Back in May, a modified Tesla Model 3 with no side mirrors and new camera locations was seen on the road. This was the first sighting of Tesla with such modifications, sparking multiple theories of what it could be.
Now, a new vehicle has been spotted with camera positions in similar parts of the car seen in May but this time around, multiple close-up shots reveal new details, hinting at what is likely to be announced by Tesla next month.
The new photos were shared on X by Joey K which shows a grey refreshed Model 3 with cameras in the rear-windows.
On top of the window cut-out cameras, there were also camera sticking out from where the current repeater cameras sit on the Model 3 as well as a front bumper camera.
A good friend of mine sent me these pictures of a @Tesla Model 3 mule with some interesting camera locations — any guesses? pic.twitter.com/UihdT8gSzq
— Joey Klender (@KlenderJoey) July 9, 2024
Unlike the last vehicle which was seen with Texas number plates in May, the new test vehicle has Californian “Manufacturer” number plates on it.
This indicates that there are a number of test vehicles being used by Tesla with a similar camera setup.
Locations of the new cameras hint towards a setup for self-driving and is closer to what’s previously been described by the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, as the Robotaxi or more recently a Cybercab.
There is a level of excitement towards what’s to be unveiled at next month’s proposed event by Tesla where more details of this new vehicle will be revealed.
One fan on the post with the latest pictures of the test vehicles said: “Can’t wait for 8/8 event for some really solid answers. Hopefully we can uncover some stuff beforehand”.
The new Robotaxi is expected to be used to offer a service similar to Uber but without the driver.
Tesla is also working on multiple other products that could use some of the camera layouts being tested in the vehicle spotted in California. These include more affordable models that are currently in the works.
At an earnings call earlier this year Musk hinted what these models could offer.
“We’ve updated our future vehicle lineup to accelerate the launch of new models, previously mentioned start of production in the second half of 2025. So, we expect it to be more like the early 2025, if not late this year,” he said.
“These new vehicles, including more affordable models, will use aspects of the next-generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms, and we’ll be able to produce on the same manufacturing lines as our current vehicle lineup.”
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.