Although the long-term mileage performance of Tesla’s Cybertruck is still uncertain, initial tests conducted on the few models that have been delivered do not show promising results.
The YouTube channel Out of Specs live-streamed their experience of renting and driving a Cybertruck for over five hours. Their finding: the pickup truck’s actual highway range was only 254 miles, which is much lower than the EPA’s estimated range of 320 miles. This is concerning because Tesla has already made compromises, particularly in terms of pricing.
To achieve the promised 500-mile range, the Tesla truck requires a large additional battery pack that occupies most of its truck bed. And that’s for the top trim level that Tesla’s started to deliver to customers. A less powerful entry-level trim that will go for $60,990 will have an even more meager 250-mile range — if it ever makes it into production sometime next year, that is.
The final outcome of Out of Specs’ test should be viewed with caution because there are other factors to consider, such as weather, tires, and the usage of certain features that could have affected the pickup truck’s battery capacity.
Additionally, the test was conducted on a highway in cold weather conditions, with a temperature of 46 degrees Fahrenheit. However, even in colder temperatures, which are often experienced in many regions, one would anticipate a $100,000 electric vehicle that has been highly praised to have a greater range.
Rivian’s R1T has an EPA range of 314 miles, with Reddit users reporting real-world figures of just under 300 miles. Ford’s F-150 Lighting impressed as well, covering well over 300 miles on a single charge in a real-world test.
To put it briefly, we will wait for more individuals to test drive the Cybertruck and see how it performs when its battery runs out before forming an opinion. But given what we’ve seen so far, it’s not looking great.
Reference- Out of Specs Review, Futurism, Tesla Cybertruck website, Inside EVs, Top Gear, Reddit