---
title: "Drone Spy Video Catches Tesla Semi Truck on Test Track"
description: "Chris Nguyen flew his drone over a Tesla test track last week and spotted one of the company's experimental Tesla Semi trucks in action."
date: "2021-03-08"
modified: "2021-03-08"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/drone-spy-video-tesla-semi-truck-test-track"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
  - "Drones"
  - "Robotics"
  - "Robots and Machines"
  - "Tesla"
tags:
  - "drone"
  - "semi"
  - "tesla"
  - "the digest"
---

# Drone Spy Video Catches Tesla Semi Truck on Test Track

![Chris Nguyen flew his drone over a Tesla test track last week and spotted one of the company's experimental Tesla Semi trucks in action.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/truck.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Chris Nguyen via YouTube (Screenshot) / Futurism\</em\>*

## Semi Sonic

Videographer Chris Nguyen flew his drone over the test track behind Tesla's Fremont factory last week and spotted something intriguing: one of the company's experimental Tesla Semi trucks in action.

Nguyen uploaded two short videos from the episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsE6rugOnBA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bnAKD7BcmE

## Ad Lads

In [*InsideEV*'s analysis](<https://insideevs.com/news/492838/tesla-semi-spotten-test-track-fremont/>), it looks as though Tesla was using the Model Y driving in front of the Semi in order to capture footage.

As the site pointed out, it had [previously reported](<https://insideevs.com/news/485959/rumor-tesla-produce-2500-semi-this-year/>) that some anticipate the truck to go into pilot manufacturing in July, so it speculated that the video shoot on the test track might be for marketing purposes.

That remains to be seen, but it is intriguing to see a functional Tesla Semi putting in some distance — and it's striking to imagine the trucks carving out a niche in the trucking industry.

**READ MORE:** [Watch Tesla Semi Spotted On Test Track In Fremont](<https://insideevs.com/news/492838/tesla-semi-spotten-test-track-fremont/>) \[*InsideEV*\]

**More on the goggles:** *[Tesla Leak Describes Upcoming “Million Mile” Battery](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-leak-million-mile-battery>)*

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)