Range Anxiety, Ha! Cybertruck performing far above expectations and vs F-150 Raptor

[Freemarket]

A few weeks ago I drove my 2021 Model S Plaid from Phoenix to Albuquerque. Along with getting accustomed to how good FSD actually is on the open highway, I was happily surprised at how good Tesla’s navigation from my origin was to my destination by percentage that I could expect at arriving. It was within 1%.

As a 10 year owner of nearly every model, I can say this is SUCH a welcomed experience, especially when you’re used to pushing the speed limits by 5-10 mph or more.

I had no expectation that the Cybertruck would have any where as good of a result after my Model S highway drive, but had the opportunity this week for an 80 mile drive down south and wow, how good this is!

At 87%, the 82 mile drive had me coming into Socorro, NM from Albuquerque with 48% charge.

I’ll have to assume that Tesla’s navigator takes into account current weather conditions, which on this day, was a 20+ mph cross wind + gusts.

Similar to my Model S highway experience, there’s no way that I want to drive at a lesser speed than if I were in an ICE, so I set autopilot to 80 mph and headed into the wind.

Based on the results (photos attached), I believe the navigation has to be accounting for weather. This to me, is an incredible improvement over 10 years worth of road tripping in Tesla’s.

Experiences like this are hard to comprehend and even harder to convey to the public when a company spends nearly no money on marketing, but it is a major success in my opinion.

I’m sure it’s been done, but I’d personally be curious to see how towing and navigation work together to give an accurate estimate for traveling. Maybe it’s just as good, maybe not, but I’m not one to expect my CT to tow a Delorean and get amazing range, (Yes, that’s totally aimed at Hoovies Garage) but if you actually had a use case to haul some heavy stuff, the network of superchargers is so stinking big that you should have great confidence on what you’ll be able to do and where you’ll be able to go.

Lastly, I hope all the idiot “dumb” flipper buyers are about over with as FS comes to a close. Who really gives a rip if you can’t get $20-$30k over MSRP on cars and bids or Carmax won’t even give you a bid or it’s way under MSRP.

My original position and justification to buy the CT was that it had better meet my Gen 3 Raptor on performance at most levels in order for me to keep it. It has performed far above that expectation.
Being able to navigate somewhere by highway and not have range anxiety is just icing on the cake.

Cybertruck is here to stay and I’m so excited to see its continued dominance in the market as we see more and more on the road!

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[rbalkun]

It does track wind direction/speed, elevation, etc, if you click on the energy tab it will actually list the items that increased or decreased the energy usage based on the different external factors and how many miles you gained or lost.

 

[Freemarket]

It does track wind direction/speed, elevation, etc, if you click on the energy tab it will actually list the items that increased or decreased the energy usage based on the different external factors and how many miles you gained or lost.

Wow, that’s awesome! I’ll have to look for that next time. Even more proof at how far Tesla has come! ?

 

[Laurab1972]

Maybe my math isn’t mathing but 82 miles for right at 40% of the entire battery seems a bit much? For a 340 mile total range that took up a lot of energy?

 

[Freemarket]

Maybe my math isn’t mathing but 82 miles for right at 40% of the entire battery seems a bit much? For a 340 mile total range that took up a lot of energy?

At 80 mph into a 20+mph cross wind it makes perfect math. The EPA rating of 340 would be based on 55-65 mph speeds. Also, no wind variable accounted for. This is the problem with most people’s thinking for EV’s. The same applies for gas vehicles, but no one thinks in those terms because there are so many more gas stations. Yes, it took a lot of energy sure, but the navigation predicted very well what I would have on arrival and it was actually 2% better! That was the important factor.

When we did arrive in Socorro, my 3 and 12 year old along with the wife hit the bathrooms at McDonald’s, grabbed an order to go and returned to the CT w 77% charge. This was plenty for us to continue on our trip locally and make it back to home in Albuquerque with 45%. That is all quite impressive to me with a 7,000 lb battery powered vehicle.

 

[Lasttoy]

I get into the range anxiety debate a lot.
I driven in 25 states. 225k miles. It's impossible to ever get it close. There are a thousand variables. Close is ok. Run out is not funny.
One example is type of tire. It makes a lot of difference. It's called rolling resistance.

 

[sefar]

You whippersnappers today! My first tesla was a 75d MS. Back in those days I had about 220 range (some battery degradation over time) and superchargers were only on interstates here in the Midwest, about 150 miles apart. More than once I was sweating from anxiety about whether I would make it and how long it would take roadside assistance to find me in the middle of nowhere.

I used to keep a bunch of AA batteries in the trunk just in case...

 

[CTSoFL]

You whippersnappers today! My first tesla was a 75d MS. Back in those days I had about 220 range (some battery degradation over time) and superchargers were only on interstates here in the Midwest, about 150 miles apart. More than once I was sweating from anxiety about whether I would make it and how long it would take roadside assistance to find me in the middle of nowhere.

I used to keep a bunch of AA batteries in the trunk just in case...

You kept 5 miles of extension cord in your trunk didn't you?

 

[HaulingAss]

Based on the results (photos attached), I believe the navigation has to be accounting for weather. This to me, is an incredible improvement over 10 years worth of road tripping in Tesla’s.

For at least three years now, all Tesla vehicles have accounted for prevailing winds, air density, elevation changes, and the actual efficiency of your car (for example if you put inefficient tires on it, a rack, etc.).

I've learned to just trust it and not worry about range. And to think that, as recently as 2018, the Tesla naysayers were saying Elon was making a big mistake by spending money on a fast charging network, that car makers didn't build gas stations and Elon would bankrupt the company by building a fast-charging network. Do you think they were really afraid that he might succeed?

They also said Elon was being foolish by eliminating all the buttons and knobs that pepper the dashboards of legacy automobiles. That people need and want all those buttons and knobs. But the best-selling car in the world last year didn't have any buttons and knobs peppering the dashboard. It looks like Elon was right again, and the naysayers were wrong. Sometimes less is more.

Now they are saying Elon shouldn't have fired all those Supercharger Team members, the charging network is going to crash and burn. But did you ever consider that Elon might know something you don't? The best path forward is not always the obvious path forward. I like a leader who can take the bull by the horns and make great things happen. It's the results that matter, not whether you think he's making good decisions along the way. Only one automaker can have the title of "best-selling car in the world" and Model Y is tracking well to make it two years in a row. People who buy into the narrative that Elon is a bad leader have lost sight of the big picture and are caught up in the FUD spread by those trying to remove him to slow Tesla down.

 

[motleytwins]

For at least three years now, all Tesla vehicles have accounted for prevailing winds, air density, elevation changes, and the actual efficiency of your car (for example if you put inefficient tires on it, a rack, etc.).

I've learned to just trust it and not worry about range. And to think that, as recently as 2018, the Tesla naysayers were saying Elon was making a big mistake by spending money on a fast charging network, that car makers didn't build gas stations and Elon would bankrupt the company by building a fast-charging network. Do you think they were really afraid that he might succeed?

They also said Elon was being foolish by eliminating all the buttons and knobs that pepper the dashboards of legacy automobiles. That people need and want all those buttons and knobs. But the best-selling car in the world last year didn't have any buttons and knobs peppering the dashboard. It looks like Elon was right again, and the naysayers were wrong. Sometimes less is more.

Now they are saying Elon shouldn't have fired all those Supercharger Team members, the charging network is going to crash and burn. But did you ever consider that Elon might know something you don't? The best path forward is not always the obvious path forward. I like a leader who can take the bull by the horns and make great things happen. It's the results that matter, not whether you think he's making good decisions along the way. Only one automaker can have the title of "best-selling car in the world" and Model Y is tracking well to make it two years in a row. People who buy into the narrative that Elon is a bad leader have lost sight of the big picture and are caught up in the FUD spread by those trying to remove him to slow Tesla down.

Well said! Thanks for stating what so many Tesla Owners believe!?

 

[HaulingAss]

Well said! Thanks for stating what so many Tesla Owners believe!?

Actually, if you believe what you read online, a lot of Tesla owners buy into the narrative of "Elon bad". It's amazing how effective the FUD is on some people.

Not all Tesla owners are the brightest bulbs in the room!

 

[motleytwins]

Actually, if you believe what you read online, a lot of Tesla owners buy into the narrative of "Elon bad". It's amazing how effective the FUD is on some people.

Not all Tesla owners are the brightest bulbs in the room!

The operative word in my message was “many”.?

 

[Neo]

Maybe it’s just as good, maybe not, but I’m not one to expect my CT to tow a Delorean and get amazing range

Until Tesla delivers my CT with the 500-mile range I reserved for, I feel completely swindled.

I understand the reason for shorting the range to produce more trucks to shore up the balance sheet, but I don’t accept it.

I’ll be towing 80% of the time and losing 190 miles or 38% of the range I reserved for is criminal.

So yeah, I have range anxiety before taking delivery…

 

[Ckliethe]

When people ask about my CT, the only thing I'm disappointed in is that it doesn't have a 500 mile range. One of the biggest reasons I got it but as stated above, haven't felt any range anxiety. The charging network is really well put together and incorporated into the truck.

 

[CyberTW]

Until Tesla delivers my CT with the 500-mile range I reserved for, I feel completely swindled.

I understand the reason for shorting the range to produce more trucks to shore up the balance sheet, but I don’t accept it.

I’ll be towing 80% of the time and losing 190 miles or 38% of the range I reserved for is criminal.

So yeah, I have range anxiety before taking delivery…

Unfortunately the truck isn’t for you. But is it really criminal that they screwed you out of $100 that you can literally get refunded?

I was hoping for 500, but listen to some of the interviews.. they could have added all the batteries and weight and lost out on efficiency, price would have been much higher to make a profit and the crash safety would have been worse (with their stated goal always being safety first).
Sounds like a Silverado (when they make them) will be your jam. I hope it works out great for you! Some testers really like it

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