Image via @youyouxue
A Tesla Model Y has been spotted with some equipment mounted on its roof, which appears to be Luminar’s Hydro LiDAR system.
Numerous images were shared online, including video as well. Check out the images shared below by @youyouxue (you may remember his nationwide Model 3 tour in the U.S. and Canada from years back):
Funky looking Model Y with imaging equipment mounted atop pic.twitter.com/z2iqFkUVIE
— You You Xue (@youyouxue) December 28, 2020
Video was also shared by @klwtts too, with this Model Y spotted in San Francisco, California:
Engineering Test Model Y rocking a new set of sensors! #Tesla #ModelY #Autopilot #FSD #FSDBeta pic.twitter.com/p2W8XQ5MWR
— The Kilowatts 🚗⚡️ (@klwtts) December 29, 2020
A few more seconds of video. This is a major physical change to the harnesses we’ve seen before! pic.twitter.com/Q7hayW9Iz2
— The Kilowatts 🚗⚡️ (@klwtts) December 29, 2020
It’s unclear why Tesla is using Luminar’s LiDAR systems, especially since CEO Elon Musk believes the technology is “doomed”. Speculation is Tesla may be leveraging LiDAR to confirm what its Full Self-Driving beta systems are seeing on the ground.
This isn’t the first time Tesla has been seen testing LiDAR systems on vehicles, as you can see images dating back to 2016. But it’s interesting to see the equipment mounted on the company’s latest Model Y SUV.
We may hear some reaction from CEO Elon Musk about these vehicles, but until then, it’s always interesting to see Tesla testing new equipment on the ground.
Luminar went public earlier this month and its stock is currently trading at $31.80 USD per share.
