Tesla Cybertruck $16K Range Extender and Original Promised Range Is Officially Not Happening
According to a Cybertruck customer email seen by Electrek , Tesla confirmed that the range extender option is dead for good. The customer put a deposit down on the range extender, as an add-on for their truck, but will get their $2,000 back.
'Thank you for being a Cybertruck owner,' the email read, according to the outlet. 'We are no longer planning to sell the Range Extender for Cybertruck. As a result, we will be refunding your deposit in full. The amount will be returned to the original payment method used for the transaction.' Tesla
This is the end of a seven-month saga, but it's worth remembering how we got here. When Tesla first announced the Cybertruck, its top-end, tri-motor Cyberbeast model was supposed to have a range of 500 miles. It ultimately rolled out with 320 miles. To rectify that, Tesla announced a range extender way back in 2023, and priced it at $16,000 last fall, which left customers scratching their heads.
Unlike most EV range extenders, Tesla's wasn't a small gas-powered engine. Instead, it was just an additional battery pack that ate up space in the already compromised bed. However, it only bumped range to an initially claimed 440 miles (470 miles for the dual-motor version), which was still lower than the truck's original 500-mile claim. Its added range figures were then quietly updated to 445 miles for the dual-motor truck, and 415 miles for the Cyberbeast. Tesla initially said the range extender was coming in early 2025, and it was taking reservations along with a $2,000 deposit.
Unsurprisingly, it was delayed. In late 2024, Tesla pushed the delivery date goal post back to 'mid-2025' but kept taking reservations. Last month, we reported that the range extender option for new Cybertrucks disappeared from Tesla's website entirely. Despite no official announcement from the automaker, its disappearance led customers to believe that their long-range dreams were dead. Based on today's news, those expectations appear to be true.
Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com
Nico DeMattia is a staff writer at The Drive. He started writing about cars on his own blog to express his opinions when no one else would publish them back in 2015, and eventually turned it into a full-time career.
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