Would you be satisfied with Tesla’s offer for qualifying Cybertruck owners?
Tesla has canceled the Cybertruck’s planned range extender after initially marketing the $16,000 accessory as a solution to the model’s lower-than-expected range. Elon Musk had previously claimed that the Cybertruck would offer up to 500 miles of range between charges, but as of now, the Cyberbeast can go 320 miles, the AWD variant can go 325 miles, and the Long Range (RWD) variant can handle 350 miles. Tesla is also ditching plans to release Autosteer as a standard Cybertruck feature bundled into Autopilot. Instead, the automaker is offering non-Foundation Series Cybertruck owners, excluding those who have already bought Full Self-Driving (FSD) outright, one free year of FSD, which includes Autosteer. All other Teslas contain Autosteer as a standard feature within Autopilot.
Tesla
The range extender would have increased the AWD Cybertruck’s range from 325 miles to 445-plus miles, and the tri-motor Cyberbeast’s range from 320 to 440 miles with standard tires, according to Teslarati. The top–tier Cybertruck initially planned to offer up to 500 miles of range, while the RWD and AWD variants were slated to have over 250 miles of range and 300 miles of range, respectively. By comparison, competitors like Chevrolet’s Silverado EV handily beat the Cybertruck with up to 492 miles of range, along with the Rivian R1T and its 390-mile range. According to KBB, Tesla is sending deposit refunds to customers who reserved a range extender, which was essentially going to be a battery half the size of the first that mounted into the Cybertruck’s bed and reduced its space. Installation and removal of the range extender would have been limited to Tesla technicians.
What Tesla told its qualifying Cybertruck customers
Tesla released a statement to qualifying customers that read: “Your Cybertruck VIN is eligible for a free, 1-year Full Self-Driving (Supervised) trial. As we improve our Autopilot technology, our feature sets will change. Accordingly, Autosteer will not be available for Cybertruck outside of Full Self-Driving (Supervised).” In order to qualify for the trial, eligible Cybertruck owners must subscribe to FSD by June 6, with customers able to use the rest of the one-year trial if they choose to cancel. However, Cybertrucks lack several standard Autopilot features, not just Autosteer. The standard Autopilot suite, which operates below FSD’s capabilities, includes Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, Lane Assist, Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Avoidance, and Forward Collision Warning in addition to Autosteer. Tesla drivers can purchase FSD outright for $8,000 or pay $99 monthly for the service.
Tesla
Final thoughts
In early April, reports emerged that Tesla had quietly removed the range extender battery option from the Cybertruck’s online configurator. We now have confirmation that the Cybertruck’s peak range won’t come close to what Tesla initially promised. While Tesla will likely develop a Cybertruck with more range if it decides to release future versions, Elon Musk’s list of unfulfilled Tesla promises has grown even longer, and the Autosteer disappointment is salt in the wound, even with the FSD trial offer. If this sounds dramatic, remember that the new base RWD Cybertruck, which loses tons of features in a trade-off for more range, starts at $69,990, the Dual-Motor AWD variant begins at $79,990, and the Cyberbeast has a $99,990 base price. In other words, this model seems too expensive not to offer features like Autosteer and underdeliver on its range at the same time.