For the last few weeks, posts from electric vehicle enthusiasts in New Zealand suggested that Tesla was busy winter testing its most highly anticipated EV to date, the Cybertruck. Some of these tests now appear to be over, as two all-electric pickup trucks were recently sighted being transported from the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds (SHPG) in New Zealand.
The Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds are used by Tesla to conduct winter tests during the non-winter months in North America. The facility was prominently featured by the company in some of its promotional videos, such as its dedicated winter test upload on YouTube back in December. This was why it was no surprise when posts from the Tesla community in New Zealand revealed that the Cybertruck was at the SHPG.
Videos and images taken at the SHPG suggested that Tesla conducted numerous cold weather tests on the Cybertruck during its time in New Zealand. Over the weeks, the all-electric pickup truck was spotted leaving an ice tunnel and drifting around icy roads, to name a few.
But as per a recent clip shared by Tesla enthusiasts on X, formerly Twitter, over the weekend, two Cybertrucks have been sighted reportedly leaving the New Zealand winter testing facility. This seemed to hint that general winter tests of the all-electric pickup truck may have been completed. And when the trucks come back to the United States, they would most likely provide Tesla with a substantial amount of real-world cold weather data.
In a way, the apparent sighting of the Cybertrucks on their way out of New Zealand bodes well for the impending release of the pickup truck. With cold weather tests completed, it may only be a matter of time before Tesla announces the first delivery event for the highly-anticipated vehicle. The excitement surrounding the Cybertruck, after all, is no joke, as evidenced by the notably enthusiastic reactions on social media when users come across one of the all-electric vehicle’s release candidates on public roads.
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