Tesla Model S prototype spotted with two steering wheels

When it comes to Tesla prototypes, we have mainly been reporting on Model 3 release candidates, but there are also a few test programs with the Model S out there.

For example, an interesting Model S prototype has been recently spotted with two steering wheels. 

The vehicle reminds us of a prototype spotted at a Tesla test lab in Sunnyvale, California, last month.

It was equipped a pyranometer, a sensor to measures solar radiation, and the interior was partially stripped down.

I say that this new prototype reminds us of the last one because it features the same pyranometer, but also because it was a right-hand drive and this new prototype surprisingly has two steering wheels, but the driver was sitting in the right front seat.

The vehicle was spotted today by Yodas_Butthole (yep, take that image out of your head) on /r/teslamotors – reprinted with permission:

It’s clear that the pyranometer can provide useful information about how much solar radiation hits the cabin, but the reason behind the two steering wheels are still up for debate.

If there are two steering columns, they could be testing both left-hand drive and right-hand drive on the same vehicle, but again, it’s not clear why they would do that.

Maybe something to do with autonomous driving? The vehicle is a Model S P100D with second generation Autopilot hardware.

Let us know your theory in the comment section below.