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Reasons For Tesla Cybertruck Wearing Camouflage In Last Sighting

When the current prototype of the Tesla Cybertruck was presented back in 2019, it was shown without any type of camouflage or covering; later on it was shown again in public in an open way, driving around New York city and then again on the test tracks at Tesla Gigafactory; but now in the latest video available it appears with camouflage: why would that be?
Tesla Cybertruck, courtesy of Tesla Inc.

Tesla has already delayed volume production of the Cybertruck a number of times up to now; an electric pick-up that is controversial due to its futuristic and angular design and at the same time innovative, powerful and efficient (as per the specifications made public so far), like most products and models coming from Tesla. The latest delay points to start production beyond 2022, as stated by Elon Musk at the financial results conference, Q4 shareholders call. However, the development team has not apparently stopped working on it, as shown in the latest recorded video in which several people move around a prototype fully camouflaged. Why is Tesla now covering a model that has already been fully shown worldwide?

The YouTube channel "Met God in Wilderness" published a video on February 7 that shows the most recent sighting of the Tesla Cybertruck; it features approximately three minutes of footage of a drone flying around the truck while three people work on it. In the video, the wheel covers and the edge of the cargo box are covered in camouflage, but only on the driver's side. The walls of the rear cargo box are also covered almost entirely. There have been several speculations about what these people were working on at that time, after the video was published; there are a few possible scenarios.

Around the Cybertruck and painted on the ground there are blue markings that could be there to establish the real field of view for the cameras located around the vehicle. They could also be testing a system that would allow the doors to open automatically when the owner approaches the vehicle, since there is no tape around the wheels where the cameras should be able to "see".

Tesla Cybertruck, courtesy of Tesla Inc.

The Cybertruck in this video is still keeping the gigantic windshield that was shown in the presentation back in 2019, but no signs of the windshield wipers can be seen anywhere. It is expected that with this model Tesla will launch a specific and patented system that is probably not yet implemented, as far as we can see. Conventional mirrors are also featured, which were not included there in the presentation, and that are mandatory to install by the different traffic regulations in force in the United States. A few months ago Elon Musk himself confirmed that they had a strategy planned so that clients could remove the mirrors if they so wished.

Finally, and although it is impossible to see in the video, the Cybertruck will be one of the first Tesla models - if not the first - to implement the new 4680 structural battery cells: a feature that will be a milestone in the way electric trucks and cars are built, at least for Tesla. While all these issues are solved, orders are steadily piling up on the company's website: the latest - unofficial - reports reveal that there could be more than 1.2 million reservations already in place. Amazing numbers for an amazing truck that came out directly from a "Blade Runner" movie saga.

You can see the video on this youtube link.

Cybertruck image courtesy of Tesla Inc.

Nico Caballero is the VP of Finance of Cogency Power, specializing in solar energy. He also holds a Diploma in Electric Cars from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and enjoys doing research about Tesla and EV batteries. He can be reached at @NicoTorqueNews on Twitter. Nico covers Tesla and electric vehicle latest happenings at Torque News.

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