Tesla Semi and Cybertruck Spotted with Lidar Testing Hardware

A Tesla Semi with new lidar equipment attached to the front was recently photographed in the wild by The Kilowatts (@klwtts). The prototype electric vehicle (EV) had hardware from Xenomatix, a company that develops solid-state-lidar technology, mounted under the windshield.

pic.twitter.com/h3EXOqjIuP

— 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 company delivered its first Semi units to customers in December 2022, with more deliveries slated to go out this year. Last month, Tesla announced a $3.6 billion investment in Gigafactory Nevada to build a high-volume Semi plant.

The Cybertruck, meanwhile, isn’t expected to begin deliveries until the end of this year at the earliest. Tesla was recently seen assembling the “Giga Press” aluminum die-casting machine that will make the chassis and panels for the all-electric pickup at its Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, with production expected to begin in mid-July.

Back in May 2021, Tesla started switching from radar on its EVs to “Tesla Vision,” an entirely camera-based system, for Autopilot, Full Self-Driving (FSD), and some active safety features.

The automaker uses vehicles equipped with lidar hardware to field-test and calibrate its driver assistance and autonomous driving systems, which is likely what the Semi and Cybertruck prototypes were spotted doing.