10,000+ Miles Driving a Cybertruck – Things learned: range, great sound and full love/hate list after 10k miles

[HaulingAss]

I so suspect that you will be able to hit the EPA blended range at about 60 mph, just not 75 mph.

With All-Terrain tires, in average conditions, my estimate is you would need to go 50-55 to hit the combined EPA range,

With the more efficient All-Season tires it would probably be almost 60 mph, a couple of mph slower. That's assuming only light breezes and warm/mild weather and roads of normal roughness.

On smooth pavement and mild/warm weather, it probably can hit EPA combined range at 60 mph, or maybe even 61 mph. On a large EV like Cybertruck, every mph makes an easily measurable difference when at highway speeds. Going only 50 mph in the same conditions it will be able to exceed it's EPA range by a surprising margin.

Note to future Cybertruck owners: When doing range testing always insure the 50 psi recommended pressure is measured stone cold. If the tires are already warm, add 4 psi. I have seen how little regard motorists have for their tire pressures in recent decades, so I have low confidence that many of the range numbers that have been endlessly bandied about have been with properly inflated tires.

If I were an automaker, I would include an inexpensive but durable and accurate tire gauge with every vehicle, just to remind customers that tire pressure sensors are not a substitute for a standalone air guage. Even if your air gauge is off by 1 psi, at least all four tires will be the same pressure (which is more important than that 1 psi). In tire pressure sensors normally vary from each other by at least one psi, sometimes two, which means if they all read the same, your actual pressures will not be. Always go by one gauge that measures all tires consistently and ignore the 1 or 2 psi differences on the display.

The problem here is that a pressure differential between the left and right tires on the same axle (motor) will cause the two tires to have different diameters and thus they will turn at different speeds. This causes the differential to "churn" in the gearcase oil, reducing efficiency.

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[HaulingAss]

FYI I am not a newbie, I have owned multiple teslas and used them has my primary vehicle, including significant long distance super charging trips, since 2016 (over 7 years). I am also a hydraulic engineer with a degree in physics that included significant E&M theory and application. I started designing and building celled powerpacks in 1994. I am fully aware of drag force and how to calculate it and apply it to loss of potential energy.

Then stop acting like it's a surprise that the Cybertruck doesn't get it's EPA combined efficiency rating at 70 mph!

 

[HaulingAss]

Man thank you for this detailed explanation. We currently have the first gen wall connector installed but never realized adding the universal wall connector to charge both independently was an option. Explaining the different areas of possible issues/failure was really helpful. I used some referral points to get the wall connector with the 24’ cable before I got the invite so now I have 2 and waiting on the third. I really appreciate you taking the time to share.

You are welcome! To be clear, I believe to do smart powersharing between two Wall Connectors they need to be of the same generation. So you would have to replace your generation 1 Wall Connector in order to enable this feature.

 

[Bartman]

That's why we have three 2018 Model 3s, two Long-Range RWD and one Performance. All three cars have one of those motors in it.

But make no mistake, the Model 3 you can buy now is, overall, a far superior car, with a better suspension, quieter cabin, heatpump, and many other upgrades.

Not saying you can't get a "nicer one" but the new single motor variant has only 272 miles of range, and takes a yawning 5.8 seconds to get 60 MPH. Your two 2018 SWD LR model 3s do 0-60 in 5 seconds (or less) and have way better range.... Here we are 5 years later and, for the single motor variant, I'm really disappointed they have drastically decreased the range and performance, on those. Many people don't need AWD (like me in Florida) and the single motor variant is arguably the one they should be offering with a longer range, because you can potentially go further on one motor, than two. Wish Tesla would bring back the spirit of the 2018 M3 SWD LR in an all improved Highland-style version with just a little better range and just a little better acceleration than the 2018 model and that will be the "Cock for Dolly" for many folks. But they instead dumbed it down and made it the cheap one, when they could have made it even better (performance and range wise) than it was.

And apologies to all for getting off topic...... where were we?

 

[Celiboy]

You are welcome! To be clear, I believe to do smart powersharing between two Wall Connectors they need to be of the same generation. So you would have to replace your generation 1 Wall Connector in order to enable this feature.

That was the original plan with using the referral points. I don’t know if the wall connector they advertise in the Tesla shop is within the same generation as the universal wall connector.

 

[JPRIVER]

Ass hauler, we have highways rated at 55mph and no one is required to go 70mph. The advantage of a highway test , at whatever speed may obtain 385Wh/mi, is that it removes the energy consumption of repeated acell and decell of stop and go traffic. I agree no one needs the 319 mile range for daily city / mixed driving. Range is needed for highway travel. Can a CT travel 55mph for 5.8 hours?

 

[HaulingAss]

I trust Out of Spec Review's range test of the AWD CT FS which was done with some rigor. That range test showed that CT can go 254 miles on FULL charge at 70 mph to empty (124 kWh) at ambient temperatures that began at 46F and fell to 41F during the course to the test. The efficiency at those temperatures was just over 2 miles/kWh.

Kyles range tests are pretty casual, not a huge amount of rigor goes into them. I don't blame him for that, it's a lot more work to do a truely scientific test. The point being his test cannot be compared to other vehicles tested on different roads in different weather and, to his credit, he openly admits that. People should take that more seriously than many do.

By the way, if you look at the screen when Kyle hits 1% state of charge, the temperature had dropped to only 39 degrees (not 41 F).

 

[HaulingAss]

That was the original plan with using the referral points. I don’t know if the wall connector they advertise in the Tesla shop is within the same generation as the universal wall connector.

They probably are, but I would double check on that if you think you want to use the intelligent power-sharing feature.

 

[HaulingAss]

Ass hauler, we have highways rated at 55mph and no one is required to go 70mph. The advantage of a highway test , at whatever speed may obtain 385Wh/mi, is that it removes the energy consumption of repeated acell and decell of stop and go traffic. I agree no one needs the 319 mile range for daily city / mixed driving. Range is needed for highway travel. Can a CT travel 55mph for 5.8 hours?

I'm sorry if you took it personally, but I was responding to this particularly naive comment of yours:

I am anxiously awaiting a real-world test that shows the Cybertruck can get close to 385Wh/mi on the highway. This would equal the 319 mile range and my understanding is the EPA estimate. So far no range test has come anywhere close to this estimate.

Yes, anyone who knows anything about EVs, efficienciency and EPA ratings knows the Cybertruck can return efficiency of 385 Wh/mile at a steady state speed under average conditions. It's just a matter of whether that happens at a little over 50 mph, almost 60 mph or somewhere inbetween and what the road surface and terrain is like.

 

[Cybergirl]

Kyles range tests are pretty casual, not a huge amount of rigor goes into them. I don't blame him for that, it's a lot more work to do a truely scientific test. The point being his test cannot be compared to other vehicles tested on different roads in different weather and, to his credit, he openly admits that. People should take that more seriously than many do.

By the way, if you look at the screen when Kyle hits 1% state of charge, the temperature had dropped to only 39 degrees (not 41 F).

Maybe so, but rigorous enough to be meaningful. I stand corrected on the final air temp.

 

[samueldion1]

First of all, they said range started at 80% and they got 164 miles? Assuming it is the Foundation (305 miles of range), that means they started at 244 range. I assume they did not run it to total zero-- probably 20%-- but let's say 10% for argument's sake. That means the expected maximum range would be 220 miles when stopping at 10%. So, the 164 was 75% of maximum range. That is understandable if they are going 70 mph or greater on highway.

 

[SentinelOne]

I just want to be able to take my Beast with AT's, a buddy and 2 dirt bikes on this trip every weekend- at least 50% of which is on i25 with a 75mph speed limit....think it'll be doable? And no I don't want to stop and charge...50+ and after riding a dirt bike for 6 hours I need to get home and take a nap!

Follow up: ABRP says can do it with 575 wh/mi and leaving with 98% charge, 700lb payload, 11% buffer when I get home...going to be close depending upon weather (CO can be windy), temps, my right foot, etc...so big maybe. I get it's not a long haul tower, but this doesn't seem like it should be a big challenge for a truck...fingers crossed or my 2 main use cases are not fulfilled. :-(

 

[the43k]

I have to say I'm just shocked we are even having a range conversation. If there was anything that needed to be right, anything that was a must have, it was range! WTF is going on? How do you launch a truck with reported 340 miles and it's 140 miles less. 4 years to get this right.! Put a F'ing bigger battery in! You have the big 3, who just got into this space, doing better! How is this even possible? My only hope to this insanity is that it's all a big surprise, and Tesla has everything lowered in the software and are going to surprise us and turn on the real range soon! Otherwise, they might turn into a colossal failure!

 

[Woodrick]

I just want to be able to take my Beast with AT's, a buddy and 2 dirt bikes on this trip every weekend- at least 50% of which is on i25 with a 75mph speed limit....think it'll be doable? And no I don't want to stop and charge...50+ and after riding a dirt bike for 6 hours I need to get home and take a nap!

On the lowest range Tesla, the Model 3 RWD, it doesn't have to stop.

At the ABSOLUTE WORST, you pull off at the Thornton Supercharger, adjacent to the Interstate and plug in for less than 5 minutes or less. With an empty battery, you'll be adding about 10 miles/minute. And you can't get in and out of the market adjacent to it to get a drink or coffee that fast.

But you'll find that 172 miles shouldn't be anything to worry about.

 

[the43k]

Of course, but we've always known the Model 3 was a far better EV for fast road trips than even the Tri-Motor 500-mile range version announced back in 2019 due to the fact that the Model 3 would consume about half the energy compared to the Cybertruck at 70 mph. Basic physics also told us that a larger battery would take longer to fill, whether at a 150 kW or a 250 kW fast charger. That's why my plan all along has been to keep my Model 3 for long, fast road trips.

I honestly appreciate the physics explanation. However, here is the common man explanation and concern. Customers don't care about physics, they are buying a product and they want it to do certain things. It's a pickup truck, people are driving places. Put a F'ing battery in that will go actually 300+ miles! Period! Don't say it does 340, when it does 200! On the drawing board, at the top it should say "this truck must go over 300 miles". The CT is absolutely amazing, but if it's going 200 miles best case, WTF is it going to do when it's really cold, steep mountains and I have stuff in the back? How on earth did Lars come out in public and brag about range when it completely sucks?

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