- Tesla Cybertruck owners can now order a bed-mounted range-extender battery with a $500 deposit.
- The $16,000 option claims to increase range to 470 miles, compared with 318 miles for a stock AWD Cybertruck.
- Extender production starts in early 2025, and each unit needs fitting at a Tesla service center.
How much would you pay, and how much trunk space would you be willing to sacrifice, to add extra miles of driving range to an EV? Tesla is asking Cybertruck owners to stump up $105 for each of the 152 miles (245 km) its new $16,000 range-extender battery pack adds – and to give up around one third of their bed space.
The Tesla Cybertruck might look like it’s beamed down from outer space, but one thing that’s very ordinary is its driving range. Independent tests suggest 250 true miles (402 km) of range for a top-spec tri-motor Cyberbeast against Tesla’s claimed 301-mile (484 km) rating.
Related: Tesla Cybertruck Now Starts At $100k, Costs More Than GMC Hummer EV
Step down to the dual-motor, all-wheel drive Cybertruck and the claimed range improves to 318 miles (512 km), but that’s still literally miles off the 500 miles (805 km) Tesla once suggested some versions would be able to travel. Prices, meanwhile, have gone the other way…
Tesla’s answer for Cybertruck owners with an aversion to regular top-ups is a range-extender battery pack that sits in the bed, where it takes up a large chunk of real estate, a bit like one of those built-in tool boxes.
The firm’s retail website claims it can boost range to 470 miles (756 km), which Electrek says the automaker told them relates to an extender-equipped AWD model. Fitting the extra battery to the Cyberbeast bumps its range to 440 miles (708 km).
Tesla provides no detail about the battery’s capacity, but last year InsideEVs calculated that it would have around 47 kWh of usable storage, which could mean it weighs between 550 lbs (250 kg) and 600 lbs (272 kg).
Customers can order one of the piggy-back batteries now with a $500 deposit, but Tesla says production of the units won’t start until early 2025. It also says the packs need to be professionally fitted at a Tesla service center. That means anyone with a sturdy garage hoist who though they might be able to add and remove the battery when they wanted to switch between range and bed space is out of luck.
