Tesla Engineer Offers Insight Into the Tesla Cybertruck's Range

The Cybertruck range remains a mystery

Cybertruck Owners Club

A chance sighting and a chatty Tesla engineer have added more mystery to the Cybertruck. The delivery event is just a little under a month away, and the price and range still need to be discovered.

A Cybertruck Owners Club forum member tried to get some information. A post on the forum reported spotting a Tesla Cybertruck at a Supercharger in Mojave, CA. The forum member noted the vehicle encountered charging issues and awaited a tow truck.

However, during this brief interaction, the Tesla engineer on site offered a a few hints about the truck's range, suggesting it to be "as good as or better than a Model X". For those unaware, the Tesla Model X, depending on its configuration, has an EPA-estimated range between 333 to 348 miles.

Range Rage

Comparative Analysis: Many members deduced that the rumored 350-mile range for the Cybertruck aligns with the Model X LR. This could make the 350 miles a legitimate benchmark for at least one version of the Cybertruck.

Tri-motor Questions: Speculations continue about whether the trimotor variant, initially advertised with "500+ miles" of range, will meet this lofty expectation. Some members doubt Tesa will hit the 500-mile mark, though they remain hopeful.

Performance vs. Utility: A key point raised in discussions was the importance of a 500-mile range for towing. Anything below this could affect the Cybertruck's utility, especially compared to ICE trucks.

A Look at the Competition

The electric vehicle sector, especially the pickup truck segment, is heating up. For comparison:

Rivian R1T: Depending on the configuration, it boasts a range between 270 and 410 miles.

Ford F-150 Lightning: Offers a range between 240 and 320 miles, contingent on battery and motor specs.

When set against these competitors, Tesla's Cybertruck, if the speculated ranges hold, appears to be a strong contender. During Tesla's unveiling four years ago, Tesla showed off three Cybertruck versions, ranging from a 250 mile range all the way up to 500.

Speaking of the competition, NHTSA data hints at the Cybertruck weighing less than the Ford F-150 Lightning while offering more towing capacity and payload, showcasing Tesla's dedication to performance and utility.

With Tesla's history of last-minute tweaks and improvements, it should not be surprising that the company is still finalizing the Cybertruck's specifics. The company has already been through "production hell" in 2017 and 2018. The second version of that may be playing out right now. With just over a month to get the deliveries out, nervous investors, pessimistic media, and Tesla enthusiasts can only wait for the big event.

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A Sneak Peak at Tesla's 2024.38 Software Update?

Not a Tesla App

Tesla has released software update 2024.38 to its employees for its last round of internal testing. Due to new policies, we haven’t been able to get release notes for the update yet. However, user TeslaNewsWire has posted a few of the features on X.

Only a few features are mentioned, and they’re all relatively minor, so we suspect there may be more to this update than has been posted. We also haven’t been able to confirm these release notes yet, so be aware that these features may or may not be included in Tesla’s upcoming update. Once we receive the release notes, we’ll post them on our software updates page.

The three features in the X post are Spotify changes, Improvements to Side Mirrors, and Improvements to WiFi.

Spotify

Since Premium Connectivity’s free Spotify Premium (for Europeans only) is going the way of the dodo, it looks like Tesla and Spotify will now allow you to log in to your Spotify account with a free account, at least in Europe and Australia. Tesla also recently announced that vehicles in North America that use the “Streaming” app will now be changed to a free version of Slacker that will include ads and other limitations.

If the ability to use Spotify for free is limited to Europe and Australia, where these users already had free access to Spotify Premium, then this isn’t a huge deal. However, if Tesla and Spotify now allow you to stream Spotify in your vehicle with a free account, that will be a huge win for many owners. The free version of Spotify has limited skips and includes ads. Other music services require you to have a premium or paid subscription before allowing you to stream in the vehicle. In either case, you’ll still need Tesla’s Premium Connectivity plan to stream music over the vehicle’s connection, or you could use your phone’s hotspot feature.

Side Mirrors

It looks like the side mirrors are finally getting some additional customization options.

First, you will apparently be able to customize and adjust the mirror’s tilt when reversing. By default, a Tesla’s side mirrors will angle downwards while reversing to provide a better perspective of what’s close to the edges of your vehicle, rather than your blind spots.

This will help folks who are either taller or shorter than the norm – you’ll now be able to customize the angles to better suit you. It’s a simple update, but a much-appreciated one!

Next up for the side mirrors – you’ll be able to fold them in the quick menu. That’s the menu that pops up when you press and hold down the left scroll wheel. You’ll also be able to unfold them from the quick menu as well.

Improved Wi-Fi Settings

This improvement is pretty vague, and we’re not sure exactly what Tesla means by this. We’re hoping for the option to select preferred networks, or even choose between 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz networks as required. We’ll definitely keep an eye out for details on this one.

This update is expected to start rolling out to users in the next week or two, so it won’t take long now before we’re able to see exactly what’s in Tesla’s latest software update.

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Tesla Starts Inviting Users to Configure Their Non-Foundation Series Cybertruck

Not a Tesla App

Tesla has opened up its configurator for non-Foundation Series Cybertrucks to reservation holders in the United States. The non-Foundation Series doesn’t come with all of the extras of the Foundation Series, but it’s quite a bit cheaper.

The Foundation Series includes laser-etched badges on the exterior, an internal cabin graphic on the dash, FSD, lifetime Premium Connectivity, Powershare Mobile Connector + a discounted Powershare Install, $2,500 USD (or $3,500 CAD) of Tesla Shop Credit, and some additional premium accessories. The Foundation Series Cyberbeast also comes with the Off-Road Lightbar.

Although the non-Foundation Series vehicles will not include these additional features, you can add most of them a-la-carte, such as Premium Connectivity, Powershare Wall Connector, FSD and others. The special edition badging and early access are the major things you’ll be missing out on.

Non-Foundation Series

The AWD Cybertruck now starts at $79,990 in the US and is expected to start at $109,990 in Canada, while the Tri-motor Cyberbeast is available for $99,990 in the US or $135,990 in Canada.

The AWD Cybertruck is currently NOT eligible for the Federal EV Tax Rebate in the US. If it was, it would bring the at-purchase price down to $72,500. It seems it is only eligible for the Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit, which can only be claimed when using the vehicle for commercial purposes.

In Canada, it is eligible for the Federal Heavy iZEV Rebate and excluded from the luxury tax due to its weight, thereby bringing the price down to $104,990 before tax—making it less expensive than the Model S or Model X Long Range.

It seems that Tesla intends to begin deliveries right away, as the emails state, “Your Cybertruck Is Ready for Delivery.” Tesla is likely sending these invites to early reservation holders who did not convert their orders to the Foundation Series and to those who made the $1,000 deposit for the Foundation Series but decided not to continue with those vehicles.

So far, these invites have only been sent to early reservation holders and will likely roll out further as orders are converted and stock becomes available. Tesla previously mentioned that they had over 2 million deposits for the Cybertruck, and that number was only climbing. We’re excited to see how fast they roll through the backlog.

Early reservation holders will also find the price of FSD maintained at $7,000 USD (FSD price history), as per the original booking price. The white interior costs an additional $2,000 USD, while changing from the Core Wheels to the Cyber Wheels is an additional $3,500 USD.

There is no news yet of these invites being sent out to Mexican or Canadian reservation holders at this time. The FS Cybertruck just began deliveries in Mexico, and they’re expected to begin deliveries in Canada around late October to early November.

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