Cybertruck just did 185.8 mi in 90+ degree temps using <50% of battery

[carsly]

If you keep the CT at or under 70 pretty consistently, you should be getting great efficiency. It really starts falling off a cliff there and 80+ is a pretty large hit. Second factor is temps... and more cold than hot. These cells like to be >50f and close to 70-75f (truck will attempt to heat the batteries to at least 60 if you're not in chill mode). Hotter doesn't hurt them (to a reasonable level), just causes some extra AC usage. Cold has the truck heating the cabin, but also putting a ton of heat into the cells. If you are cruising under ~70 and the temps are >50-55f, you should get very good efficiency.

TLDR this trip hits the major factors, warm but not overly hot and not high rates of speed. Plus a slight wind boost. Though where I'm at, I'll never see below 2 mph winds. It is a nice day to be under 10.

I wonder if it's possible to break 400 miles on all seasons on a single charge, my evidence suggests it should be very, very close under the right conditions.

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[henchman24]

I wonder if it's possible to break 400 miles on all seasons on a single charge, my evidence suggests it should be very, very close under the right conditions.

Driving east on I70 from Denver to Kansas City at ~60mph, it is not only possible... but likely! Definition of edge case though.

 

[HaulingAss]

I wonder if it's possible to break 400 miles on all seasons on a single charge, my evidence suggests it should be very, very close under the right conditions.

It will go a lot further than 400 miles if you only drive 40 mph!

 

[Crissa]

In fact, something without heat protection like my Zero just adores it when it's 100F. It's like my battery is so much bigger - but I'm not fast charging and it cycles temperature very evenly, unlike say, a Leaf.

And warmer air is generally less dense than cold air.

This is what I've heard called range exhilaration, carsly. When you realize that the AC or heat just sitting there full blast is hardly any of your range compared to just going fast and push that air out of your way.

All those people who whatabout being stuck in traffic in a blizzard or heatwave and you can just be assured you're not wasting your range idling an engine to keep the compressors on.

So glad you guys are still having fun. ^-^

Saw a new single-motor yesterday on the freeway! Didn't look bad at all.

-Crissa

 

[Sousray]

In fact, something without heat protection like my Zero just adores it when it's 100F. It's like my battery is so much bigger - but I'm not fast charging and it cycles temperature very evenly, unlike say, a Leaf.

And warmer air is generally less dense than cold air.

This is what I've heard called range exhilaration, carsly. When you realize that the AC or heat just sitting there full blast is hardly any of your range compared to just going fast and push that air out of your way.

All those people who whatabout being stuck in traffic in a blizzard or heatwave and you can just be assured you're not wasting your range idling an engine to keep the compressors on.

So glad you guys are still having fun. ^-^

Saw a new single-motor yesterday on the freeway! Didn't look bad at all.

-Crissa

I also saw a single motor up close. Don't line the fact it does not have air suspension or a tonneau cover, no back screen, cloth interior (Looked OK), no plugs in the back and no storage under bed. Not sure what else is missing, but for just $10K less than my Dual motor, I prefer mine. He said it rides like a regular truck (his old F150)

 

[M0unt41nm4n]

Drove for 3.5 hours today, covered 185.8 miles from Silver Spring, MD to Princeton, NJ. Highway speeds with one 10 minute slowdown. AC blowing cold on a hot day.

Was stunned to find that I used only 48.2% of the battery. Doing the quick math, that means in the dead of summer it's possible to drive a Cybertruck AWD on 35" all terrains at highway speeds for seven straight hours covering 370 miles before stopping to charge. What the what?!



If you're not towing, who needs a bigger battery? BTW, I did have crossbars mounted, one passenger and luggage for two of us (along with a full-sized spare) all cutting into my efficiency.

Did the same yesterday. 170 miles in 94 degree heat. I let FSD drive the entire way. Kept me at speed limit most of the time with one or two times I had to take over to go +100 mph to pass semis before passing lanes ended. I used 48% battery.

 

[carsly]

Did the same yesterday. 170 miles in 94 degree heat. I let FSD drive the entire way. Kept me at speed limit most of the time with one or two times I had to take over to go +100 mph to pass semis before passing lanes ended. I used 48% battery.

Cybertruck seems to really like the heat. Even last summer my best efficiency was on 90+ degree days with the AC blowing cold, go figure.

 

[henchman24]

Cybertruck seems to really like the heat. Even last summer my best efficiency was on 90+ degree days with the AC blowing cold, go figure.

It is the cell chemistry. CT is using a 955 NMC chemistry that has a relatively narrow temperature window due to the small amount of a manganese and cobalt in the cell (possible they recently switched to 973, which would widen the temp window at the cost of some degradation). They like to be pretty warm (>50 and ideally 65+) to maintain their performance and stability. So if it is cold out, the truck really works to scavenge all the heat it can (including running inefficiently) to get the batteries warm. Once they are warm though, the efficiency really shines through.

This is also why chill mode helps with efficiency so much in the CT. In chill mode, the truck is fine keeping the battery around 50-55. So days that are ~40-45-50 can get a large gain in efficiency by running chill mode. Days that are 75+, it doesn't have nearly the impact.

 

[henchman24]

Another anecdotal example, on Saturday I drove from near Great Sand Dunes National Park, over La Veta Pass, then north on I25 to Cheyenne from Walsenburg. It was 80-93 degrees most of the drive (the pass and mountains a tad cooler). I had AC set at 67 with the rear fan on for the dog. Highway 160 is a 65 mph speed limit and I set FSD at 70. I25 I was mostly set at 79 with some minor slowdowns in Colorado Springs and Denver (way less than normal and maintained close to 65-70 through the cities). North of Fort Collins it was allegedly as high as it would go. For the whole trip, I averaged 353 wh/mi. Now it was downhill from >10,000 ft at the start but elevation goes down to the high 4,000s quickly then back up to 6200 by the end.

That translates to about 348 mi of range on a completely full and new battery. My truck has the aeropieces removed from the front of the tires, has aftermarket Nokian NAT all terrain tires (slightly less efficient than CT all terrains and certainly less than all seasons), and was on the high side of typical speed. Certainly some elevation help and it wasn't windy for a change, but it goes to show how efficient the truck can be in the right conditions. The trip from Monument (just north of Colorado Springs) to Cheyenne was 362 wh/mi. Roughly an 800' elevation drop total there and would have been a 340 mi range while going ~80 except the Denver metro area.

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