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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Tesla recently showed off Giga Small Haus, an interesting new display project hosted at Giga Berlin. The small new house is located just outside the main entrance of Tesla’s Giga Berlin factory, with a Quicksilver Model Y parked inside.
Giga Small Haus is powered only by solar and Powerwall 3 - disconnected from the local grid and from Giga Berlin itself. It serves as a live demonstration of Tesla Solar and Tesla’s Powerwall battery backup.
Giga Small Haus
The centerpiece of the display is a Model Y in Quicksilver - a beautiful pick for a beautifully lit house. However, that’s not the real focus here - it's the Powerwall and Gateway on the wall.
The Powerwall is the focus of Giga Small Haus, and there’s a display with some additional information on the wall. Part of the display also includes a screen that displays the current output of the Powerwall itself versus the consumption of Giga Small Haus, as well as the input from solar.
The interior exhibit of Giga Small Haus
Not a Tesla App
The text on the exhibit is divided into several sections. Here’s a translated and edited version of what we can see from Tesla’s images. Some additional text is obscured. If someone visits Giga Small Haus, let us know.
Powerwall
Powerwall is a home battery system that stores energy from solar panels, the electrical grid, or during off-peak hours and powers your home during the day or during a power outage.
With Powerwall, you can use self-generated solar energy during the day and night, thus avoiding high electricity costs. You can also store excess energy produced during sunny periods for use during times of low production or power outages.
Key Features
Energy Storage: Powerwall stores excess energy from solar panels or the grid for later use or during power outages.
Backup Power: In the event of a power outage, Powerwall automatically switches to battery power to ensure continuous power supply.
Integration: Powerwall can be seamlessly integrated with existing solar systems and other power sources.
Scalability: Multiple Powerwalls can be installed to meet higher energy storage needs.
Smart Energy Management: Powerwall works with Tesla's software to optimize energy consumption and reduce costs.
How Powerwall Works
Storage: During the day, when solar panels produce more energy than needed, the excess is stored in Powerwall.
Usage: At night or during times of low solar production, the stored energy is used to power the home, reducing reliance on the grid.
Backup: During a power outage, Powerwall automatically provides power to critical circuits, ensuring continuous operation of essential appliances.
Benefits
Cost Savings: By storing and using solar energy, you can reduce your electricity bills.
Reliability: Provides backup power during outages, ensuring your home remains powered.
Sustainability: Promotes the use of renewable energy by storing excess solar production for later use.
Overall, Giga Small Haus is an interesting real-life demo of what Powerwall and Solar can accomplish. It would be neat if Tesla built more of these displays - perhaps near major Delivery and Service Centers and at Giga Texas, Fremont, Giga Shanghai, and other facilities. Many Tesla owners have yet to learn about and experience some of Tesla’s Energy products.
Tesla has added the Acceleration Boost option to the Tesla store for owners of the 2024 Model 3 Long Range - specifically owners in Australia and China. Acceleration Boost is an upgrade that provides a significant performance boost, drastically narrowing the performance gap between the Long Range and Performance versions of the same model.
This upgrade will likely become available in Europe, Canada, and the United States in the next few days as Tesla updates its shops globally.
Acceleration Boost
This new Acceleration Boost is retailing for $3,000 AUD, or approximately $2,000 USD. That’s the same price for current owners of older Model 3 or Model Y Long Range vehicles, which all have the option to purchase Acceleration Boost through the shop.
The boost provides improved 0-100km/h (0-60mph) performance, bumping the 2024 Model 3 LR from 4.4s to 3.8s. The 2024 Performance version comes in at a blazing fast 2.9 seconds, so while it isn’t equivalent to just buying a performance variant in the first place, it is still a noticeable and significant upgrade.
Performance variants also come with a different front fascia vent for cooling, performance drive units, sport seats, adaptive suspension, 20-inch wheels, and Track Mode V3. That’s a significant number of additional features in the $10,000 USD price difference between the Long Range and Performance versions.
Should You Buy It?
If you’ve purchased a Long Range model and are itching to go just that little bit faster at every red light, this is the upgrade for you. It previously came with the cost of slightly reducing vehicle range, but the Tesla store doesn’t make a note of reduced range this time around. The 2023 Model 3 and Model Y Long Range models had an efficiency loss of about 5% due to the additional always-available acceleration and cooling.
You could drive in Chill mode to mostly negate that efficiency loss, but what’s the fun in driving in Chill when you just got Acceleration Boost? Anyhow, the shop listing for the 2024 variant doesn’t include this detail, so it's possible Tesla may have worked some more engineering magic.
Overall, if you’ve got the $3,000 AUD burning a hole in your pocket, some Tesla referral credits sitting around, or just want to go faster, it's definitely an upgrade many users find valuable.
