- The Tesla Cybertruck's range extender is coming in mid 2025, not early 2025 as initially advertised.
- The Cybertruck's total range, when accounting for the extender, is also lower than before, according to Tesla's site.
- The outlandish electric pickup was supposed to offer a maximum range of 500 miles. Now it's estimated at around 445.
Tesla is a walking contradiction. On the one hand, it's known for game-changing technology that put the global auto industry on notice. (See: Cool, aspirational, long-range electric cars.) On the other, it's become notorious for overly ambitious promises and long delays. (See: Self-driving cars or the nonexistent 2020 Tesla Roadster.)
The Cybertruck pickup's range extender is another testament to the latter. The optional add-on is now coming later and will offer less total range than initially advertised, the EV site Electrek first reported.
Tesla didn't respond to questions about the delay or diminished range. It's also not the first time the range extender has been delayed. Tesla pushed initially promised that it would arrive in 2024, but had to walk back that timeline. Now, the company is pushing the deadline back again and lowering the range target.
Now, according to Tesla's website, the Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive with range extender is good for an estimated "445+" miles of range. That's down from the "470+" Tesla initially touted. That may also have to do with the fact that the Cybertruck AWD's estimated range without the extender is lower than before, dropping from 340 miles to 325 miles.
When added to the Cybertruck AWD with all-terrain tires, the range extender promises to boost range from 314 miles to 430+ miles.
With the right wheel/tire combination chosen, the tri-motor Cyberbeast still shows a maximum range of 440+ miles with the range extender. That matches Tesla's initial claims from when the Cybertruck went on sale in late 2023.
Tesla's site now says the range extender will begin production in "mid 2025," whereas before it quoted early 2025. That means some of the earliest Cybertruck buyers will need to wait around 18 months to get the option installed.
The range extender, a large external battery pack that fits inside the Cybertruck's bed, was a surprise announcement at the truck's delivery event in December. It costs an extra $16,000 and will need to be installed at a Tesla service center. No other manufacturer offers anything like it in the U.S., and it could serve as a good antidote to range anxiety on long trips or when Cybertruck buyers need to tow things.
Given its reduced total available range, the Cybertruck now falls even shorter of the specifications Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced for it back in 2019. When he first revealed the Cybertruck's design to the world, Musk said a tri-motor version of the pickup would provide a whopping 500 miles of range at a price point of $79,990. Instead, the tri-motor truck debuted at around $100,000 with a range of 320 miles (sans extender). It also arrived two years late. And since the company has so far only delivered trucks with the $20,000 Foundation Series package, the real-world cost of a tri-motor has been $120,000.
The inventive range extender was supposed to get Tesla closer to the promised 500-mile range, though at an even higher cost. But now, at 445+ miles, not so much. That's still plenty for most situations, to be sure. However, anybody who wants well over 400 miles of range in an electric pickup truck and doesn't want to depend on Tesla's wishy-washy timelines has other options.
The Rivian R1T in Dual Max configuration offers an EPA-rated max range of 420 miles for $83,900. The Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV serve up 460 miles and 440 miles, respectively, in their top trims. You can buy them today, too.
Contact the author: tim.levin@insideevs.com
