Tesla’s Cybertruck Range Extender: A Heavy Solution for Extra Miles, at a Hefty Price.
When the Tesla Cybertruck was finally unveiled, it was a letdown for many, especially in terms of Elon Musk’s ambitious claims. In 2019, Musk painted a picture of an affordable electric dream on wheels, promising a starting price of a mere $40,000 and a range that could hit the 500-mile mark. Fast forward to reality, and the glossy truck rolls out with a price tag hovering around $70,000, falling short of the initial promise and its range? A modest 340 miles, far from the half-a-thousand-mile journey Musk had once so confidently touted.
In response to the disappointment over the Cybertruck‘s range, Tesla came up with a solution: an optional range extender. Typically, one might envision a range extender as a compact combustion engine, akin to those found in the BMW i3 or Mazda MX30. However, introducing a fossil fuel component would be a stark contradiction to Tesla’s mission of spearheading sustainable energy. So, Tesla sidestepped this irony by opting for a simpler approach – an additional battery pack that rests in the truck’s bed.
Drew Baglino, Tesla’s vice president of powertrain energy, revealed in a social media post that this range extender is roughly the size of a toolbox and is to be installed behind the cabin, eating into the bed space. It’s a feature reserved exclusively for the Long-Range and Cyberbeast models. According to Tesla, this add-on promises to push the range by another 130 miles, providing a slight boost to the vehicle’s initial capabilities.
Opting for the Long-Range Cybertruck with the added range extender takes you up to a 470-mile journey on a single charge. For the Cyberbeast model, it’s slightly less at 450 miles. This extra range comes from what’s estimated to be an additional 47 kWh battery pack, translating to around 575 more 4680 cells. The catch? It’s likely to add over 500 lbs to the truck’s weight.
Tesla has been tight-lipped about the official price of this range extender. However, eagle-eyed observers have spotted hints in the code on Tesla’s website, suggesting a price tag in the neighborhood of $16,000 – that’s about $123 for each extra mile of range. While this might seem steep, there’s talk that Tesla’s strategy here could be about keeping the Cybertruck within the bounds of the Federal Tax Credit requirements.
So, while the range extender does fall short of the initially promised 500-mile range, it seems Elon Musk might be playing a clever game to skirt around regulations. He touts this accessory as ideal for those planning long journeys or needing to tow heavy loads. Yet, amid all these calculations and speculations, customers are left hoping that this supplementary feature won’t end up being prohibitively expensive.
