Range Extender Officially Cancelled!

[hemiarch]

What the Cybertruck really needs in my opinion are mppt inputs for portable solar panels.
The extra battery pack would make the range longer which is nice, but solar inputs would turn it into an unstrandable vehicle that with enough patience could leave anywhere and power anything. Theoretical infinite range.
Perhaps the connectors that were built in to the trucks with the intention of allowing the range extender to be installed could somehow be used for this purpose.

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[Choosing Wonder]

I need this for my regular 400 mike commute. I hate having to stop midway for an hour to charge..takes me anhour longer than an ice car commute..so im am very disappointed in Elon.

We all need to post our disappointment on Elon's account on X! He needs to hear this one and not sweep this under the rug. Many bought the CT expecting this option. Yes expensive, yes takes room in the bed of the truck, but when you need it you need it! Tesla was so worried about the poor range on the release that they came out with this extended pack idea to NOT deter buyers! The R1-T MAX has a bigger battery, but with the extended pack, the CT has the bigger battery (more range). My guess is they did not get enough demand (nor for the CT itself) and they were going to lose money on it. So while it is business decision, the cost of burning your most loyal Tesla owners, will cost more over the long term as the buyers remorse will influence the next purchase decision, even on Optimus (as what else will Elon rug pull on us next AFTER you buy it?). Even for the CT owners that were not going to buy the extended battery, this should concern you as he is hurting the brand (and more CT potential buyers which will help save the CT) and you will not be exempt on something else you buy with Tesla (it is the process and "how" you do things that matters most, as it will rhyme/repeat again somewhere else at Tesla). The Tesla board is falling asleep at the wheel and needs to step in to protect the current owners (or class action lawyers will) and deliver on this promise or do something like offer a larger battery swap for $16k when they come out! Make it whole/right instead of burning your best customers! I can't believe they say "thank you for your understanding" with no explanation or understanding/acknowledgment of our loss as it influenced our decision to purchase the CT in the first place (we are financially buried in our Cybertucks while they got a free loan and lied to us?!).

 

[hemiarch]

Funny. I get torched on here every time I mention Tesla burning its best customers but this is not a one off. It’s a consistent trend.
I still support this company and its products but that’s the truth. Anybody getting involved with Tesla for the first time should be told that in my opinion.

 

[That Beast Mode]

Funny. I get torched on here every time I mention Tesla burning its best customers but this is not a one off. It’s a consistent trend.
I still support this company and its products but that’s the truth. Anybody getting involved with Tesla for the first time should be told that in my opinion.

Nah I think the consensus on this one is most people are not happy with this decision and agree with you. You'll still get the few "you knew what you were getting" when u bought people, which is technically true, but most are feeling burnt. I am a first time Tesla owner and I wish I knew a lot of these things sooner. I feel like I made every possible mistake when buying my truck (Which I love more than any other vehicle - don't get me wrong). I missed a NJ tax credit of about $3500 by buying 3 weeks too late, missed free supercharging by buying 3 weeks too early, a month or two later the price dropped... etc.. While I didn't put a deposit on the range extender yet - I had planned on getting one, I just wanted to see real world use feedback before pulling the trigger.

 

[devdrone6]

Got my refund today ?
Would rather have my extender but oh well.

 

[spacebar75]

Got my refund today ?
Would rather have my extender but oh well.

How long was it from getting the email to the money being deposited back ? Waiting since 4 days for it...

 

[mongo]

What the Cybertruck really needs in my opinion are mppt inputs for portable solar panels.
The extra battery pack would make the range longer which is nice, but solar inputs would turn it into an unstrandable vehicle that with enough patience could leave anywhere and power anything. Theoretical infinite range.
Perhaps the connectors that were built in to the trucks with the intention of allowing the range extender to be installed could somehow be used for this purpose.

The Cybertruck body is 80"x224". If 100% of that area were 20% efficient solar panels and solar irradiance was 1kW/m², you could maximally generate 2.3 kWh * 12 hours of sun = 27.7 kWh/day / 380 Wh/mile = 73 miles of range per day

Propane portable generator does it cheaper, quicker, and lighter.

 

[mongo]

How long was it from getting the email to the money being deposited back ? Waiting since 4 days for it...

I think we all got the email on the 7th (Wednesday). Discover shows the refund started the 8th, but hasn't posted yet.

 

[devdrone6]

How long was it from getting the email to the money being deposited back ? Waiting since 4 days for it...

A lot quicker than getting wheel covers. ?

 

[mongo]

Also, from a physics and economics standpoints, it didn't make a lot of sense either.

What was wrong with the physics? (Beyond asymmetrical axle loading)

Economically, a {$80k, $100, $120} + $16k vehicle that can get me to my destination is better than an {$80k, $100, $120} vehicle that can't, but it's situation dependent...

 

[Outdoors]

I thought you were smarter than that.

Nope, just not as naive as you.

The Cybertruck body is 80"x224". If 100% of that area were 20% efficient solar panels and solar irradiance was 1kW/m², you could maximally generate 2.3 kWh * 12 hours of sun = 27.7 kWh/day / 380 Wh/mile = 73 miles of range per day

Propane portable generator does it cheaper, quicker, and lighter.

So if one wants to spend an indefinite time away from power. Does one bring a fractional distiller with them? Maybe the 73 miles from solar might be better than bottles of propane bouncing around in the truck.

 

[mongo]

So if one wants to spend an indefinite time away from power. Does one bring a fractional distiller with them? Maybe the 73 miles from solar might be better than bottles of propane bouncing around in the truck.

I was addressing the unstrandable aspect (replacing the range extender). If infinite range is the goal (or setting up a remote site with recharge capabilities ?), go with solar.
My use case is getting truck + travel trailer the last X miles to a Supercharger.

 

[TripleB]

It was a dumb idea. They are coming out with a long-range version.

 

[rudedawg78]

Soooo surprising...

not

 

[hemiarch]

The Cybertruck body is 80"x224". If 100% of that area were 20% efficient solar panels and solar irradiance was 1kW/m², you could maximally generate 2.3 kWh * 12 hours of sun = 27.7 kWh/day / 380 Wh/mile = 73 miles of range per day

Propane portable generator does it cheaper, quicker, and lighter.

Very logical. I’m not suggesting the Cybertruck body be used exclusively as the surface area. I’m suggesting that having solar inputs would allow people to configure whatever portable array they want when parked. Currently, I carry 4 600w allpowers solar panels and a delta 3 pro generator that can accept them and deliver 240v charge via the mobile connector. For me that amounts to about 4-8 miles per hour when I’m camping depending on conditions. Real world experience, it has completely eliminated national park range anxiety for me and my family.
The generator is big and heavy though and would be unnecessary if there was an mppt input that could accept multiple portable panels wired in series to produce higher voltages.
What you’re saying about propane is completely true but that not only requires carrying the propane (concern here is space, not weight for me) but also requires that you be able to go somewhere that can refill propane. This eats up vacation time and requires driving somewhere thereby burning juice.
I also personally don’t think I would enjoy carrying a volatile pressurized gas in my recreational vehicle or combusting fuel of any kind at my campsite to refuel my car thereby defeating some of the purpose of a “clean” excursion in an EV, something I truly enjoy.

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