Tesla Cybertruck needs separate battery pack in the bed to get the range it promised
Tesla Cybertruck has officially launched and the range is a bit disappointing as the automaker introduces a new “range extender”, which is a separate battery pack that sits in the bed of the pickup truck.
For a second, I was upset at the end of the Cybertruck delivery event because CEO Elon Musk didn’t mention anything about the vehicle’s range or pricing.
It was certainly a strange decision.
Tesla ended up releasing all the pricing and range details on its website right after the event.
But we were still confused even after that because the range was listed with and without something called “range extender”.
| Rear-Wheel Drive | All-Wheel Drive | CyberBeast | |
| Price | $60,990 | $79,990 | $99,990 |
| Range | 250 miles | 340 miles | 320 miles |
| Range with extender | Not mentioned | 470+ miles | 440+ miles |
Range extender is a strange term for Tesla to use. In the past, it was used by other automakers when talking about a small gas generator to increase the range in electric vehicles, like in the original BMW i3.
We had to get clarification and the only place to do that these days is with Elon on X. Fortunately, he responded to my inquiry pretty quickly:
He explained that the Tesla Cybertruck range extender is an optional battery pack that fits on the back of the truck’s bed and takes about one-third of the cargo space.
Tesla SVP of Engineering, Drew Baglino, confirmed that it is a “toolbox-size” battery pack that sits next to the cabin like this (featured image above has since been updated to the real Tesla range extender):
Tesla claims that the pack results in an additional 130 miles of range on the Cybertruck dual motor.
Based on that, it should be a fairly significant pack with 30 to 40 kWh of capacity.
There’s no word on how heavy it is going to be and how easy it is to get in and out of the truck because based on Musk and Baglino’s comments, the idea is to only have it in the truck when needed.
There’s also no word on pricing and availability.
Electrek’s Take
That’s a weird move from Tesla. Obviously, the biggest bummer is the fact that Tesla doesn’t deliver on range without this.
The Dual Motor is getting an “estimated range” of 340 miles, but we have seen prototypes having displayed range between 267 and 290 miles, which is likely more representative of real-world range then the estimated EPA range.
It’s nowhere near the range that it announced back when it first unveiled the Cybertruck in 2019.
Now, there are some advantages and disadvantages to the design.
Disadvantages:
- Getting in and out of the bed is a hassle
- It takes up cargo space in the back
- How does it connect to the powertrain and charge when on the truck?
Advantages:
- Your truck is more efficient when you don’t need the extra range
- You can use the pack at home like a Powerwall?
Some of these remain to be confirmed, but things like being used at home like a Powerwall would make a ton of sense.
What do you think about Tesla’s Range Extender move? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Enphase Energy just launched a new off-grid system that lets homeowners power their homes without a utility connection – even for extended periods. The California-based Enphase says the off-grid setup delivers a seamless way to live independently from the grid while still using solar, batteries, and a standby AC generator.
A full off-grid setup
The new system combines Enphase’s IQ Battery 5P with embedded grid-forming microinverters, IQ8 Series Microinverters with Sunlight JumpStart, and a third-party standby AC generator. The components work together to supply power to a home and automatically manage energy sources to maximize efficiency and reliability.
If the batteries are drained and the generator runs out of fuel, the Sunlight JumpStart feature can automatically recharge the batteries the next morning once the sun comes up.
The IQ Battery 5P delivers 3.84 kVA of power per 5 kWh of capacity, and systems can be scaled up to 40 kWh and 15.4 kVA. That’s enough power to start big household appliances like HVAC systems or water pumps. The IQ System Controller 3G provides the backbone, managing solar, batteries, and generator inputs to deliver up to 46 kVA of off-grid power.
Smarter control and connectivity
Each system connects to the cloud through Enphase’s IQ Combiner 5C HDK, which bundles solar interconnection, communications, and metering into one box. For homes without reliable broadband, the built-in 4G LTE Cat 4 modem keeps the system online for monitoring, firmware updates, and remote support.
Homeowners can manage everything from the Enphase App – from solar generation and battery status to generator integration and load control.
Why it matters
As grid outages become more common and homeowners look for ways to gain energy independence, off-grid systems like this are becoming more appealing.
“With the launch of our off-grid solution, we are giving homeowners a reliable path to complete energy independence,” said Nitish Mathur, Enphase’s SVP of customer experience. Enphase says over 100 homes are already operating entirely off-grid using its technology. The company plans to expand availability beyond the US in 2026.
Read more: Battery boom: 5.6 GW of US energy storage added in Q2
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Global offshore wind targets are still strong enough to triple global capacity by 2030, despite the US’s offshore wind stagnation under Trump. A new analysis from energy think tank Ember and the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) shows that the rest of the world is charging forward, underscoring confidence in offshore wind as a cornerstone of future clean energy systems.
Based on the latest NHTSA report, Tesla’s ‘Robotaxis’ keep crashing in Austin, Texas, despite ‘safety monitors’ preventing an unknown number of crashes.
Under an NHTSA Standing General Order SGO, automakers are required to report crashes involving their autonomous driving (ADS) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) within five days of being notified of them.
For years, Tesla was only reporting ADAS crashes, since, despite the names of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems, they are only considered level 2 driver assistance systems.
Since the launch of the Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, where Tesla moved the supervisor from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat, it has now reported its first few crashes under the ADS reporting.
In the first month of operation in July, Tesla reported three crashes with its ‘Robotaxi’ service in Austin.
This week, NHTSA has updated its crash report and revealed a 4th crash that happened in September:
| Report ID | Incident Date | Incident Time (24:00) | Make | Model | Model Year | Automation System Engaged? | Highest Injury Severity Alleged | Crash With | Roadway Type | Weather |
| 13781-11687 | SEP-2025 | 01:25 | TESLA | Model Y | 2026 | ADS | Property Damage. No Injured Reported | Other Fixed Object | Parking Lot | Partly Cloudy |
As we previously highlighted, when it comes to both ADS and ADAS crash reporting, Tesla abuses the redacting capacity and hides most information about its crashes, unlike most of its competitors.
Therefore, we don’t have much information about this new crash, but it reportedly occurred in a parking lot and involved a Tesla Robotaxi crashing into a “fixed object,” resulting in property damage.
What’s most interesting about this crash is that it comes as Tesla released the first bit of data about its Robotaxi program in Austin.
During its earnings call last week, Tesla confirmed that the Robotaxi fleet has traveled 250,000 miles since its launch in late June.
Therefore, Tesla Robotaxi currently crashes at a rate of about once every 62,500 miles. That’s with a safety monitor with a finger on a kill switch, ready to stop the vehicle at all times.
We have no data on how often Tesla’s safety monitors prevent crashes in its robotaxis.
For comparison, the NHTSA report lists 1,267 crashes involving Waymo vehicles. However, Waymo’s robotaxis have covered over 125 million fully driverless miles since inception. That’s a crash every 98,600 miles and without any onboard safety monitor.
Electrek’s Take
That’s the problem with comparing Tesla and Waymo.
At least we can now clearly see that Waymo’s incident rate is much lower than Tesla’s, but that’s with a safety monitor in Tesla robotaxis that prevents an untold number of crashes.
The actual difference could be 10x higher. We simply don’t know. Tesla has always refused to share any data regarding disengagement or intervention rates.
One thing is clear: Tesla is way behind Waymo in autonomous driving safety.
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