CT and Factorial... is battery pack upgradeable?

[Tinker71]

Normally I discount future battery news as Osborne effect FUD, but if Factorials announced 450Whr/kG with Mercedes is true for 2025 mass production, and an equivalent battery makes it way to the CT, an AWD CT will get 553 miles. The CT will remain nimble and bad ass overall.

I don't think people are fully grasping the inflection points of energy density and cost per kWhr of storage. Especially if we can charge during the day with $.04 per Kwatt hr of solar. It is absolutely game over for the oil industry. Forget fracking bans, it won't matter. Forget ICE bans. It won't matter. Forget PHEV, it is expensive and stupid to maintain 2 systems.

Now back to the CT. Is the pack truly upgradable? All Tesla has to say is 'the pack is designed to be replaced' and I will buy one. If so, I would pay up to $100k to enjoy it now AND have the perfect truck 4 years from now when an upgrade is ready and only $12k.

Demand would be through the roof.

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[Stuck4ger]

Yes, Tesla designs the battery packs to be replaceable. A friend had a Model X battery replaced in a couple of days. Not a big deal for a SC to accomplish.

 

[mcm4ss]

Normally I discount future battery news as Osborne effect FUD, but if Factorials announced 450Whr/kG with Mercedes is true for 2025 mass production, and an equivalent battery makes it way to the CT, an AWD CT will get 553 miles. The CT will remain nimble and bad ass overall.

I don't think people are fully grasping the inflection points of energy density and cost per kWhr of storage. Especially if we can charge during the day with $.04 per Kwatt hr of solar. It is absolutely game over for the oil industry. Forget fracking bans, it won't matter. Forget ICE bans. It won't matter. Forget PHEV, it is expensive and stupid to maintain 2 systems.

Now back to the CT. Is the pack truly upgradable? All Tesla has to say is 'the pack is designed to be replaced' and I will buy one. If so, I would pay up to $100k to enjoy it now AND have the perfect truck 4 years from now when an upgrade is ready and only $12k.

Demand would be through the roof.

yes. As an avid RC hobbyist I can only imagine when these batteries have an aftermarket upgrade available. Say aluminum Ion, a solid state or a graphene dry cell that is being developed. Someone will someday have a safe battery capable of 500+ miles and then we can start having fun with upgrades and mods. Equivalent to dropping a big block in a Jeep Jk, or a 572 into a Mustang. FUN FUN FUN.

 

[Pops]

I have high hopes for a battery aftermarket in the future. The advantages are obvious. Some of my pessimistic concerns are:

• Manufacturers will block battery upgrades because it negatively impacts their bottom line IE:
  • Printer ink cartridges
  • Keurig coffee cups
  • Cell phones removing replaceable batteries
  • iPhone security locked spare parts
• The cooling system will need to be compatible
• The software monitoring and BMS needs to be programmed for different battery types

I really hope that this happens and that the government passes legislation to ensure companies don't block this progress. Similar to Right to repair bills. I think the EU or California will be the world's greatest hope in that respect. Their market and legislation are big enough to impact global production, just look at the iPhone being forced to use USB-C.

 

[CyberGus]

Manufacturing is hard. I'm skeptical of a 2025 timeframe for mass-production.

 

[Woodrick]

Wow, it's amazing all the folks tilting at windmills here.

Take a look at how the battery is "changed" in the Cybertruck. You have to lift the truck off the battery and then take the seats off the battery, definitely doable, but far from trivial.

And from what I read, the Factorial battery is basically just announce, I saw one suggestion that they may be available in the 2026 model. But if it doesn't already exist today, it won't make is in a 2025 model that gets introduced in the next few months.

Feel free to dream, but the Model 3 and Model Y have never had a battery upgrade.

 

[Pops]

Feel free to dream, but the Model 3 and Model Y have never had a battery upgrade.

The Model Y has had a couple battery upgrades that I'm aware of. LFP and 4680. Tesla has shown a willingness to experiment with new/better battery technology when it's available to them.

 

[Woodrick]

The Model Y has had a couple battery upgrades that I'm aware of. LFP and 4680. Tesla has shown a willingness to experiment with new/better battery technology when it's available to them.

Your Model Y has had the battery upgraded?

This thread degenerated into both new battery and replacement batteries, as I read it.

The Model Y range hasn't changed by over a few percent. Most all changes were made to decrease cost.

 

[Pops]

Your Model Y has had the battery upgraded?

This thread degenerated into both new battery and replacement batteries, as I read it.

The Model Y range hasn't changed by over a few percent. Most all changes were made to decrease cost.

You're correct in that there hasn't been a single company offering an upgrade to existing VINs on the road.

I think this is an aspirational thread of people hoping for that future. Where you don't need to throw away a vehicle that is 95% functional because it's battery pack is outdated or broken.

The situation today is that EVs depreciate so much that eventually replacing their battery pack is more expensive than buying another used EV with a working battery. $20,000 is the general ballpark for replacement battery pack for a lot of vehicles.

 

[SCTesla]

There has been 1 "battery upgrade" that Tesla has offered since 2012 and it was to upgrade the Model S/X P75D to either the 80 or 100. From Tesla it was over $20k. Since then, it's not something Tesla or others have offered. They basically discontinued the 75D due to volume.

I wouldn't plan on A) Tesla offering a battery upgrade in the future for the CT or B) A real battery break through in the next 3-5 years. or C) We see any real options from third-parties.

It's been 10+ years and there still aren't viable third-party upgrades.

If you are buying the truck, you are buying the battery it comes with. Outside of adding the range extender, you'll be locked in.

Edit: and the "only 12k" is wild. Refurbished batteries from Tesla for the Model S refresh is $22,500. The CT will cost more than that. Those cost, for whatever reason, have never come down.

 

[MadMaxTX]

Wow, it's amazing all the folks tilting at windmills here.

Take a look at how the battery is "changed" in the Cybertruck. You have to lift the truck off the battery and then take the seats off the battery, definitely doable, but far from trivial.

And from what I read, the Factorial battery is basically just announce, I saw one suggestion that they may be available in the 2026 model. But if it doesn't already exist today, it won't make is in a 2025 model that gets introduced in the next few months.

Feel free to dream, but the Model 3 and Model Y have never had a battery upgrade.

I thought I read 2030 or end of decade for production estimate. Interesting but it seems marketing/investment related at the moment. Technology moves along though so I expect the next 5 years will bring steady improvement for commercial applications and in 5 years we'll be drooling over what they say is coming in the next 5 years.

 

[Woodrick]

I thought I read 2030 or end of decade for production estimate. Interesting but it seems marketing/investment related at the moment. Technology moves along though so I expect the next 5 years will bring steady improvement for commercial applications and in 5 years we'll be drooling over what they say is coming in the next 5 years.

There's a battery advancement announcement it seems every day.
Probably less than 1% make it into test production.
Effectively 0% make it into production.

Do a little search on Toyota's magical 900 mile battery. If you follow it over a few years of announcements, its range gets lower and lower every year.

There's a LOT of factors that go into making a battery. While capacity is a big one, manufacturability is a huge one.

 

[eswimm]

Do not buy a Cybertruck now with the expectation that you'll be able to upgrade the battery, ever. Not only would the cost be prohibitively high as a retrofit, there's a close to zero chance that Tesla would offer any supported battery upgrade.

If you need to wait for a range improvement, then wait for it.

 

[GatorCyber]

Normally I discount future battery news as Osborne effect FUD, but if Factorials announced 450Whr/kG with Mercedes is true for 2025 mass production, and an equivalent battery makes it way to the CT, an AWD CT will get 553 miles. The CT will remain nimble and bad ass overall.

I don't think people are fully grasping the inflection points of energy density and cost per kWhr of storage. Especially if we can charge during the day with $.04 per Kwatt hr of solar. It is absolutely game over for the oil industry. Forget fracking bans, it won't matter. Forget ICE bans. It won't matter. Forget PHEV, it is expensive and stupid to maintain 2 systems.

Now back to the CT. Is the pack truly upgradable? All Tesla has to say is 'the pack is designed to be replaced' and I will buy one. If so, I would pay up to $100k to enjoy it now AND have the perfect truck 4 years from now when an upgrade is ready and only $12k.

Demand would be through the roof.

FAKE NEWS

 

[GuyV]

There has been 1 "battery upgrade" that Tesla has offered since 2012 and it was to upgrade the Model S/X P75D to either the 80 or 100. From Tesla it was over $20k. Since then, it's not something Tesla or others have offered. They basically discontinued the 75D due to volume.

I wouldn't plan on A) Tesla offering a battery upgrade in the future for the CT or B) A real battery break through in the next 3-5 years. or C) We see any real options from third-parties.

It's been 10+ years and there still aren't viable third-party upgrades.

If you are buying the truck, you are buying the battery it comes with. Outside of adding the range extender, you'll be locked in.

Edit: and the "only 12k" is wild. Refurbished batteries from Tesla for the Model S refresh is $22,500. The CT will cost more than that. Those cost, for whatever reason, have never come down.

NEW replacement packs of old model S 85s are 100 packs with modules removed making them 90s, and they cost $21K installed, including suspension upgrades. I did it, it was worth it, couldn't get a better alternative car while waiting for my CT.

Tesla isn't going to be interested in making old Cybertrucks go 500+ miles. Just expect to trade up if new ones ever reach that level and you still feel you need it. There will no doubt be other improvements by then as well.

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