The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
Eagle-eyed locals spotted a strategically camouflaged test Cybertruck roaming the Bay Area tech hub just south of San Francisco, suggesting the futuristic vehicle is one step closer to market.
One Twitter user even reported catching a glimpse of the vehicle’s interior, saying that this Tesla’s test truck sported a conventional round steering wheel — and not the infamous, controversial revised ‘Yoke’ design that has divided Tesla fans.
The black white and gray design is far from the shiny steel plating that fans have been drooling over since the Cybertruck was revealed in 2019.
Elon Musk had previously announced owners of the $39,000 EV would ‘be able to wrap it in any color or pattern’ – the cost has yet to be revealed, but reports speculated it will be thousands of dollars to complete.
A Tesla Cybertruck wrapped in blocky camo surfaced on roads in Palo Alto, a sign public testing in advance of the hotly anticipated electric vehicle’s roll-out later this year
The Cybertruck made a stop at an In and Out Burger joint while it was roaming the California streets
Test vehicles, often called ‘mules’ in carmaker lingo, need to be tested in real-world conditions. However, they risk unwanted attention from rabid fans, curious bystanders and automotive paparazzi before they’re ready for prime time.
Truly ‘top secret’ brand-new vehicles will sometimes even be driven with clunky foam pads, fake headlights and other feints to disguise their novel features from the press and competitors.
But a sleeker disguise is needed for a car like the Cybertruck that’s nearly to market, so engineers can focus on testing performance indicators like aerodynamics, drag and cooling. That’s where confusing, ‘magic eye’ car paper comes in: a full-vehicle vinyl wrap to obscure its shape by tricking digital cameras and the naked eye.
‘If I were to leave the plant right now,’ said Wilkinson, ‘nine times out of 10 the same guy’s parked out there waiting for one of our prototypes to get a picture of it.’
‘Those guys have special equipment and hide in trees, rocks, and walls. They’ll pounce on engineers while they’re out testing to get the first picture.’
Given the Tesla mule’s sleek wrapper, industry watchers 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 has sent communications to its parts suppliers for the Cybertruck, codenamed ‘Project Everest,’ telling them to anticipate production of 375,000 Cybertruck units per year.
Test vehicles, called ‘mules’ in carmaker lingo, need to be tested out in real world conditions, but risk unwanted attention from both curious civilians and automotive paparazzi before they’re ready for prime time. The industry’s answer? Shape- and eye-confusing camouflage
While Tesla has tested some more rugged looks for the Cybertruck in recent months, the iconic, ultra-hard cold-rolled stainless steel look that it premiered with is still the go-to option
The company’s most recent official comment on the EV truck’s launch timeline is a delivery event slated for ‘around the end of Q3,’ which some interpret to mean the final days of September 2023.
As a consequence, Tesla Cybertruck sightings have become increasingly frequent In the past six months.
And it has been a long time coming: the vehicle was infamously first unveiled in November 2019 and has blown past several very public deadlines.
Rumors suggest that the automaker has continued experimenting with the EV’s design over the intervening four years, with rugged and unusual features like a single wiper blade.
While it’s unclear which features, from the steering wheel design to the dashboard display, will be locked in for the fall launch, excited customers could be spotting a test Cybertruck themselves on the road near them any day now.
