Tesla’s new Gigafactory Texas is opening tomorrow April 7, and the company is holding a “Cyber Rodeo” to commemorate the moment. So a local drone pilot took some aerial photos of the factory — and found some weird-looking vehicles in line for tomorrow’s show.
Joe Tegtmeyer’s photo of the Tesla lineup includes a total of eight covered vehicles, as well as a few uncovered ones. Two of the vehicles are easy enough to identify by shape: they’re Cybertrucks, most likely the new prototype we caught a glimpse of earlier this year.
The identities of the smaller vehicles is a bit more difficult to parse, because, well, Tesla’s silhouettes aren’t all that different from one another. To make matters more confusing, some of the vehicles appear to be unannounced versions of existing Teslas or, as Electrek points out, demonstration vehicles to show off new Tesla innovations.
What do we have here? —
The new Gigafactory will be producing an updated version of the Model Y, so it’s easy enough to guess that some of the vehicles are, indeed, Model Ys. The updated Model Y will take advantage of Tesla’s new 4680 cells, which Elon Musk first revealed at October’s Gigafactory Berlin opening. The batteries allow for more storage per cell (about 9000 mAh) without increasing heat output. Less individual cells, more efficiency.
Electrek guesses the much smaller car in the photo is the Roadster, which really is the only Tesla vehicle that could have such a diminutive shape. Musk has said a new version of the Roadster could launch as soon as next year — maybe we’ll finally get an early look at the Cyber Rodeo.
The car under the blue cover, meanwhile, could be an old prototype or an entirely new one. Musk has teased the release of cars with no side mirrors before, and this vehicle doesn’t appear to have any.
There’s also an uncovered Tesla Semi in the photo. It’s unclear if this is a new prototype or the same one we saw last year.
Surely some stunts to come —
Though the new Model Y and its innovative batteries will likely be the star of the Cyber Rodeo, it also seems Musk is taking the opportunity to show off other members of the updated Tesla lineup. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not Musk announces new shipment dates on new vehicles; the new Cybertruck’s delivery date, in particular, is shrouded in mystery.
Musk is expected to headline the Cyber Rodeo by taking the stage himself, so we’re expecting at least a few stunts to come out of the event, too. Perhaps the Tesla Bot will make an appearance? (We aren’t holding our breath on that one.)
