The Cybertruck has gotten its long-awaited Range Extender. Like many EV companies, Tesla is offering this bigger battery to increase the miles of its vehicle. But in this case, added range comes at a significant cost: $16,000, and rather than being hidden into the chassis, the extender occupies over a third of the truck bed. It appears to be another oil stain in the Cybertruck’s long résumé of ridiculous design disasters.
When first announced, Elon Musk claimed the Cybertruck would offer a version capable of 500 miles on a single charge, a significant promise for an electric pickup. Of course, like many of Musk’s promises, that turned out to be a lie. As production commenced, this figure was revised down to 340 miles, with the pledge of achieving the full 500 miles only with the help of a yet-to-be-released range extender. Now that the range extender has been announced, we know now that the additional battery pack must be installed by Tesla in the truck’s bed for a whooping $16,000.
The shocker doesn’t end at the price sticker: The range extender does boost the Cybertruck’s range, but only up to a theoretical, Tesla-rated 470 miles, falling short of the original 500-mile claim. And it will only be available in “early 2025” which, knowing Tesla’s repeatedly delayed release date promises, could end being “late 2025,” “early 2026,” and then “somewhere over the rainbow.”
Losing the allure of a pickup truck
But more concerning for potential buyers is the impact this extender has on the vehicle’s functionality. The additional battery pack occupies what looks to be a few inches more than a third of the truck’s bed space, reducing the total available space to just four feet. For a vehicle marketed as a utility pickup, this reduction in cargo space is just bonkers. While the range extender might make sense for those who frequently tow heavy loads or need the extra mileage for long-distance travel, its entire design goes directly against the very idea of a pickup truck which, by nature, must be built around utility and cargo capacity. Sacrificing more than two feet of bed space for limited additional range seems counterintuitive to this purpose. Then again, perhaps the Cybertruck is not a serious utility truck but just a status (?) symbol for rich Dom Pérignon and caviar eco warriors.
Although the range extender’s weight remains undisclosed, given the heavy nature of lithium ion battery technology and the pictured size, it’s logical to assume that this range extender will add a considerable extra load to the vehicle. The added weight could have implications for the truck’s handling, acceleration, and overall efficiency.
To make matters worse, the Cybertruck’s base cost now starts at $102,235. Adding the extender brings the total to $118,235 without actually achieving the 500-range mile mark. For some customers, this steep price hike for a feature that still doesn’t meet the original range promise has to be difficult to justify.
Compare this to the Chevrolet Silverado EV RST 2025, with a range rated by the manufacturer at 440 miles (Car and Driver got 400 miles in their 75-mph highway range test). The Chevy truck’s bed is 5 feet 11 inches, which is 11 inches longer than the Ford Lightning, 17 inches longer than the Rivian R1T, and only 1 inch shorter than the Cybertruck’s. But add the extender to the latter and the Silverado is about two feet longer (the Silverado is three inches wider than Tesla’s pickup). The Silverado RST is also cheaper, going from $90,000 to $100,000 depending on options.
Beyond the range extender, the Cybertruck has faced a seemingly insurmountable series of challenges since its initial unveiling, with multiple recalls and several reports of design and construction issues, including misaligned doors, unwanted acceleration, and critical system errors affecting the high-voltage and steering systems. More recently, safety concerns have emerged regarding the frunk’s lack of anti-pinch sensors and its heavy passenger doors’ razor-sharp edges, raising the risk of severing fingers.
The extender is just another chapter in the history of a vehicle that was once touted as a revolutionary step forward for electric trucks and now has been revealed to be an embarrassing, ill-considered dud.