Model 3 Highland caught testing in desert conditions as Tesla preps to release it with the Cybertruck

The arid desert regions of China's Xinjiang province may have become the high-temperature testing grounds for the Tesla Model 3 Highland facelift. A Weibo user has posted what they claim to be camouflaged Highland units lined up for temperature tests in China's driest province. These types of extreme tests check that the battery, motors, brakes, tires, and air conditioning work as they should in very hot weather.

Tesla recently bragged with this type of extreme testing that its Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X have undergone, but the testing grounds in its promo video were in the UAE desert with temperatures north of 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49C). The Model 3 Highland, together with the Cybertruck, were also caught testing in freezing winter conditions down in New Zealand not long ago, to cover all extremes.

These two upcoming vehicles of Tesla - the Highland facelift and the Cybertruck - may actually have release dates very close to one another. According to a new report out of China, Tesla is ramping up the pilot Model 3 Highland production and will start the first deliveries at the end of September. Coincidentally, Elon Musk said the Cybertruck launch event will be held at the end of Q3, too, and Tesla is now reportedly making 10 units per day on the runup to its release.

Needless to say, the Model 3 Highland may not have some grand announcement event like the Cybertruck, as Tesla usually just starts shipping its mid-cycle refresh units with new design and features without making a splash.

Tesla will reportedly restart its Phase 1 battery packaging facility at Giga Shanghai in September as well, so that it is able to meet an alleged Highland production goal of 10,000 units in the first month. As a reminder, the facelift model is expected to come with a larger 66 kWh pack made of M3P cells supplied by the world's largest EV battery maker CATL.

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