Cybertruck ‘Release Candidate’ spotted supercharging, shows why we need V4
A Tesla Cybertruck labeled as an “RC Engineering Prototype” has been spotted supercharging in Las Vegas, showing why V4 superchargers will be needed as more vehicles get access to the supercharger network.
The Tesla Cybertruck is coming soon, and we’ve been seeing more and more pics and videos of it testing in recent days. We’ve seen it towing a trailer, with the frunk open and liner installed, and the components under the hood and the interior.
We’ve also seen it wearing silly wraps, looking like an F-150 or a Tundra. But now we’re seeing it in new clothes, with stickers on the side and rear that say “RC_BUILD ENGINEERING PROTOTYPE.”
In software, “RC” stands for “release candidate” and is used to designate an internal build of software that is basically the final internal version before release. It’s further along than the alpha and beta versions would be.
And so, this is the “final” version of the Cybertruck before going into full production, if Tesla’s stickers are to be believed.
In the video, we can see that the RC has several wires and sensors attached. Two are taped to the vehicle near the charging port (which makes sense if they’re testing supercharging), and one runs between the tow hitch area and the rear passenger window. The driver of the truck is an employee wearing a “McKinley Laboratory” T-shirt, though, as you might expect, he couldn’t say anything about what was happening.
The video, posted to YouTube by Tesla Uber Guy, shows the truck charging at a supercharger, but due to the truck’s size, the cable is looking a bit stretched. There’s still some slack in it, but not much, and you can tell that the truck is cheated to the right side of the parking spot to give a little extra room:
Anyone who has supercharged will know that the cables aren’t very long and don’t give you a ton of wiggle room when backing into a spot. You feel like you need to get quite close to the curb/charger in order to reach it. (Hmm, it sure would be nice to have parking sensors to help with that.)
But the Cybertruck compounds this problem by being a much larger vehicle and thus taking up most of the spot. Tesla says the Cybertruck will be the first sub-19-foot pickup with four doors and a 6-foot bed, but that’s still about 3 feet longer than a Model 3, and it will be wider as well. The Cybertruck’s charging port is on the wheel well, which is a little further forward in the vehicle than the ports that are placed beside the taillight in other Teslas.
This Cybertruck RC also has a tow hitch attached, which in the video looks like it’s very close to bumping against the “Tesla charging only” sign:
This chonky boi may have been able to supercharge just fine in this video, but it might be more difficult in a crowded lot (due to cheating to one side of the spot) or if the tailgate on the truck is down due to hauling things. In that case, V2/V3 superchargers seem like they simply won’t have enough slack to reach the charging port above the wheel well of the Cybertruck.
Luckily, the new V4 superchargers are rolling out, and one major improvement they come with is longer cables. Instead of the short cables on previous supercharger versions, the V4 includes a roughly 10-foot-long cable.
And they can’t come soon enough. With the Cybertruck set to hit the road imminently, and with other manufacturers committing to NACS, there will no longer be one standard placement for Tesla supercharger spots – on the far left rear corner of the car.
Having more reach will allow cars to charge if their ports are in different places or on the “wrong” side of the vehicle. We’re already seeing some chaotic situations after Tesla installed the Magic Dock that allows other cars to use superchargers. So V4 can’t come fast enough.
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Powered by tech giant Huawei 5G-Advanced network, a fleet of over 100 Huaneng Ruichi all-electric autonomous haul trucks and heavy equipment assets have been deployed at the Yimin open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia.
With more than 100 units on site, China’s state-backed Huaneng Group officially deployed the world’s largest fleet of unmanned electric mining trucks at the Yimin coal plant in Inner Mongolia this past week. The autonomous trucks use the same Huawei Commercial Vehicle Autonomous Driving Cloud Service (CVADCS) powered by the ame 5G-Advanced (5G-A) network that powers its self-driving car efforts. Huawei says it’s the key to enabling the Yimin mine’s large-scale vehicle-cloud-network synergy.
Huawei is calling the achievement a “world’s first,” saying the new system has improved operator safety at Yimin while setting new benchmarks for AI and autonomous mining.
The autonomous mine project aligns with a broader push by Chinese government and industry to integrate AI and advanced connectivity into traditional industries – an approach we’ve already seen meet with great success in port environments by Hesai and Westwell.
And, if technology like Rocsys’ charging robots take off, these autonomous haul trucks won’t even need anyone to plug them in at the end of their shifts!
For their part, Huaneng Ruichi claims its cabin-less electric offer an industry-leading 90 metric ton rating (that’s about 100 imperial tons) and the ability operate continually in extreme cold temperatures as low as -40° (it’s the same, C or F), while delivering 20% more operational efficiency than a human-driven truck.
The Huawei-issued press release is a bit light on truck specs, but similar 90 tonne electric units claim 350 or 422 kWh LFP battery packs and up to 565 hp from their electric drive motors and some 2,300 Nm (1,700 lb-ft) of tq from 0 rpm.
Huawei executives said the Ruichi trucks reflect the company’s vision for smarter mining operations, with the potential to introduce similar technologies in markets like Africa and Latin America. The 100 asset electric fleet marks the first phase of a plan to deploy 300 autonomous trucks at the Yimin mine by 2028.
Electrek’s Take
From drilling and rigging to heavy haul solutions, companies like Huaneng Group are proving that electric equipment is more than up to the task of moving dirt and pulling stuff out of the ground. At the same time, rising demand for nickel, lithium, and phosphates combined with the natural benefits of electrification are driving the adoption of electric mining machines while a persistent operator shortage is boosting demand for autonomous tech in those machines.
The combined factors listed above are rapidly accelerating the rate at which machines that are already in service are becoming obsolete – and, while some companies are exploring the cost/benefit of converting existing vehicles to electric, the general consensus seems to be that more companies will be be buying more new equipment more often in the years ahead – and more of that equipment will be more and more likely to be autonomous as time goes on.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Huawei, South China Morning Post, and Supply Chain Digital.
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Tesla has started accepting Cybertruck trade-ins, something that wasn’t the case more than a year after deliveries of the electric pickup truck started.
We are starting to see why Tesla didn’t accept its own vehicle as a trade-in: the depreciation is insane.
The Cybertruck has been a commercial flop.
When Tesla started production and deliveries in late 2023, the vehicle was significantly more expensive and had less performance than initially announced.
At one point, Tesla boasted having over 1 million reservations for the electric pickup truck, but only about 40,000 people ended up converting their reservations into orders.
Now, Cybertruck inventory is sitting unsold for months and Tesla is having to offer heavy discounts to move them.
We previously reported that Tesla refused to accept the Cybertruck, its own vehicle, as a trade-in more than a year after starting deliveries.
Tesla didn’t share an explanation at the time, but we assumed that the automaker knew the Cybertruck was depreciating at an incredible rate and didn’t want to be stuck with more trucks than it was already dealing with.
Now, Tesla has started taking Cybertruck trade-ins, at least for the Foundation Series, and it is now providing estimates to Cybertruck owners (via Cybertruck Owners Club):
Tesla sold a brand-new 2024 Cybertruck AWD Foundation Series for $100,000. Now, with only 6,000 miles on the odometer, Tesla is offering $65,400 for it – 34.6% depreciation in just a year.
Pickup trucks generally lose about 20% of their value after a year and 34% after about 3-4 years.
It’s also wroth nothing that Tesla’s online “trade-in estimates” are often higher than the final offer as noted in the footnote o fhte screenshot above.
Electrek’s Take
This is already extremely high depreciation, but Tesla is actually trying to save face with estimates like this one.
As Tesla wouldn’t even accept Cybertruck trade-ins, used car dealers also slowed down their purchases as they also didn’t want to be caught with the trucks sitting on their lots for too long.
On Car Guru, the Cybertruck’s depreciation is actually closer to 45% after a year and that’s more representative of the offers owners should expect from dealers.
That’s entirely Tesla’s fault. The company created no scarcity with the Foundation Series. They built as many as people wanted. In fact, they built too many and ended having to “buff out” the Foundation Series badges on some units to sell them as regular Cybertrucks and as of last month, Tesla still had some Cybertruck Foundations Series in inventory – meaning they have been sitting around for up to 6 months.
Now, Tesla is stuck with thousands of Cybertrucks, early owners are already getting rid of their vehicles at an impressive rate, and the automaker had to slow production to a crawl.
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Australian logistics company Linfox is making big moves to electrify its heavy-duty semi fleet with the addition of thirty new Volvo FH and FM Electric semi trucks as the Swedish brand works to begin production at its Brisbane facility.
Volvo Trucks is expecting to begin full scale production of its FH and FM Electric semi trucks at the Brisbane factory in early 2026, just in time to fill the Linfox order – which happens to be the company’s largest in Australia. So far.
“We are very proud to continue our close partnership with Linfox. The order for 30 Volvo electric trucks is proof of their trust in our company and in zero-emissions transport as a viable solution here and now,” said Roger Alm, President Volvo Trucks. “Our commitment to start building electric trucks in Australia demonstrates our confidence in this technology, and means we can offer an industry-leading range of purpose-built electric trucks all around the world.”
With the production kickoff of electric trucks in Australia, it means Volvo Trucks is building its big HDEVs and prime movers in five countries on three continents. Which, as the company’s electric fleet approaches the 100 millionth mile logged mark, probably means they’re pulling well ahead of some of the other guys.
“Linfox is excited to partner with Volvo in driving the future and leading sustainable logistics in Australia,” explains Peter Fox AM (Member of the Order of Australia), Executive Chairman of Linfox. “Further electrifying our fleet sets the standard for us and our customers and the entire industry.”
Linfox’ latest order includes 29 Volvo FH Electric and one FM Electric semi. The company currently has four electric Volvo trucks in its fleet of 195 semis, with plans to continue to electrify as ICE-powered assets reach retirement.
Electrek’s Take
Now counting miles in operation in the tens of millions and rolling out its third generation of electric semi trucks, Volvo (and, by extension, Mack and Renault) continue to build a huge lead in the commercial trucking space. The competition, meanwhile, seems content to post pictures of its first factory while trucks that have been on order for years still haven’t reached customers.
I can’t see how they (Tesla) catch up from here.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo Trucks.
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