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Eagle-eyed locals spotted a strategically camouflaged test Cybertruck wandering through the Bay Area technology hub just south of San Francisco, suggesting the futuristic vehicle is one step closer to market.
One Twitter user even reported getting a glimpse of the vehicle’s interior, saying this Tesla’s test truck had a conventional round steering wheel — not the infamously controversial revised “Yoke” design that has divided Tesla fans .
The black, white and gray design is a far cry from the shiny steel plating that fans have been drooling over since the Cybertruck was unveiled in 2019.
Elon Musk had previously announced that owners of the $39,000 EV “could package it in any color or pattern” — the price has yet to be revealed, but reports speculated it would cost thousands of dollars to complete.
A Tesla Cybertruck wrapped in block camo popped up on the roads in Palo Alto, a sign that public testing was underway ahead of the hotly anticipated electric vehicle’s rollout later this year
The Cybertruck stopped at an In and Out Burger joint while roaming the streets of California
Test vehicles, often referred to as “mules” in automaker jargon, must be tested in real-world conditions. However, they risk unwanted attention from avid fans, curious bystanders and car paparazzi before they’re ready for prime time.
Really ‘top secret’ brand new vehicles will sometimes even be driven with clumsy foam blocks, fake headlights and other feints to hide their new features from the press and competitors.
But a tighter disguise is needed for a car like the Cybertruck approaching market so engineers can focus on testing performance indicators such as aerodynamics, drag and cooling. That’s where the confusing, “magic eye” automotive paper comes in: an all-car vinyl wrap to obscure its shape by tricking digital cameras and the naked eye.
“We all walk around with image capture devices in our pockets,” Ford Motor Company camouflage coordinator Al Wilkinson told the Globe and Mail in 2018.
“If I were to leave the factory now,” said Wilkinson, “nine times out of ten the same guy would be parked there waiting for one of our prototypes to take a picture of it.”
“Those guys have special equipment and hide in trees, rocks and walls. They jump on engineers while they are testing to get the first picture.’
Considering the streamlined packaging of the Tesla mule, industry watchers to believe that Tesla’s Cybertruck prototype seen in Palo Alto on Tuesday indicates that the all-electric pickup is coming very soon.
But what is known is that Tesla sent messages to its parts suppliers for the Cybertruck, codenamed “Project Everest,” and told them to expect production of 375,000 Cybertruck units per year.
Test vehicles, referred to as “mules” in automaker jargon, must be tested in real-world conditions, but risk getting unwanted attention from curious citizens and auto paparazzi alike before they’re ready for prime time. The industry’s answer? Shape and eye-confusing camouflage
While Tesla has been testing some more rugged looks for the Cybertruck in recent months, the iconic, ultra-hard cold-rolled stainless steel look it premiered with is still the go-to option
The company’s most recent official comment on the EV truck launch timeline is a delivery event scheduled for “around the end of Q3,” which some say means the last days of September 2023.
As a result, Tesla Cybertruck sightings have become increasingly frequent over the past six months.
And it’s been a long time coming: the vehicle was infamously first unveiled in November 2019 and has passed several very public deadlines.
Rumors suggest that the automaker has continued to experiment with electric car design over the past four years, adding robust and unusual features such as a single wiper blade.
While it’s unclear what features, from the steering wheel design to the dashboard display, will be locked down for the fall launch, excited customers could now see for themselves a test Cybertruck on the road near them.