Where is the Model X Test Mule? Is there one?

[Johan]

So does this mean that we will never be able to see a spy photo of the Model X beta on TMC because Tesla will claim "proprietary info" and the Mods will have to take it away??

A photo by someone (not Tesla themselves) of a beta X or mule or whatever is not proprietary. It's not owned by Tesla. One case that lies in the gray area would be a photo obtained by illegal methods (like breaking in to Tesla's private testing grounds).

 

[Nubo]

So does this mean that we will never be able to see a spy photo of the Model X beta on TMC because Tesla will claim "proprietary info" and the Mods will have to take it away??

I'd say that a photograph taken while out in public is not the same thing as an internal engineering drawing.

 

[anticitizen13.7]

From what I saw on the CAD image: 2nd row had seats for 3 people.

 

[mikes_fsd]

From what I saw on the CAD image: 2nd row had seats for 3 people.

You sound surprised, why?

 

[amzng_ev]

In the CAD model I've noticed that the driver and passenger's headrests are not the same. That is odd if this is a final production model.

 

[JRP3]

You sound surprised, why?

I'm guessing he's talking about the 3rd row seating, (second row of rear seats).

 

[anticitizen13.7]

I'm guessing he's talking about the 3rd row seating, (second row of rear seats).

I could have sworn that it was the second row under the Falcon wing doors that had 3 seats… I only saw the images briefly before they were taken down though. Ugh, I wish I'd saved the picture but I did not think Tesla was going to complain …

 

[Merrill]

I hope Tesla is monitoring this thread, and if so you really need to reveal this vehicle. We know you have the Model X out and about, so when will the 23,000 reservation holders be able to view the production vehicle. If it will not be happening for a few months just tells us it will not be ready until _____!

 

[CalDreamin]

Tesla also now has access to the test track adjacent to the factory, which can be used for extensive testing without revealing anything to spy shots. (They bought that land in 2013)

Tesla's test track can be readily viewed from Kato Road, just outside the SE side of Tesla's Fremont property. I was parked there in late December watching a succession of Model S running on the test track when a couple pulled up next to me in a rental car and started taking photos of the Model S running on the track. In a heavy German accent, the man said he worked for Daimler, and had only ever seen a Model S twice before -- one on a public road in Germany, and another that Daimler has inside one of their facilities. I had the impression that they were tourists on vacation and being car enthusiasts like myself, were in the area so stopped by to watch cool cars on a test track. :smile:

 

[markb1]

I could have sworn that it was the second row under the Falcon wing doors that had 3 seats… I only saw the images briefly before they were taken down though. Ugh, I wish I'd saved the picture but I did not think Tesla was going to complain …

It did. But so does the prototype.

 

[fengshui]

It did. But so does the prototype.

I think we can expect the middle row to be the 3-seat row on the Model X. That's how most manufacturers do it. It also fits with the 3rd row being optional. On many vehicles, the wheel wells protrude into areas that would be needed to have 3 seats in the back. Finally, if they could fit 3 in the back row, there'd be no reason not to put 3 in the middle too, and have it seat 8, like some minivans.

 

[larmor]

Any chance for captains chairs in second row?

 

[Muskol]

I could have sworn that it was the second row under the Falcon wing doors that had 3 seats… I only saw the images briefly before they were taken down though. Ugh, I wish I'd saved the picture but I did not think Tesla was going to complain …

I believe you're correct, it was the second row based on the presence of a b-pillar between the two rows shown in the model.

 

[SamusAranX]

Often each vendor would get a different sub-set of info - that way you can identify the guilty party after a leak

Actually, the owner of some media file can put hidden watermarks in it. Each 3rd party vendor would get the same media, but with a custom watermark so that the owner can tell who leaked the media.

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A photo by someone (not Tesla themselves) of a beta X or mule or whatever is not proprietary. It's not owned by Tesla. One case that lies in the gray area would be a photo obtained by illegal methods (like breaking in to Tesla's private testing grounds).

Well, if a 3rd party vendor took the photo, and the vendor was under NDA, then whoever leaked it would be breaking the NDA.

Regarding the initial question about public domain: publicly posting copyrighted media that you don't own does not make it public domain.

 

[NigelM]

So does this mean that we will never be able to see a spy photo of the Model X beta on TMC because Tesla will claim "proprietary info" and the Mods will have to take it away??

No.

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I hope Tesla is monitoring this thread, and if so you really need to reveal this vehicle. We know you have the Model X out and about, so when will the 23,000 reservation holders be able to view the production vehicle. If it will not be happening for a few months just tells us it will not be ready until _____!

Tesla has already given us the update for a intended production start in Q3. They typically do reveals to customers at their own sites in Californa and not at auto shows so it's reasonable to expect not to see anything just yet.

My best guess on a reveal event would be between March and May.

 

[LuigiV]

Tesla has already given us the update for a intended production start in Q3. They typically do reveals to customers at their own sites in Californa and not at auto shows so it's reasonable to expect not to see anything just yet.

My best guess on a reveal event would be between March and May.

Model X beta/production prototype unveiling will actually be on the 9th of Feb, exactly 3 years after the original concept unveiling. You heard it hear first....

Actually I have no idea, I just think that would be a cool way to do it.

 

[JRP3]

It did. But so does the prototype.

Which is why I didn't understand the need to mention 3 seats in the second row, and thought maybe he meant they added a third seat to the third row.

 

[anticitizen13.7]

Which is why I didn't understand the need to mention 3 seats in the second row, and thought maybe he meant they added a third seat to the third row.

I though the X had a 2-2-3 passenger configuration (common in minivans) rather than a 2-3-2 configuration. I'll have to look at the X concept photos again. My memory is hazy.

Ok... I stand corrected: http://images.thecarconnection.com/lrg/tesla-model-x-at-2013-detroit-auto-show_100415432_l.jpg The second row does have 3 seats. The middle seat is narrower and has a lower headrest than the outboard seats. For whatever reason I remembered only seeing the headrests for the outboard seats. Oh well... what was it that Obi Wan Kenobi said? "Your eyes can deceive you..."

 

[JRP3]

That's alright, for a while I thought the second and third rows had three seats, a 2-3-3 configuration :redface:

 

[FireLT]

The configuration is 2-3-2. Saw it on a video from panasonic booth at CES.
Here is a link.