Cybertruck Range: Losing the Story

[cyberboi]

At the end of the day, how many miles can I drive at 85mph with the AC on? That’s what matters in SoCal.

On reveal night, four years ago, it was the 500 mile range of the Tri-Motor trim that stuck in my mind more than anything else.

We don’t know what we don’t know, though. And sometimes something that seems imminently clear… turns out anything but.

Fast forward those four years. Cybertrucks are now finally rolling out of Austin. And here is my stake-in-the-ground: Lots of people are going to be complaining about the range they experience.

Not because they’re towing things. Not because they’re hauling stuff. And not because the truck Tesla finally shipped ended up rated at 300 miles and change instead of the 500 miles that was originally expected.

Even had Tesla hit that bogey, people would be unhappy. Because most people – even longtime EV owners – continue to look at EV range through the prism of their lifelong ICE experience.

There are a hat trick of things going on. First, drivers don’t usually appreciate the vast difference in fuel stores between ICE cars and their EV counterparts.

One gallon of gas is approximately 121,000,000 joules; and is equivalent to around 33.6 kWh.

Here’s a quick chart of the fuel capacities of several sample ICE trims, and what would be the equivalent energy in an EV.

Note the extraordinary kWh capacities necessary to match up with what we think of as run-of-the-mill, common-as-can-be vehicles. It underlines how grossly inefficient ICE cars are. The Raptor is just nuts.

It’s even more revealing when you turn it around and look at it from the EV perspective.

Imagine if your ICE family sedan had a 2.5 gallon gas tank. When I go out later this morning and climb into my Model 3, that’s essentially what I’m doing. It underlines how little fuel a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y carries onboard, compared to a similar ICE vehicle. It emphasizes how much more efficient an EV is.

There’s a “But,” though.

All vehicles - ICE or EV - are affected by things like temperature, altitude, and speed. And yet the EV world is inundated with complaints of range falling off as the calendar rolls into winter. Or when a drive involves a long slog on the interstate at speed. Or when a trip sends one up into the mountains.

While ICE drivers rarely give a thought to any of those things.

Lithium EV chemistries certainly have some issues that need to be managed in cold weather. I’m not saying they don’t.

But much of the effect of those kinds of things in the ICE world is hidden within the cavernous supply of fuel that they carry.

Lose ten percent efficiency in an ICE car because you’ve entered a slight uphill grade and it’s lost in the noise. Lose ten percent in an EV, with its tiny fuel supply and parsimonious allocation of energy, and it’s immediately obvious.

I’m reminded of the scene from Apollo 13 when Ken Mattingly, down on the ground, struggles to find a way to power up the Command Module of the ailing spacecraft with the tiny amount of power available in the Lunar Module’s batteries.

How we use our batteries is sometimes a very big deal.



The second thing, the next reason many people will be unhappy with the range they see in their new Cybertruck, is because full in the ICE world is a little bit different than full in the EV world.

Both worlds require some buffer on the low end, in order to find that next gas station or DC fast charger.

But whereas the ICE world habitually fills their tank all the way when they stop, that’s rarely the case in the EV world. Lithium batteries don’t like full charge because it accelerates pack degradation. So those of us who care about such things tend to back away from full charge some amount – 80% or 70% or, for some of us, even more – unless we’re on a road trip or some other situation that absolutely demands 100% SOC.

That promised 320 miles of range can quickly turn into 250 or 270 before we’ve driven the first mile. And that’s with a brand new pack, before any degradation has occurred.



The last reason for range frustration is because of something most people never give a thought to – themselves.

A lot of people look at rated range, fail to ever hit it, and then just squint hard at their vehicle, shaking their head. Muttering something about Elon once again promising something he never delivered.

Well, no.

Most drivers have pretty close to zero appreciation for how much energy it costs pulling away from a traffic light. Or how much is thrown away every time they tap the brakes.

They have not once, during their entire driving life, ever given a thought to momentum or what the benefit of conserving it might be.

They drive their EV exactly like they’ve always driven their ICE car. They press on the throttle to make it go. They press on the brake to make it stop.

And because that ICE car always had such a glorious extravagance of energy carried onboard, they never learned not to waste it.

Even in a car – such as a Tesla – that has the real-time telemetry for such things, they’ve never once contemplated the actual kilowatts of power their rear motor is putting out. Or where the threshold is for when the motor on their front axle engages.

They see the green line on their screen stretch out like a rubber band when they come off the throttle and their car begins regen braking. But they have no idea how much energy got sent back into the pack.

I won’t belabor this. Discussing how to optimize EV driving efficiency is a story for another time. For now, I’ll just say that an EV driver complaining because the “real world” range of their vehicle never approaches its rated range… is probably not seeing the whole picture.

Speaking of that rated range thing. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had an objective, unbiased third-party from whom we could get “real world” numbers?

Turns out we do. It’s called the EPA. They designed the test suite from which rated range emerges. Not Tesla.

The second chart above has the watt-hours/mile needed to hit the vehicle’s rated range, written in red. For the Cybertruck, we’ll be wanting to hit right around 384 in order to make that 320-mile bogey.

Some of us expect to.

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[Woodrick]

At this point I am more then likely to buy a new Tundra then to wait for the promised 500 mile CT at a reasonable price. This weekend we went 420 miles round trip on a single tank of gas in a 2017 highlander , 3 hours there and 3 back , didn't need to stop anywhere for anything, My Model Y would have required 2 stops.

The biggest flaw with Tesla is that they don't give people what they want, instead they give them what they believe they need or can get away with because it influences how much profit can be made.

You don't need a HUD
You don't need stalks,
You don't need 500 miles of range ( even though in reality it would end up being about 300 of real range)

You had a reservation on a 500 mile 80k Truck for four years ... well its going to be 100k and 300 miles not due toi inflation but because there is demand now and we can profit from it . Heck.. want to be one of the first, give me another 20k.

Not even an explination given... the huberis from Tesla is something to watch.

I enjoy driving EV's but I don't believe I will be purchasing another.

I definitely remember there being explanations.

The price went up because of the impact of Covid, part shortages and inflation. That did a number to the electronics and auto-industries.

They are still working toward 500 miles, but made the decision that there are so few times that people would need it, that making it a default standard would raise the price of the vehicle even more. So they decided to compromise with the Range Extender. And they are still working to get the range with the Ranges Extender to increase to 500 miles.

Until you've driven a few years with EVs, you still have range anxiety and just don't understand the reality.

I have no idea why your Model Y would need 2 stops to go 420 miles. Mine doesn't

Tesla doesn't give people what they want?? ROTLMAO.
As other have said, the Model Y is the #1 selling car, so some people are paying money on the inaccuracy of your statement.

You just don't know what you want. You are still too entrenched in the 100 year old ICE world to know it.

Just a few of the "damn it's awesome, just didn't really realize that I wanted it"

• Automatic garage door openers - many other cars have automatic garage door openers, but Tesla thought about it enough to realize that since they knew where the car and the garage is, they could open the door for you. I never open or close my garage door, the car does it for me.
• Single pane of glass operation - Now many people will bitch about it, but they haven't used it long enough to get used to it. It is SO MUCH EASIER to operate that than all of the displays and knobs in other vehicles.
• No physical key entry - Just your phone is all that is required. No key fobs needed. (like the Volvo monstrosity) And everyone has their cellphone on them today anyway. it's quickly being copied by other manufacturers.
• Free map updates - So many other manufacturers charge like $300 yearly for it.
• Entertainment in the car - When parked, watch some movies. No one else had a display big enough. And if you followed the third-party mobile audio marketplace, it was a common feature.
• Auto-brake hold - While Subaru has had it for years, very few others did. Basic feature for Tesla.
• Free streaming audio - Need I say more?
• Navigation systems that are usable - everyone else sucked at it and made you use your phone

There are LOTS of awesome features on Tesla that don't get enough credit.

 

[Woodrick]

Absolutely agree. I was specifically excited about the cybertruck for the huge range numbers, living in NorCal we have plenty of chargers to choose from but it’s still an issue of range anxiety until there are a few chargers at every gas station and hotel. The freedom of having 500 miles of range helps tremendously, and is why I got in que for a ramcharger as soon as they were announced. I’m still tempted by the cybertruck, but I’d like the awd with the 50kw bed pack, can’t wait to see range tests when people get that. Also hoping that extra battery helps the charging speed, even if it’s charge limited due to being bed mounted, and will slightly affect range, at least it’s closer to the range promised and gives that peace of mind to adventure further from a charger.

If you are not towing anything, then there is absolutely no reason to wait. It's going to have the same range as the Model Y, the BEST SELLING CAR in the country.

The early YouTube range tests are not quite right. Tesla has already done a lot of driving in the vehicles and legally had to promise this when submitting the EPA statements.

I'm in Atlanta, if I knew where you were (and wanted to drive that far) I'd hop in my car (or the Cybertuck if it was here today) and have no anxiety about driving to you. I just finished a 2400 mile trip.

 

[Woodrick]

At the end of the day, how many miles can I drive at 85mph with the AC on? That’s what matters in SoCal.

I have no qualms in responding 100,000 miles. I'd even go as far as saying 300,000 miles.

If you live at home, 95% of the time you will wake with probably at least 3-10 times the amount of range that you need.
I think that you would have to leave the state before you can get more than 50 miles from a Supercharger!

Supercharging is easy and convienent. The network is built so that even the Long Range models at 230 miles can go cross country even during winter.

 

[cyberboi]

Sorry, I meant non-stop.

I have no qualms in responding 100,000 miles. I'd even go as far as saying 300,000 miles.

If you live at home, 95% of the time you will wake with probably at least 3-10 times the amount of range that you need.
I think that you would have to leave the state before you can get more than 50 miles from a Supercharger!

Supercharging is easy and convienent. The network is built so that even the Long Range models at 230 miles can go cross country even during winter.

 

[Woodrick]

Sorry, I meant non-stop.

I really don't know because I don't know where the stop light, stop signs or other things along your route is going to be.

Yes, I'm evading your direct question, that's because it is LOT less of an issue that I suspect that you or others believe it to be and that's classically known as range anxiety.

Tesla has specified to the EPA that the dual with the low efficiency tires will be 320 miles. that's not at 85 mph. Basically the range will drop 10% for every 5 mph over about 65 mph. So that will put you in the mid to low 200's.

That's about 3 hours behind the wheel, which is a long time to be sitting. A quick Supercharger stop will give you the opportunity to stretch, take a bio-break, or get some food.

The bigger question is how many trips above 200 miles do you do in a year? For most people it is less than 1.

Whether you get 200 or 300 miles of range doesn't really impact trips that much in reality. It seems as if it does, but it doesn't.

I just get in my car and tell it to navigate to my destination, it calculates a route, determines if I need to charge, and then routes me to the best charger and tells me how long I will need to charge.

 

[cyberboi]

I really don't know because I don't know where the stop light, stop signs or other things along your route is going to be.

Yes, I'm evading your direct question, that's because it is LOT less of an issue that I suspect that you or others believe it to be and that's classically known as range anxiety.

Tesla has specified to the EPA that the dual with the low efficiency tires will be 320 miles. that's not at 85 mph. Basically the range will drop 10% for every 5 mph over about 65 mph. So that will put you in the mid to low 200's.

That's about 3 hours behind the wheel, which is a long time to be sitting. A quick Supercharger stop will give you the opportunity to stretch, take a bio-break, or get some food.

The bigger question is how many trips above 200 miles do you do in a year? For most people it is less than 1.

Whether you get 200 or 300 miles of range doesn't really impact trips that much in reality. It seems as if it does, but it doesn't.

I just get in my car and tell it to navigate to my destination, it calculates a route, determines if I need to charge, and then routes me to the best charger and tells me how long I will need to charge.

Ok, mid to low 200's at 85mph is good enough for me. I do on average 1 trip a month that's over 200 miles.

 

[Challeco]

The notion of "range anxiety" is based on the idea that most charging is done at home, with scant opportunities to charge elsewhere. You could be stranded.

Now, chargers are everywhere. If range is sufficient to reach the next charger, the only "anxiety" is from the inconvenience of having to stop more frequently.

Such a minor nuisance seems an insufficient cause to be anxious

The stop for refill versus recharge is important, too. Standing within inclement weather doing the safe thing and holding on to the fuel nozzle until it clicks is uncomfortable. There are great days where the weather is so enticing as to be outside, but even then, the fumes of the fuels still waft into your airway. The other days, where it is blowing rain or snow sideways, freezing any exposed skin to where it burns, or the sun's heat is unbearable for even the short time you have your vehicle off to refuel so your air conditioning is off, too. Refueling is ignored because it has been all we, as I.C.E. drivers have ever known.

Until now. Drive an EV and find yourself at a charging station away from home. In my model 3, before, and my model Y now, I step outside the vehicle and plug it in. The plug locks into place and I return to the car or leave for food and drink. The plug doesn't release toxic fumes or require me to stand there holding it in place. I sit in my vehicle and have all of the services available, except driving of course. I can stay warm or cool depending on my need. I can entertain myself with music, games, audio books, videos and movies, or I can leave. My car will notify me on my phone what the SOC is at a glance, and when I should return to unplug.

Yes, charging takes longer. But, I am not tethered to the exterior of the car for more than a few seconds. As experiences go, I'll charge over refuel every time. Plus, there is the cost difference. My truck costs me more and more at the whim of the corporations and speculators depending on time of year and who needs their profit margin to increase.

 

[Woodrick]

That last post that I read reminds me. What's the difference between the Cybertruck and your ICE?

It warms or cools you in less than 30 seconds after sitting down.

That's not 5 minutes after the engine block warms up.
That's not after you start moving.

That's after the driver opens the door.


Of course, you can always just hit the button as you are walking to the car to tell the A/C to come on. And unlike an ICE, it doesn't have to start the engine, so completely safe in a garage!

 

[Art O'Connor]

I, too, remember the promised 500 mile range. Maybe, when Tesla gets around to building my Quad motor LR in 2025, the range will be there with a different battery design. One of the current problems is the 20 ft. promised length got shrunk to 18.75 feet. That is a lot of space for more battery (and more range). Elon wanted it to fit in a 20 ft. garage. I currently have a real pickup - a Chevy Silverado crew cab. I have a 24 ft. garage that easily accommodates its 20 ft. length. If you are going to own a real pickup, you need a pickup garage, not a car garage. I note several outfits have tested the eSilverado and their results indicate a 450 mile range for the WT4. Check out C&D, R&T, etc. The WT4 has been out there for 6 months. For me, in Nevada, a 330 miles range is a deal breaker. I want to drive all the way from Reno to Lost Wages (480 miles) on a single charge. Or Reno to Ely, 402 miles.

 

[Art O'Connor]

My Daughter has a 2017 Prius. It is a "51" model (the racing version). It will beat Porsches and Teslas off the line. I have had it up to 128 m.p.h. and it was still pulling away. It gets over 50 m.p.h.. With its 12 gallon tank, that is over 600 miles of range. For less than 40K, it will park itself, maintain its lane, adjust the cruise speed when you are in an accordion, has backup assist with camera, side radar, and a JBL sound system. I am not asking for 600, I just want something close to the 500 we were promised and I don't care if the CT is 20 feet long instead of 18.75! Similar to a real estate agent's mantra: "location. location. location". for an EV, it is "range, range, range"!

 

[Wendell]

R&T, etc. The WT4 has been out there for 6 months. For me, in Nevada, a 330 miles range is a deal breaker. I want to drive all the way from Reno to Lost Wages (480 miles) on a single charge. Or Reno to Ely, 402 miles.

The range is a deal breaker!

I know we will be discounted as "outliers" and nobody needs more than 340 miles, but I'm in the same situation as you are. I just spent a week camping and hiking in the desert near Mexican Hat Utah. I LOVE my winter camping trips in the desert. This year was Goosenecks on the San Juan river, Natural Bridges National Monument and Bear's Ears National Monument. The nearest supercharger is 60 miles away in Blanding -- on pavement. But the route I took probably had 80-100 miles of dirt roads, and a bunch more pavement, and I had to get both out and back. Absolutely utterly impossible to do the trip without 500 miles of range -- or a bunch more chargers need to be built. In one spot, the road sign said it was 93 miles to the next GAS station. In the winter time, even the RV parks (where I detest camping) would not of been an option for a 50 amp plug since they are closed until sometime in March -- and that's if they even have 50 amp -- the RV park in Mexican hat only has 30 amp.

I've been saving money for 4 years now, and could actually afford it after saving that long, but at this point I think I'll just keep driving my 28 year old truck until something more capable comes along.

Everybody says you need a pee break before 300 miles. That may be true, but there also needs to be a charger somewhere nearby!

 

[Woodrick]

I, too, remember the promised 500 mile range. Maybe, when Tesla gets around to building my Quad motor LR in 2025, the range will be there with a different battery design. One of the current problems is the 20 ft. promised length got shrunk to 18.75 feet. That is a lot of space for more battery (and more range). Elon wanted it to fit in a 20 ft. garage. I currently have a real pickup - a Chevy Silverado crew cab. I have a 24 ft. garage that easily accommodates its 20 ft. length. If you are going to own a real pickup, you need a pickup garage, not a car garage. I note several outfits have tested the eSilverado and their results indicate a 450 mile range for the WT4. Check out C&D, R&T, etc. The WT4 has been out there for 6 months. For me, in Nevada, a 330 miles range is a deal breaker. I want to drive all the way from Reno to Lost Wages (480 miles) on a single charge. Or Reno to Ely, 402 miles.

I don't quite remember a promise of range, it was only an expectation.

But the engineers have already indicated they are sill working toward 500 miles with the extended battery.

It's interesting that Chevy is only indicating 400 miles on the Silverado EV. I'd be highly surprised if you get anywhere near that going 75 mph.

And if you want to get back to "man trucks" lets head back to 1970 and the 17 foot truck.


So it appears that you may need to keep your existing truck in your existing garage.

 

[Woodrick]

The range is a deal breaker!

I know we will be discounted as "outliers" and nobody needs more than 340 miles, but I'm in the same situation as you are. I just spent a week camping and hiking in the desert near Mexican Hat Utah. I LOVE my winter camping trips in the desert. This year was Goosenecks on the San Juan river, Natural Bridges National Monument and Bear's Ears National Monument. The nearest supercharger is 60 miles away in Blanding -- on pavement. But the route I took probably had 80-100 miles of dirt roads, and a bunch more pavement, and I had to get both out and back. Absolutely utterly impossible to do the trip without 500 miles of range -- or a bunch more chargers need to be built. In one spot, the road sign said it was 93 miles to the next GAS station. In the winter time, even the RV parks (where I detest camping) would not of been an option for a 50 amp plug since they are closed until sometime in March -- and that's if they even have 50 amp -- the RV park in Mexican hat only has 30 amp.

I've been saving money for 4 years now, and could actually afford it after saving that long, but at this point I think I'll just keep driving my 28 year old truck until something more capable comes along.

Everybody says you need a pee break before 300 miles. That may be true, but there also needs to be a charger somewhere nearby!

First, Superchargers aren't the only place that you can charge at. There's a CCS at Bluff, a mere 30 miles away. But once you indicated that you went offroad, that suggest that you slowed down. That's going to increase the range significantly. We haven't seen any test, but at 35 mph, the Model 3 can go about 600 miles.
The 30A TT connector is quite suitable for charging a Tesla if you are around for a few days.
Not sure where your 100 miles of road started from, but I don't see 500 miles of route.

There's a NEMA 14-50 at Monument Valley in the Goulding Campground A Model S was charging there a few weeks ago at 40A!
And don't forget that even a small 120V 15A plug can charge the truck. If you are at a campground that has one, then after a week of charging, if you came in empty, you'd be good to go.

It doesn't really appear that with a little planning that you would be left high and dry out there.

 

[Macgyverfever]

If you are not towing anything, then there is absolutely no reason to wait. It's going to have the same range as the Model Y, the BEST SELLING CAR in the country.

The early YouTube range tests are not quite right. Tesla has already done a lot of driving in the vehicles and legally had to promise this when submitting the EPA statements.

I'm in Atlanta, if I knew where you were (and wanted to drive that far) I'd hop in my car (or the Cybertuck if it was here today) and have no anxiety about driving to you. I just finished a 2400 mile trip.

And now it is in Atlanta lol. Was thinking about road tripping out there to see it. Not sure how in-demand the line is.

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