Tesla Model Y prototype spotted in Washington – start of long-distance testing?

The Tesla Model Y prototype sightings continue and now a Model Y has been spotted in the state of Washington – indicating the likely start of long-distance testing.

Earlier this month, a Model Y prototype was spotted being tested around Tesla’s headquarters in Palo Alto and since then, there has been a more steady stream of Model Y sightings.

This week, we reported on a bunch of Tesla Model Y vehicles with new wheels spotted on a carrier near the factory and yesterday, a beautiful new Model Y Midnight Silver prototype was spotted in Fremont.

Now a Model Y prototype, which appears to be the same one spotted in Fremont yesterday, was spotted at a Supercharger station in Vancouver, Washington (via Shamus Johnson on Twitter):

With the cover on, it can be hard to know that it is a Model Y, but Shamus saw that it was bigger than his Model 3 though not quite as big as a Model X.

Then he also saw a few design features unique to the Tesla Model Y:

It looks like the same Model Y prototype spotted just a day before in Fremont, California.

The Tesla Supercharger in Vancouver, Washington is 668 miles away from Fremont, which could mean that Tesla is starting to long-distance test some pre-production Model Y prototypes.

Tesla vehicles generally go through an extensive test program in different conditions and climates for at least a year ahead of production.

In March, Tesla unveiled the Model Y, an all-electric crossover with up to 300 miles of range.

The automaker said that it plans to bring the vehicle to production in fall 2020.

We recently learned that Tesla is working on a fifth assembly line at the Fremont factory as the automaker is preparing the production of its fifth electric vehicle.

Tesla says that the Model Y production program is going to require a much lower capital investment than Tesla’s previous programs due to efficiency improvements and the new crossover SUV sharing 70% of its parts with the Model 3.