Tesla Cybertruck Wrapped In Camo Spotted In California
If you've come across a camouflaged Tesla Cybertruck in the San Francisco Bay Area recently, don't worry — you're not seeing things. At least one Cybertruck prototype has been spotted on the road sporting a black-and-white digital camo design, and it has a lot of people wondering what it could mean for Tesla's troubled line of light-duty trucks powered entirely by electric batteries. One Twitter account — interestingly enough, an EV finance company — posted an image of the camouflaged Cybertruck in Palo Alto, California.
👀 Spotted in Palo Alto, CA. Camo wrap #Cybertruck pic.twitter.com/Md2Iwrmgmd
— Tenet ⚡ (@tenetenergy) June 14, 2023
On Reddit, a user shared a video of a similar-looking, if not the same, prototype making its way through an In-N-Out Burger drive-thru in Mountain View, California. The mysterious, camouflaged Tesla has many asking if this is a one-off look for the prototype, or if this will be an actual option for drivers who purchase the production model when it's finally available.
It's not uncommon for auto manufacturers to cover their prototypes in camouflage when testing them in public. The look may not make these vehicles invisible, but they do obscure design features that companies may want to keep secret until later in the vehicles' development. Tesla, however, doesn't usually practice this; the Cybertruck is almost always seen in industrial gray. A Tesla Model 3 was recently spotted with its design covered with camo, but it wasn't the same as the black-and-white style used on the Cybertruck. That latter style has been seen before, though, in an Instagram post from three years ago, much earlier in the prototype's production, which only raises further questions.
The Cybertruck has had a troubled development
So is this camouflaged look functional and hiding new design features, or is it giving the public an early look at what to expect when the Cybertruck finally begins production? As early as 2019, Tesla has said that when the Cybertruck is available for purchase, drivers will be able to choose from an assortment of colors, and it's expected those colors will come in the form of a wrap. It's possible this black-and-white camo design will be one of the options.
Tesla has made a lot of promises about its all-electric truck since CEO Elon Musk first announced it in 2019. Since then, there have been numerous delays to its production, which was originally slated for 2021 and had at one point been pushed to 2024. Currently, the Cybertruck is slated to be available for purchase later this year.
All versions of the rear-wheel and all-wheel models are expected to reach at least 110 mph, with a battery range between 250 and 620 miles. Tesla plans for the Cybertruck to have 100 cubic feet of storage space and a 6.5-foot-long cargo area, as well as 16 inches of ground clearance underneath. The market for light-duty trucks is significant, and Tesla's fully electric version could be extremely successful — if the final product lives up to its years of hype. It's very possible production can be delayed yet again, but if it isn't, you may start seeing Tesla Cybertrucks on the road by the end of this year. Some of them may even be camouflaged.