When Tesla finally delivered the first Cybertruck 11 months ago it missed the mark in a number of ways, starting with range. While CEO Elon Musk originally promised a version that would clock 500 miles per charge, its currently delivering a max 301 miles. To get close to the original target would require purchasing a range-extender battery, Tesla said. But that now is missing the mark, too.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk handed over the keys to the first dozen Cybertrucks during a ceremony last month.
While sales may be picking up, the Tesla Cybertruck has fallen well short of expectations, Tesla once saying it has logged more than 1 million advance reservations.
All sorts of reasons appear to be behind its slow launch, including a higher-than-expected price tag and range numbers that fall far below CEO Elon Musk’s original promise. Rather than 500 miles per charge, Tesla got an EPA rating of 320 miles at launch.
Now, it seems, Tesla will fall short yet again. For those who wanted range numbers close to the original Cybertruck target the automaker said it would offer an additional battery mounted in the cargo bed. But an update to Tesla’s website reveals it has now downgraded by more than a third the capacity of that range-extender, as well.
Missing the mark
Cybertruck was expected to deliver up to 500 miles per charge. At best, it’s just topping 300 miles.
The Tesla Cybertruck missed a number of its original targets, coming in 50% more expensive than planned, while offering at least a third less range than promised by CEO Elon Musk back in 2019. If anything, Tesla continues to backtrack. Instead of a maximum 500 miles per charge, it was EPA-rated at just 320 when the first trucks were delivered last November. The automaker has since downgraded that again, to just 301 miles per charge.
By comparison, the long-range versions of the Ford F-150 Lightning deliver anywhere from 300 to 320 miles per charge, depending upon trim. The Rivian R1T maxes out as high as 400 miles, with the Chevrolet Silverado EV offering up to 440 miles per charge.
To help make up the gap, Tesla earlier this year announced it would offer a range-extender system set to go on sale next year. Yet again, however, it falls short of initial expectations.
Cyberbeast
A Cybertruck as the 2024 Chicago Auto Show.
Tesla’s solution is to offer a supplemental battery pack which will sit in the Cybertruck’s cargo bed. It will be “structurally mounted so it’s safe in a crash,” lead engineer Wes Morrill wrote in an August post on X, the former Twitter.
The modified version of the truck, dubbed Cyberbeast, was promised to boost range by 150 miles. That would have given the range-extended pickup about 470 miles between charges, But Tesla quietly updated its website and now says the bed-mounted battery will only be able to deliver an EPA-estimated 114 miles, a roughly 30% shortfall on the original target.
Now, add – or subtract, if you prefer – the fact that the Cybertruck itself has been downgraded in range and, at best, the Cyberbeast will now be delivering, at best, 415 miles before needing to be plugged back in.
And that marginal boost comes at a steep, $16,000 price tag. The good news for buyers is that Tesla decided this week to slash the cost of a number of Cybertruck trims, including the Cyberbeast. It was expect to start around $120,000. It will now come in at $99,990. But that’s still a hefty premium, as the AWD version of Cybertruck has been reduced to $79,990, a $20,000 discount.
There’s another problem: the extra battery takes about a third of Cybertruck’s cargo bed, further limiting the truck’s already questionable utility.
More Tesla News
- 10 Months, Five Recalls for Cybertruck
- Wiper Problems Force Temporary Halt to Cybertruck Production
- Tesla Announced Extended-Range Cyberbeast
A troubled first year
Tesla is ramping up Cybertruck production at its San Antonio assembly plant.
Cybertruck’s first year on the market hasn’t been an easy one. It recently was hit with its fifth recall. And it has faced a variety of other problems, including reports of rust and other quality and reliability concerns. It has received a variety of harsh reviews over the past 11 months.
That said, it is now the best-selling all-electric pickup in the U.S. market, logging 16,692 deliveries during the third quarter of 2024. (Tesla reports deliveries, rather than sales.) By comparison, number two Ford sold 7,162 F-150 Lightnings.
Tesla’s total is still modest when put in perspective of the more than 1 million initial reservations it received. Recent reports suggest it is struggling to get those translated into actual purchases, especially as it ramps up production at its San Antonio assembly plant. It’s unclear how much of an impact the range shortfall, in particular, is having on Cybertruck demand.
As John Oliver put it, “it looks like the box the truck came in.”
Paul,
When you’re pushing the state of the art, everything doesn’t always fall in place like cookie cutter cars from the 3.
I don’t recall any serious criticism of the 10,000 pound Hummer EV that, I think, just delivered its 10th POS.