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Here’s a Tesla Model Y with roof-mounted lidar sensors.

Last month, we reported that Tesla had purchased $2 million worth of lidar sensors from Luminar, a surprising deal given Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s very public disparagements of autonomous vehicle companies that partly rely on the laser sensor. This week, a reader sent us this photo of a Tesla Model Y with Luminar’s Hydra sensors mounted on the roof. The back of the vehicle says “Engineering Vehicle,” which could mean the company is using lidar to validate its self-driving software (although Musk has claimed that wasn’t necessary “anymore”).


This Tesla was spotted heading southbound on Highway 101 in Mountain View on June 18th.
This Tesla was spotted heading southbound on Highway 101 in Mountain View on June 18th.
Image: Steve Krawczyk