive testing is utilized to improve the driving experience, comply with regulatory restrictions, and homologation purposes — and Cybertruck is going through this phase.
In the past, Tesla vehicles have been spotted with this kind of equipment attached when production nears.
Tesla is continuously making progress to start Cybertruck production next year (2023). The factory construction work at Giga Texas is on a constant stride.
On the other hand, IDRA completed the 9,000-ton Giga Casting machine for the Cybertruck. The last time it was seen, was at an expo in Germany. It is not clear when IDRA will be shipping it to the United States and when it will finally reach Giga Texas where it will be used to make the huge Cybertruck underbody.
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