Electric vehicle giant Tesla has just hinted that the battery size of the all-electric pickup Cybertruck may witness a twofold size increase in the future, potentially addressing many customers’ complaints about its current driving range.
Cybertruck teardown
Industry veteran Sandy Munro and his engineers continue to teardown the Tesla Cybertruck. They recently focused on the electric pickup’s battery pack.
After they removed the Tesla Cybertruck’s casing, they discovered a huge empty space inside. Some suggest the space could fit twice as many Tesla 4680 battery cells.
In response, Tesla Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill has practically confirmed the empty space inside the electric pickup.
“I’d say it’s half full…”
Tesla Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill
Despite Morrill’s confirmation, it does not necessarily mean that all Cybertruck will feature a 246kWh battery pack. If it does, the Cybertruck will undoubtedly witness a significant price hike.
For instance, the Range Extender’s 140-mile range boost hints that the battery pack will be approximately 47kWh. It costs $20,000, so an additional 123kWh of 4680 cells will cost over 2.5 times that amount.
Tesla’s original promised range for the Cybertruck
In hindsight, Tesla originally announced in 2019 that the Cybertruck would come with a 500-mile (804km) driving range. After four years, Tesla revealed the final specifications of the Cybertruck. However, it only delivers a 340-mile (547km) range.
Tesla developed the Range Extender, which is due later this year. It promises to boost the Cybertruck’s driving range to 470 miles (756km).
Excitingly, the enormous empty space inside the Cybertruck suggests that Tesla may be planning to further increase the Cybertruck’s battery size in the future.
Cybertruck Supercharging improvements
One of the major complaints from early Cybertruck owners is the poor charging curve of the 4680 battery cells when plugged in at Tesla Superchargers.
For reference, Tesla currently markets the electric pickup with a charging capability of 128 miles (206km) in 15 minutes. In a significant development, Tesla Powertrain and Energy Engineering SVP Drew Baglino said the forthcoming software update will boost the current charging speed to 154 miles (247km) in 15 minutes. It indicates a 20% increase compared to the prior charging speed.
SVP Baglino shared that Tesla will officially release the software update to enhance the Cybertruck’s charging curve as early as this quarter. However, he omitted to share if the Tesla Model Y with 4680 battery cells will also receive the software update.
Munro’s team promises to unveil more information about the technical specifications of the Cybertruck when they publish the full teardown video.
