Tesla celebrated the first official deliveries of the new Tesla Cybertruck during a special event held earlier this week at the automaker’s headquarters in Austin, Texas. The Tesla Cybertruck rivals the Chevy Silverado EV in the all-electric pickup segment. Although Tesla initially unveiled the Cybertruck four years ago, specifics have been relatively up in the air. Now, however, Tesla has finally provided customers with some of the Cybertruck’s specs, including the announcement of an optional range extender battery pack.
When the Tesla Cybertruck was initially revealed in 2019, the automaker promised more than 500 miles of range per charge. The new optional range extender battery pack gets the truck close to that figure, raising range-per-charge to as much as 470 miles.
Three trim levels have been revealed thus far, including an entry-level Rear-Wheel Drive model with 250 miles of range, a 0-to-60-mph time of 6.5 seconds, a top speed of 112 mph, and a maximum tow rating of 7,500 pounds. Rear-Wheel Drive models won’t launch until 2025, and it’s unclear if the entry-level trim will offer the range extender pack. Pricing starts at $60,990.
There’s also the All-Wheel Drive model, which packs in 340 miles of range, boosted to 470 miles with the optional range extender. Sixty mph arrives in 3.9 seconds, top speed is 112 mph, and towing is rated at 11,000 pounds. Pricing starts at $79,990. At the top of the range is the Cyberbeast, which features a range-per-charge of 320 miles, or 440 miles with the range extender, as well as a 0-to-60-mph time of 2.6 seconds, a top speed of 130 mph, up to 17 inches of ground clearance, and 11,000 pounds of towing. Pricing starts at $99,990.
As for what the optional range extender battery pack actually is, details thus far indicate that it is a supplementary battery that takes up roughly a third of the truck bed, reducing overall cargo space. Reports indicate that it may cost around $16,000.
The idea of offering a supplementary battery pack is certainly an interesting one, but it remains to be seen how customers respond. In the meantime, make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more GM competition news, GM electric vehicle news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
This is a joke.
The entire auto industry is becoming a joke.
What’s this got to do with GM
A lot of GM dealer employees read this and they are interested in what the competition is doing.
Certainly not affordable transportation or work trucks.
A truck to haul your batteries around.
Hilarious!
Alternatively, tote a generator and some gasoline.
I still have some of those “Don’t You Buy No Ugly Truck” decals laying around somewhere and this abomination from Tesla truly “takes the cake” for that award!
This type of “NEWS” doesn’t belong in a GM focused site.
Actually saw one of these close up in Columbus. Don’t ask me why here and now … but when it moved it rattled like a lid on a galvanized garbage can. I kid you not .
B.F.D. Junk.
Not surprisingly, this concept is lost on most here. The dual motor Cybertruck with a 125kWh battery gets 340 miles as is. The HUMMER EV (or Silverado EV/GMC Sierra) with the 246 kWh battery (twice the size/cost and largest employed in the world) only gets 381 miles and weighs 2600 lbs more. Most people use their trucks as daily drivers, why carry around a massive battery pack that reduces efficiency. You simply add the battery extender prior to camping/towing (takes up 1/3 of 6ft bed) and get another 130 miles of range. This reduces cost and those that want the 470 miles of range can pay the extra $16k (or more if you want 2, 3 etc. – its the battery equivalent of a gas can). This is a wise move GM should consider as other rivals (Rivian for sure and likely the upcoming RAM) will be incorporating this concept to reduce costs and increase versatility.
@mvb
Bingo.
The most important thing is that Tesla as a Company can concentrate on building more Cybertrucks because they will not be selling HUGE 200 kWh packs to consumers that think that they actually need that much pack on their Vehicle which they do not. Tesla can basically build two Cybertrucks to one Chevrolet Silverado WT3
Legacy Auto should be extremely worried.
Correct Momolos – they will be dry 4680 battery constrained for at least a year. I don’t plan on ordering the extender when mine arrives, but I have that option available at a later date. I have a diesel ZR2 and I have literally towed a trailer once since 2020 and have no plans to do so again, so the 340 mile range is sufficient for me with a level 2 charger in my garage and access to Tesla Super Chargers. But for off-roading or remote mountain/desert camping this extender may be nice to have, analogous to rack mounted plastic cans. I knew you would understand the gravity of this, along with the 48v architecture, 4 wheel steering and drive by wire. The Chinese will copy and incorporate this immediately, while GM and Ford will disdain everything and be content being even further behind as long as they can sell ICE trucks in the near term. I’m against all of the BEV/CAFE mandates, but they aren’t going away. I wish GM would focus their BEV efforts on just a few vehicles and engineered the sh!t out of them, so they would actually be efficient, allowing for smaller packs that would then reduce costs. Instead they have a hodgepodge of overpriced, heavy BEVs they can’t ramp or sell (beyond the Bolt) or the pointless Celestiq. No one is going to buy a Caddy and think its a Rolls, regardless of price. Been a GM owner since 1985 and hate watching this current regime kill this company.
I understand the idea behind it but not sure that regular consumers will be purchasing this pack very often.
I can however see companies that will utilize some of their pickup trucks within their fleet to tow long distance.
From a business perspective it makes absolute sense. Why build huge packs (meaning use up batteries) for the average consumer where 350 Miles is waaaaaay more than enough range.
It is simply amazing that the Cybertruck gets 350 Miles from just a 123 kWh pack…….Wowsers
Is that range EPA certified? Tesla has been known to overstate the range capabilities of their vehicles.