Tesla Cybertruck’s Range Extender No Longer Available to Order
Sales of the Tesla Cybertruck so far have fallen far short of the million-plus reservations the company claimed to have before it went on sale. High prices and lower-than-expected range are to blame.
For starters, the Cybertruck costs a lot more than Tesla had us believing when the concept was unveiled in late 2019. The two models currently in the lineup start at $114,990 and $142,990 in Canada—and that's after the $23,000 drop that followed the discontinuation of the Foundation Series edition.
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As for range, we’re talking about a maximum of 523 km or 515 km depending on the model, which is on par with the Ford F-150 Lightning yet way short of the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. Oh sure, Tesla had this plan to offer a range-extending battery enabling over 710 km—instead of the 800 km promised by Elon Musk in 2019—but we may never actually see it after the option was quietly removed from Tesla’s online configurator in recent days, both in Canada and the U.S.
As shown by the picture above, the range extender was a toolbox-sized battery set against the back of the cab, fitting in about a third of the cargo bed. The problem is that it would significantly affect the Cybertruck’s capabilities, starting with the payload of 2,500 lbs and bed volume of 1,897 litres. Furthermore, with the resulting heavier GVWR, towing up to 11,000 lbs would no longer be possible.
At this point, Tesla has not said why it removed the range extender option, or if and when it plans to resume reservations. Deliveries were initially supposed to start in early 2025, then mid-2025.
As for the Cybertruck itself, unsold Foundation Series models are easy to find and heavily discounted in most cases. If you order a new truck today, there’s a wait time of 1-3 weeks according to Tesla Canada’s website.
