- Drone footage reveals Tesla is benchmarking different automakers’ EVs.
- Two are very possible Polestar 3s, and one other two are most likely Volvos whereas the coated sedan might be an Audi E-Tron GT.
- Seeing Tesla benchmark a bunch of competing automobiles is uncommon because it was once the OEMs that had been benchmarking Teslas.
Tesla could be very completely different from the standard automakers, however in a single key means it’s precisely the identical: it buys rivals’ automobiles to benchmark them and reverse-engineer their improvements. A current drone video reveals eight automobiles underneath white tarps parked in a line outdoors the Fremont, CA manufacturing facility check observe, and sure that none of them are Teslas.
The drone video uploaded by Met God in Wilderness (and noticed by Electrek) reveals eight automobiles coated by white tarps. Seven of them are crossovers, and one seems to be like a low-slung automobile, presumably a sedan or a fastback. Upon nearer inspection, not less than two of the crossovers are undoubtedly seem like Polestar 3s, primarily based on the form of their roof.
One other two is perhaps Volvo EC40s, which have a extra pronounced fastback-like rear finish but additionally seem extra squared off within the rear in comparison with a Tesla Mannequin Y.
It could make sense to have automobiles from each Volvo and Polestar, which use the identical platforms and powertrains in numerous automobiles. Relating to the low-slung automobile, our greatest guess is that it might be an Audi E-Tron GT or a Porsche Taycan, each of which had been refreshed this 12 months with much more energy, vary and greater batteries.
We don’t assume any of the crossovers are the Mannequin Y “Juniper” refresh since that received’t change the form of the physique to such an extent. The rear finish seems to be much more sq. than the tapering fastback-like roof of both the Mannequin Y or Mannequin X.
Tesla is reportedly engaged on a new platform internally designated NV9X, which will likely be used to underpin a number of future automobiles. The primary of those is a crossover at present solely referred to as Challenge Redwood, however Tesla would possible do a greater job of holding a Redwood prototype out of sight. The identical platform will possible underpin the Mannequin S substitute if one is even coming, however we doubt that’s the automobile underneath the tarp.
The truth that all these coated automobiles had been noticed subsequent to the check observe additional strengthens the concept they had been introduced there for benchmarking functions. Tesla is probably going analyzing the competitors, which has turn out to be a lot stiffer over the previous couple of years, and the EV phase is just going to get extra aggressive. Again in April 2022, a Lucid Air was noticed doing laps of the Fremont check observe absolutely uncovered.
Automakers do that all the time; this 12 months alone, the InsideEVs workers has seen a couple of Chinese language EVs on the amenities of Detroit’s Huge Three automakers.
Nevertheless, that was one of many uncommon situations when Tesla was caught benchmarking one other producer’s automobile. It was often the opposite means round: different producers had been seen benchmarking Teslas, drawing data for their very own EV tasks. Nevertheless, now that so many producers are producing EVs that not solely rival however even surpass Tesla’s personal, seeing the tables flip isn’t in the slightest degree shocking.
