Tesla’s engineering mule vehicles—used to test autonomy for future platforms—have resurfaced after an extended absence. The last time we saw them was back in July, when Tesla was gearing up for its initial We, Robot event. Since then, sightings have been scarce.
These vehicles typically signal that Tesla is testing new camera placements or validating FSD ground-truth data. This time, however, they appear to be outfitted exclusively with the updated camera hardware seen on the Cybercab.
New Sightings
The mules have now been spotted in Boston, Massachusetts, and Concord, New Hampshire—their first known appearances this far east. This suggests Tesla is actively collecting data to evaluate and optimize FSD performance in new regions. Thanks to Reddit user Ready_Medium_6693 for catching the one in Concord.
Elon Musk recently mentioned that Tesla plans to expand Robotaxi networks beyond the initial Texas and California launches. So while these sightings aren’t entirely unexpected, the speed of their arrival is. It suggests Tesla is confident in its ability to train FSD for local traffic rules and driving behaviors to the point it no longer needs a driver.
Bumper Cameras
The vehicle that’s been spotted in Boston is the usual Tesla engineering Model 3… except with one unique twist. It includes a front bumper camera. Shout out to @Dylan02939106 for catching the bumper camera in these photos.
The Refreshed Model 3 Mule with a Bumper Camera!
@Dylan02939106 on X
We previously released an opinion piece regarding whether the front bumper camera would be required for Unsupervised FSD. In our eyes, Tesla will require a bumper camera for Unsupervised FSD - if only to improve direct visibility in the bumper area of the vehicle. This is key for low-speed maneuvering in crowded areas like parking lots and garages, as well as for key features like Actually Smart Summon.
It isn’t surprising that Tesla is continuing to evaluate vehicles with a bumper camera - the Cybertruck, Cybercab, and Refreshed Model Y all have them now - and the rest of the lineup, including the flagship Model S and X, as well as the refreshed Model 3 - were supposed to eventually receive them as well.
With the Model S and Model X set for refreshes this year—and the front bumper camera on this Model 3 looking well-integrated rather than a temporary setup—it seems likely that front bumper cameras will soon become standard across Tesla’s entire lineup.
The Robotaxi Mule in Boston
@Dylan02939106 on X
In fact, Tesla’s newest iteration of the FSD computer has a slot for the Bumper Camera on all AI4/HW4 vehicles, so a future retrofit could even be possible.
These are some pretty exciting times - we may see Robotaxi networks actually deploy in time for Tesla’s lofty goal of “sometime in 2026” for cities throughout North America. Once many American cities begin to accept their deployment, it will be easier to seek homologation in Mexico and Canada, enabling deployment throughout the continent.
Tesla offered an early access program back in 2018 that allowed Tesla owners to sign up to receive early builds of Tesla software updates. Tesla used these vehicles to test software builds before they went out to the general public. Unfortunately, the program was phased out in 2019 as Tesla grew and sold more vehicles.
Today, Tesla allows employees to sign up for their “Wave 1” program to receive and help test early builds of software. While Tesla owners had to sign an NDA to not disclose new software features, restricting early software builds to just employees helps Tesla keep even tighter control of unreleased features.
Tesla also leverages influencers to help test new FSD builds once they pass internal testing. This lets YouTubers and other influencers show off the capabilities of new FSD features and keep owners excited. Influencers often receive new FSD builds several weeks ahead of the public and sometimes receive versions that aren’t released to the public, however, these builds are limited to FSD updates and do not include new features found in major software updates.
This updated early access program seems to focus specifically on FSD, rather than general software features, similar to how Tesla’s influencer early access program works today.
Tesla included the image above in the app, which seems to confirm that this program will focus on FSD/Autopilot features and not include new major updates like 2025.14.
There are a couple of possibilities on how Tesla might roll this out. The program could be offered to users in regions where FSD is already available, allowing newer builds to be tested more quickly. Alternatively, it could target regions that are expected to receive FSD Unsupervised first, such as Austin, Texas. However, the former seems more likely, especially considering Elon Musk’s recent comments during the latest earnings call about needing to meet a minimum safety threshold before deploying FSD Unsupervised to customer vehicles.
Early Access Program Terms
The decompile also provided an image of the early access program privacy policy, which appears to enable Tesla to pull even more data from opted-in users. It seems the early access volunteers will provide vehicle-specific and VIN-associated data, rather than the current anonymous data that is provided under Controls > Software > DataSharing.
This data will contain personal identifiers, including unique vehicle identifiers, account information, GPS data, interior and exterior camera recordings, and likely (but unmentioned) microphone recordings. Tesla could also pull information from the mobile app or contact you for additional details about specific events that it records while a user is enrolled in the early access program.
The details for the early access program's privacy policy.
@Tesla_App_iOS on X
What You’ll Get
This is an exciting development—it’s the first time in a while that non-influencers can get early access to Tesla’s FSD builds. For FSD enthusiasts, it’s a great chance to experience upcoming features firsthand. Just keep in mind that early builds tend to be less stable than public releases, and extra attention is required.
One thing to keep in mind is that newer builds aren’t always better. Early access testers spent a while on a less stable build of FSD V12.4 as Tesla tried to iron out bugs, but ultimately, Tesla decided to pull FSD v12.4 and focus on v12.5, which eventually made a public release. FSD v12.4 was the first to introduce hands-free driver monitoring but struggled with lane keeping and lane selection.
However, if you consider yourself an FSD enthusiast and are ready to keep a vigilant eye on FSD, this new program could be a great chance to gain access to early FSD builds.
It’s still unclear how Tesla will select users for the program—or whether eligibility will depend on region or vehicle hardware—but we’ll share all the details as soon as they become available.
![Video Reveals the Cybertruck's Unique User Interface [Video]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/images/news/2023/cybertruck-ui-1_300w.jpg)
