Tesla executives haven't given up hope of delivering the first production electric Cybertruck pickups to customers who ordered them several years ago, shortly after the announcement. The vehicles assembled in Texas have primarily been pre-production prototypes, but a recent drone flyover of the facility captured nearly a dozen pickups stored among the finished products.
An enthusiast who regularly surveys Tesla's Texas facility from the air reported this news today, along with a fresh video, on the Electrek website. The pickup trucks near the assembly plant are covered with capes, though these coverings can't hide the distinctive angular shapes of the new electric car model. The video's creator suggests that while products from the Texas Tesla facility usually go to customers, this initial batch of Cybertrucks might be for internal testing purposes. When Tesla introduces a new model to the assembly line, the first serial copies often go to company employees. These employees then share their impressions of the new model and help address any existing issues promptly.
The video shows several pickups, at least two of which were seen inside the company's assembly shops. Previous units assembled here were used extensively in field tests—more than five vehicles were spotted in New Zealand during winter testing, and several others were seen on California roads, often concealed with intricate camouflage film.
Videos have previously emerged of the pickups being assembled within Tesla's Texas facility. Some of these videos showed the pickups with open hoods, revealing certain components in the underhood space. While this space is relatively small and primarily accommodates storage due to the unique design of the Cybertruck, it doesn't compare to the storage space of traditional front-hood layout electric pickups. Nonetheless, the Tesla Cybertruck combines a reasonably compact overall length with a spacious body design, albeit at the cost of reduced front storage space.