Image: @klwtts on Twitter
A Tesla Semi with latest lidar equipment attached to the front was recently photographed within the wild by The Kilowatts (@klwtts). The prototype electric vehicle (EV) had hardware from Xenomatix, an organization that develops solid-state-lidar technology, mounted under the windshield.
— The Kilowatts 🚗⚡️ (@klwtts) February 16, 2023
Hi. pic.twitter.com/mOCpZceqxS
— uff_dad (@dad_uff) February 17, 2023
Tesla’s Semi is an all-electric Class 8 semi-truck. The corporate delivered its first Semi units to customers in December 2022, with more deliveries slated to exit this 12 months. Last month, Tesla announced a $3.6 billion investment in Gigafactory Nevada to construct a high-volume Semi plant.
The Cybertruck, meanwhile, isn’t expected to start deliveries until the tip of this 12 months on the earliest. Tesla was recently seen assembling the “Giga Press” aluminum die-casting machine that can make the chassis and panels for the all-electric pickup at its Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, with production expected to start in mid-July.
Back in May 2021, Tesla began switching from radar on its EVs to “Tesla Vision,” a completely camera-based system, for Autopilot, Full Self-Driving (FSD), and a few energetic safety features.
The automaker uses vehicles equipped with lidar hardware to field-test and calibrate its driver assistance and autonomous driving systems, which is probably going what the Semi and Cybertruck prototypes were spotted doing.