The Tesla Cybertruck Range Extender Is Coming Next Year

You’ll need to pay a $500 non-refundable deposit to reserve the extra battery pack. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Tesla says the Cybertruck range-extending battery can bump the driving range to over 470 miles

Photo by: Tesla

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Aug 12, 2024 at 10:00am ET

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The add-on battery pack that can give the Tesla Cybertruck a maximum driving range of over 470 miles on a full charge will go into production at the beginning of next year, according to the American EV maker’s website.

The range-extending battery was announced last November when deliveries of the electric pickup officially started but details about it were scarce.

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Nearly 500 miles

When the Cybertruck was first shown in 2019, Elon Musk touted its ability to drive over 500 miles on a full charge. Fast-forward five years and that still isn't possible in the production-spec truck, even with the optional (and rather expensive) range-extender battery. According to Tesla, the drop-in battery box can bump the range to over 470 miles.

To reserve the accessory, owners must pay a non-refundable $500 deposit to get priority installation. Following the start of production, reservation holders will be notified that their drop-in extender is ready.

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Speaking about the installation, a Tesla service center will handle it to ensure the roughly 500-pound box doesn’t fly away in case of a crash, as Wes Morill, the truck’s lead engineer explained last month in a reply on X. This means you won’t be able to just pop the range extender in and out as you please, which could cause some headaches in the long run.

The battery takes up roughly one-third of the Cybertruck’s bed while adding around 120 miles of range for a total of 470-plus miles for the dual-motor all-wheel drive version and 440-plus miles for the tri-motor Cyberbeast.

Tesla didn’t say how much the range extender weighs, but a quick napkin math session here at InsideEVs revealed that the add-on could tip the scales anywhere from 500 to 600 lbs because of the roughly 575 4680 battery cells that have a total capacity of around 47 kilowatt-hours.

Tesla Cybertruck range extender reservation option on Tesla's website

The extra range offered by the extender is a welcome addition, but it still won’t make the Cybertruck capable of driving 500 miles on a full charge, although Tesla CEO Elon Musk said a future version of the add-on battery will do that. However, the drawbacks could outweigh the benefits.

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For starters, the range extender is listed on Tesla’s website at an estimated price of $16,000, which is a lot of money. Then, there’s the fact that you won’t be able to use a third of the bed when the battery is installed. Lastly, the weight of the pack will eat into the total payload capacity and the charging sessions will be longer because you’ll have to top up two battery packs instead of just one.

Is it worth it? We’re not sure. But let us know what you think in the comments below.

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