rcybrtrk
Member
- First Name
- R
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2024
- Threads
- 2
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 33
- Location
- Texas, USA
- Vehicles
- Cybetruck FS Cyberbeast
- Occupation
- CTO
- Thread starter
- #1
TLDR: XC Road Trips Are Doable. Be prepared to explore SC stops, and take your time as SC time adds up. Cross your fingers the wiper motor doesn't go out. With Traffic Aware Cruise Control @7Mph over the speed limit, and a bunch of showing off of your new ride in between, expect talk world efficiencies between 451Wh/mi and 441Wh/mi. Also leaving Sentry on is fun so you can show friends and family the attention this thing gets even when you aren't there!
I recently took my Cyberbeast on a Roadtrip from Dallas, TX to Orlando, FL and back taking roughly 18-21hrs straight in each direction.
I told myself I was doing this to provide Tesla with much needed training data to accelerate FSD deployment for our Cybertrucks. But the truth is, 4th of July is my birthday, and I was driving back home to spend a week hanging out, and sharing/showing off my new ride with my family and friends.
I'm a first time EV owner and Truck owner, but I jumped in blindly and had faith it would all work out using the Tesla Nav app. Spoiler, it was a great trip! I Love my CT and I will be driving my CT every day until the electric motors fall off. If you are on the fence, do it. Is it a good financial investment... no. But life is short, and you have to have some fun along the way!
I will say that, while the XC experience is much longer than with a decent ICE vehicle, long distance road trips are totally doable in the Cybertruck with the Supercharger network, liberal use of the Traffic Aware Cruise Control, filtering the Nav App and blasting the amazing sound system... even on 2.5hrs of sleep as a solo driver. Also the gas money savings even using a super charger at 0.35/kw is still like 60%.
Below are my trip and performance numbers. I also give observations of weird stuff you may see on your trips, and some tips to be prepared.
The plan:
- Stated at 12:40AM @95% charge (wife used the truck earlier in the day because she Loves it too) on 2.5hrs of sleep
- Washed truck before trip and on arrival
- I cleaned all of the cameras at most SC stops
- My Odometer started 2417 miles - with my lifetime average efficiency at 413 Wh/mi
- Held Cruise control speed at ~7mph above speed limit
- Drove as much of the trip with traffic aware cruise control as possible, even at destination
Observations during the trip:
- If you are going too fast, you will get messages on your Nav screen to slow down and "stay under XXmph to reach your destination". However if early on this can be false on long trips, keep an eye on the percentage estimate to the SC or your destination at the bottom of your Nav screen. It settles to a more accurate estimate as you get further into a trip leg. If you are getting too low, show down. 7mph over seems to be a good spot for the range estimates in the app.
- The Nav plan tries to leave you with atleast 10% charge when you hit the next SC or your destination. I think this is to account for traffic, missed turns, and efficiency variations (speed, outside temp, etc.)
- Lane departure warnings are hit or miss but it did help me once while I was jotting notes for this post and driving with Traffic Aware Cruise. Saved me from kissing a divider with no shoulder in the fast lane.
- The yoke makes hands free driving with your knee very difficult. See observation above. Can't wait for atleast Autopilot on highways. Eating fast food you grabbed at an SC stop with the yoke is tough.
- Random wiper swipes happen when in Traffic Aware Cruise due to the camera based detection. This is annoying as you have to toggle them off to get your wiper to restow. This is only temporary when in Traffic Aware Cruise, it will turn on randomly again even when disabled. Even cleaning the window censor every 2-3hrs at stops only helps so much.
- My wiper motor gave out on my way home during the last 4hrs of my drive in some heavy rain, but I powered through. I thought the recall wouldn't get me, but alas, you can only have so much good luck on a 2700 mile trip. I contacted my local service center in Dallas, and even though they didn't have an appointment for 60 days, they accommodated me the next day after hitting them up in the app and mentioning the "recall" and it being a "safety issue" to continue driving. They messaged me to come the next day, I drove up to the service center, and 1.5 hrs later, the wiper motor was replaced. Great first service center experience.
- In dark isolated areas pillar cameras say they are obstructed but it's just that dark outside in rural areas. I even had one slow down due to a phantom semi truck on my right side in a very dark area.
SC stops on the way to Orlando (8 total, 7 to Jacksonville to visit a friend via a detour, 1 in Orlando):
- SC Bossier City, LA @13% 200-210kW charger 37 minutes to continue trip @76%. This was a Target parking lot... not great in the middle of the night since it was closed.
- SC Vicksburg, MS @8% 250kW charger 1hr 30 minutes to continue trip @100%. This was an Ameristar Casino on the river... pretty view! No food open, but they had bathrooms 24/7.
- SC Pearl, MS @82% 75Kw charger at 18 minutes @94%. This was Shopping Center Parking Lot.
- SC Robertsdale, LA @22% 250kW charger 35 minutes @250kW - 86kW @80%. This was a Buckey's Gas Station and Country Emporium (has food)!!! Downside, was an entire bank of bad SC's. And it was bananas crowded.
- SC Marianna, FL @16% 125Kw charger 20 minutes. Dairy Queen, McDonalds, Hickeys BBQ.
- SC Madison, FL @17% 250Kw charger 25 minutes @60% Mobil gas station w/Arby's
- 1st Destination @21%
To Jacksonville, 1043 miles ~19hrs
- SC Ocoee, FL @20% 250kw charger 45 minutes (only because I didn't have good charging capability where I was staying at my parents house)
- 2nd Destination
Mileage Jacksonville to Orlando, ~118 miles ~2.7hrs
Outbound Trip Total Time ~21.7hrs
Outbound Trip Efficiency 451 Wh/mi
Note: I allowed friends and family to drive the CT and did some showing off (we must have done 15+ launches, and 40+ fast accelerations while in Beast Mode), and I drove to theme parks, etc., and left overtemp and Sentry enabled. Those are reflected in the final efficiency below as I didn't reset my trip meter.
SC stops on the way home to Dallas - 7 stops
Orlando to Dallas 1102 miles ~18.7hrs
Total Mileage including at destination trips ~2700 miles
Roundtrip Efficiency 441Wh/mi (somehow went down even with the above shenanigans)
Other early CT observations
- Teslandroid and the CM4 compute module offered on their site worked well for watching news while in stop and go traffic and using Traffic Aware Cruise on my commute (Amazon Prime Video - Live News), but after a software upgrade of the carkit and os, it took a longtime configuring it to work again. I had to use my cellphone and an external monitor to get it back to normal (shouldn't have tried to fix what isn't broken with a software update)
- I've had a couple Blackscreens after getting in and out of the truck a bunch while parked in a farm field while working on a broken belt on our farm tractor. I went to put it in drive and heard a beep when I pressed the brake, but nothing on the screen. After briefly panicking, remember you can drive by shifting using the controls above the rear view mirror. Also to fix the screen, you just need a reboot. To reboot hold down both scrollwheels on the yoke for 30s, it should reboot. You may also need to reboot if the infotainment system glitches.
- I'm in a rental and already had to install a 240V plug on the sly for the included mobile charger to be effective. Only do this if you know what you're doing. Saving some money isn't worth the risk. But even with that installed, if you commute long distances, run some unexpected errands and want to go out in the evenings, you either need to set the charge point above 80% the night before (be planful), or take a detour and visit a local supercharger. If you are able get the full wall charger, that would probably help you replenish your charge overnight much easier. Also you can disable Sentry and overtemp to save on battery drain, but that is rough in the TX heat while sitting in your driveway. Otherwise you may not be able to get a full charge before you leave the next day. And if you fall short twice you'll be visiting a supercharger somewhere along the commute.
- Before my trip I've only used a supercharger three times prior. One was a 150KWh charger that charged way too slow. I went to that one to be proactive, but if it's not one of the big ones, and you don't have infinite time on your hands, there is no point. The other two were fast and charged reasonably fast (5-20 minutes is usually sufficient to continue a medium range trip).
- I have no spare tire (just ordered when they came available this week)... I just have a dewalt battery powered compressor, some sidewall (offroad) and plug repair kits (highway rated), and a green slime automatic tire reinflator which I surmise that if I use will ruin the factory tire pressure sensor, but that's a cheap Casualty to get back on the road on a cross country road trip if you get a flat.
- I charged off a 110V outlet at my parents house with an extension cord. Outside in the Summer FL heat, it barely was able to keep the battery from draining with Sentry and Overheat protection set. So when your are away, unless you have local charge facilities, plan on visiting a Supercharger every 1-2 days of you are driving a fair amount.
Other gear I'd recommend to keep in the Frunk day to day:
- To use 12V DC cigarette lighter compatible equipment, especially tire pumps get a decent (high amp output) 110V to 12V DC lighter plug adapter. You can plug into the center console or bed outlets as necessary.
- Gerber mulitool
- A portable jump box to help ICE drivers we share the road with
- A second mobile connect charger with the NEMA plug adapters bundle
- Offroad sidewall repair kit and highway rated tire plugs
- Battery powered air compressor with 12V lighter backup
- Green Slime automatic tire repair pump (requires a 12V lighter outlet)
I recently took my Cyberbeast on a Roadtrip from Dallas, TX to Orlando, FL and back taking roughly 18-21hrs straight in each direction.
I told myself I was doing this to provide Tesla with much needed training data to accelerate FSD deployment for our Cybertrucks. But the truth is, 4th of July is my birthday, and I was driving back home to spend a week hanging out, and sharing/showing off my new ride with my family and friends.
I'm a first time EV owner and Truck owner, but I jumped in blindly and had faith it would all work out using the Tesla Nav app. Spoiler, it was a great trip! I Love my CT and I will be driving my CT every day until the electric motors fall off. If you are on the fence, do it. Is it a good financial investment... no. But life is short, and you have to have some fun along the way!
I will say that, while the XC experience is much longer than with a decent ICE vehicle, long distance road trips are totally doable in the Cybertruck with the Supercharger network, liberal use of the Traffic Aware Cruise Control, filtering the Nav App and blasting the amazing sound system... even on 2.5hrs of sleep as a solo driver. Also the gas money savings even using a super charger at 0.35/kw is still like 60%.
Below are my trip and performance numbers. I also give observations of weird stuff you may see on your trips, and some tips to be prepared.
The plan:
- Stated at 12:40AM @95% charge (wife used the truck earlier in the day because she Loves it too) on 2.5hrs of sleep
- Washed truck before trip and on arrival
- I cleaned all of the cameras at most SC stops
- My Odometer started 2417 miles - with my lifetime average efficiency at 413 Wh/mi
- Held Cruise control speed at ~7mph above speed limit
- Drove as much of the trip with traffic aware cruise control as possible, even at destination
Observations during the trip:
- If you are going too fast, you will get messages on your Nav screen to slow down and "stay under XXmph to reach your destination". However if early on this can be false on long trips, keep an eye on the percentage estimate to the SC or your destination at the bottom of your Nav screen. It settles to a more accurate estimate as you get further into a trip leg. If you are getting too low, show down. 7mph over seems to be a good spot for the range estimates in the app.
- The Nav plan tries to leave you with atleast 10% charge when you hit the next SC or your destination. I think this is to account for traffic, missed turns, and efficiency variations (speed, outside temp, etc.)
- Lane departure warnings are hit or miss but it did help me once while I was jotting notes for this post and driving with Traffic Aware Cruise. Saved me from kissing a divider with no shoulder in the fast lane.
- The yoke makes hands free driving with your knee very difficult. See observation above. Can't wait for atleast Autopilot on highways. Eating fast food you grabbed at an SC stop with the yoke is tough.
- Random wiper swipes happen when in Traffic Aware Cruise due to the camera based detection. This is annoying as you have to toggle them off to get your wiper to restow. This is only temporary when in Traffic Aware Cruise, it will turn on randomly again even when disabled. Even cleaning the window censor every 2-3hrs at stops only helps so much.
- My wiper motor gave out on my way home during the last 4hrs of my drive in some heavy rain, but I powered through. I thought the recall wouldn't get me, but alas, you can only have so much good luck on a 2700 mile trip. I contacted my local service center in Dallas, and even though they didn't have an appointment for 60 days, they accommodated me the next day after hitting them up in the app and mentioning the "recall" and it being a "safety issue" to continue driving. They messaged me to come the next day, I drove up to the service center, and 1.5 hrs later, the wiper motor was replaced. Great first service center experience.
- In dark isolated areas pillar cameras say they are obstructed but it's just that dark outside in rural areas. I even had one slow down due to a phantom semi truck on my right side in a very dark area.
SC stops on the way to Orlando (8 total, 7 to Jacksonville to visit a friend via a detour, 1 in Orlando):
- SC Bossier City, LA @13% 200-210kW charger 37 minutes to continue trip @76%. This was a Target parking lot... not great in the middle of the night since it was closed.
- SC Vicksburg, MS @8% 250kW charger 1hr 30 minutes to continue trip @100%. This was an Ameristar Casino on the river... pretty view! No food open, but they had bathrooms 24/7.
- SC Pearl, MS @82% 75Kw charger at 18 minutes @94%. This was Shopping Center Parking Lot.
- SC Robertsdale, LA @22% 250kW charger 35 minutes @250kW - 86kW @80%. This was a Buckey's Gas Station and Country Emporium (has food)!!! Downside, was an entire bank of bad SC's. And it was bananas crowded.
- SC Marianna, FL @16% 125Kw charger 20 minutes. Dairy Queen, McDonalds, Hickeys BBQ.
- SC Madison, FL @17% 250Kw charger 25 minutes @60% Mobil gas station w/Arby's
- 1st Destination @21%
To Jacksonville, 1043 miles ~19hrs
- SC Ocoee, FL @20% 250kw charger 45 minutes (only because I didn't have good charging capability where I was staying at my parents house)
- 2nd Destination
Mileage Jacksonville to Orlando, ~118 miles ~2.7hrs
Outbound Trip Total Time ~21.7hrs
Outbound Trip Efficiency 451 Wh/mi
Note: I allowed friends and family to drive the CT and did some showing off (we must have done 15+ launches, and 40+ fast accelerations while in Beast Mode), and I drove to theme parks, etc., and left overtemp and Sentry enabled. Those are reflected in the final efficiency below as I didn't reset my trip meter.
SC stops on the way home to Dallas - 7 stops
Orlando to Dallas 1102 miles ~18.7hrs
Total Mileage including at destination trips ~2700 miles
Roundtrip Efficiency 441Wh/mi (somehow went down even with the above shenanigans)
Other early CT observations
- Teslandroid and the CM4 compute module offered on their site worked well for watching news while in stop and go traffic and using Traffic Aware Cruise on my commute (Amazon Prime Video - Live News), but after a software upgrade of the carkit and os, it took a longtime configuring it to work again. I had to use my cellphone and an external monitor to get it back to normal (shouldn't have tried to fix what isn't broken with a software update)
- I've had a couple Blackscreens after getting in and out of the truck a bunch while parked in a farm field while working on a broken belt on our farm tractor. I went to put it in drive and heard a beep when I pressed the brake, but nothing on the screen. After briefly panicking, remember you can drive by shifting using the controls above the rear view mirror. Also to fix the screen, you just need a reboot. To reboot hold down both scrollwheels on the yoke for 30s, it should reboot. You may also need to reboot if the infotainment system glitches.
- I'm in a rental and already had to install a 240V plug on the sly for the included mobile charger to be effective. Only do this if you know what you're doing. Saving some money isn't worth the risk. But even with that installed, if you commute long distances, run some unexpected errands and want to go out in the evenings, you either need to set the charge point above 80% the night before (be planful), or take a detour and visit a local supercharger. If you are able get the full wall charger, that would probably help you replenish your charge overnight much easier. Also you can disable Sentry and overtemp to save on battery drain, but that is rough in the TX heat while sitting in your driveway. Otherwise you may not be able to get a full charge before you leave the next day. And if you fall short twice you'll be visiting a supercharger somewhere along the commute.
- Before my trip I've only used a supercharger three times prior. One was a 150KWh charger that charged way too slow. I went to that one to be proactive, but if it's not one of the big ones, and you don't have infinite time on your hands, there is no point. The other two were fast and charged reasonably fast (5-20 minutes is usually sufficient to continue a medium range trip).
- I have no spare tire (just ordered when they came available this week)... I just have a dewalt battery powered compressor, some sidewall (offroad) and plug repair kits (highway rated), and a green slime automatic tire reinflator which I surmise that if I use will ruin the factory tire pressure sensor, but that's a cheap Casualty to get back on the road on a cross country road trip if you get a flat.
- I charged off a 110V outlet at my parents house with an extension cord. Outside in the Summer FL heat, it barely was able to keep the battery from draining with Sentry and Overheat protection set. So when your are away, unless you have local charge facilities, plan on visiting a Supercharger every 1-2 days of you are driving a fair amount.
Other gear I'd recommend to keep in the Frunk day to day:
- To use 12V DC cigarette lighter compatible equipment, especially tire pumps get a decent (high amp output) 110V to 12V DC lighter plug adapter. You can plug into the center console or bed outlets as necessary.
- Gerber mulitool
- A portable jump box to help ICE drivers we share the road with
- A second mobile connect charger with the NEMA plug adapters bundle
- Offroad sidewall repair kit and highway rated tire plugs
- Battery powered air compressor with 12V lighter backup
- Green Slime automatic tire repair pump (requires a 12V lighter outlet)
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