A Tesla Robotaxi prototype has been spotted on the streets of Los Angeles near Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, where Tesla is scheduled to hold a Robotaxi presentation on October 10.
The vehicle, which appears to be a smaller, fully camouflaged car in yellow, was seen followed by a Tesla Model Y. The sighting was shared on Reddit by user u/boopitysmopp, who has since deleted their account and comments.
Another Reddit user, u/dent3dwheel, reported that Tesla has been driving test vehicles around the Warner Bros. lot at night over the past week, suggesting the activity is related to upcoming Full Self-Driving (FSD) tests. A picture below showed the vehicles in the Warner Bros. lot, consisting of Model 3, Model Y and a Model X:
Earlier this month, Tesla hacker @greentheonly noted that Tesla has ramped up data collection around the Warner Bros. area since late August. He suggested this could be linked to the upcoming event, with Tesla conducting extensive testing and pre-mapping in preparation. “I imagine for things to work well, some extensive testing and pre-mapping would be important,” he said, referring to data triggers sent to autopilot computers as the source for his observations.
The sightings add to speculation about Tesla’s plans for its Robotaxi initiative, as the company appears to be intensively testing and gathering data in the lead-up to its official presentation.
Below is a concept of the Robotaxi Tesla has shared in various promo videos. It is a two seater vehicle with no steering wheel and room in the trunk for storage.
That yellow alleged Tesla prototype looks like it could have been designed in Homer Simpson’s studio.
We’ll find out soon enough to hear what Tesla has in store for its highly-anticipated Robotaxi event, set for October 10, 2024.
