Tesla Cybertruck Spotted with Rooftop Sensor Suite in San Jose, Features Unique LiDAR Configuration

A Tesla Cybertruck equipped with a rooftop sensor suite was recently spotted in San Jose, California, featuring a distinctive LiDAR setup reaching into the vehicle's bed.

Unique Sensor Placement Observed in Latest Cybertruck

Teslarati reports a Tesla Cybertruck with a sensor suite mounted on top has been seen roaming the streets. It appears that the Cybertruck, like previous Teslas like the Tesla Semi, has LiDAR sensors mounted on its rooftop gear.

Posts on the social media site X featured the Cybertruck and its one-of-a-kind sensor array. A Release Candidate (RC) device is what the Cybertruck with the sensors clearly is in the photos. The car in question was allegedly seen in San Jose, California, although its license plates belonged to Texas.

Social Media Buzz Over New Cybertruck Sightings

The Cybertruck's rooftop sensor suite is almost identical to those seen in previous Teslas, but the positioning of the sensors inside the electric pickup truck is quite remarkable. Typical Teslas, such as the Model Y and the Model X, have rooftop rigs mounted on top of the vehicles. The Cybertruck's sensors reached all the way into the bed, even past the ceiling.

In order to collect data and verify vision data, Tesla usually equips a subset of test vehicles with LiDAR devices. Elon Musk's outspoken stance on LiDAR being utilized on production vehicles has led Tesla opponents to be confused about this technique.

Potential Implications for Autopilot and FSD Features

A prior patent by the electric vehicle manufacturer described this method, with the manufacturer mentioning the possibility of using a "auxiliary sensor, such as radar, LiDAR, or another sensor" to gather data for training a machine learning model. It appears that Tesla is actively developing the driver-assist capabilities for the all-electric pickup truck Cybertruck, given the sensors that were seen on top of the vehicle.

Despite consumers receiving their Cybertrucks since late 2023, the all-electric pickup truck is still lacking Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities.