Tesla Cybertruck: the Range Extender Joke Continues

Tesla is struggling with its range extender, which it still needs to delay and reduce the range. What sense does it still make for the Cybertruck?

Tesla could be sued in the United States for false commercial promises? The Cybertruck was supposed to cost $39,990 before tax, manage to cover 500 real kilometers in its base version, and be ultra-reliable. Today, it can be stated that none of these ideas have materialized, despite two years of production delays.

Before seeing the final product, Tesla claimed to have received 2 million reservations for the Cybertruck just in the United States and was very confident because the $100 ticket to reserve one’s purchase agreement was refundable. But no one would do that! Except… well, actually they did! Hundreds of thousands of cancellations followed once production started due to disappointment. By October 2024, nearly 10 months after deliveries began, fewer than 40,000 units had been delivered.

The two major issues were obvious: the price (tripled at launch) and the range (halved). This was starting to become an expensive joke. So, since Tesla is not short of ideas, a Range Extender was offered as an option for the price of gold to increase the range… by removing a third of the bed’s surface area. Clever.

Nearly 18,000 euros in France?

The funniest part is the extra cost versus the range offered: Tesla “estimates” the price at $16,000 before tax (€14,800 before tax) for a gain of 120 miles (193 kilometers). On paper, the range would now reach 716 km, compared to 470 miles (756 km) at its unveiling. That’s a decrease that Tesla is not shouting from the rooftops about, which is a 40 km difference. Not a small amount: it’s almost the price of a fully electric city car.

Finally, the production of this Range Extender has been delayed by an additional six months, with Tesla no longer talking about “early 2025” but “mid-2025.”

Ultimately, it is not a scheme to bury this range extender, as Tesla suggested that the Cybertruck’s floor was large enough to increase the battery size. That would have been less foolish…

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