Tesla Cybertruck Range Extender: Battery Size, Range, Price and Specs

By Kevin Armstrong
Not a Tesla App

At the Cybertruck event, Tesla showed off the Cybertruck’s extended battery, an optional accessory permanently mounted to the truck’s bed. This was Tesla’s solution to keeping the truck price as low as possible while also giving owners a chance to get close to the truck’s original range of 500 miles.

The Range Extender is engineered to boost the Cybertruck's mileage substantially, increasing the truck’s total range by about 35%.

Tesla's Range Extender is a departure from traditional range-extending methods, often involving gasoline generators. Its design, occupying roughly a third of the truck bed, strikes a balance between added functionality and maintaining the truck’s cargo space. It addresses range limitations and makes the Cybertruck more suitable for towing and long-range trips.

Range / Battery Size

The Ranger Extender extends the Cybertruck total range by 120 miles (193 km). For the Cyberbeast, it’ll take the truck’s range from 320 miles up to 440, whereas for the AWD version, the range will be increased from 325 miles to 445 miles.

These are Tesla’s latest numbers, which have been reduced slightly from Tesla’s original estimates that the Ranger Extender pegged at adding 130 miles.

The Ranger Extender uses a huge 47 kWh battery pack, which explains why it takes up a significant portion of the truck’s bed. For comparison, Tesla’s Standard Range+ Model 3 has a 54 kWh pack, capable of driving about 260 miles.

Price

Though official pricing for the Range Extender has yet to be officially announced, it looks like it’ll be priced at a hefty $16,000 USD. The night the Range Extender was revealed, code was found on Tesla’s website that showed off the $16,000 price tag. However, it’s not clear whether this price was a placeholder or if the price will change before it becomes officially available.

Size & Weight

The Ranger Extender fits perfectly alongside the back of the Cybertruck’s bed. Instead of being laid evenly across the bottom of the bed, it’s nestled up against the cabin, making it easier to load items into the truck.

Elon Musk elaborated on the Range Extender's functionality: "It's an optional pack that fits in about 1/3 of the truck bed. There is still room for plenty of cargo. It's meant for very long trips or towing heavy things up mountains."

With a battery pack of 47 kWh, the Range Extender isn’t going to be something light. The Cybertruck’s “battery pack” is estimated to weigh about 600 to 650 lbs (272 kg to 294 kg), which also means that it’ll reduce the truck’s towing capacity by that much.

Installation

A few Cybertruck owners have discussed a marketing idea for the range extender would be to rent it out. Cybertruck owners could rent it for a weekend trip or an extended holiday camping. It's unlikely that Tesla will take on that business, but it is an idea for when more Cybertrucks are around and need that extra range.

Unfortunately, the Cybertruck Range extender is not something that could be easily removed or added, mostly due to its weight. Tesla has said that the Range Extender will need to be installed by Tesla Service and it’s a “permanent” install. We imagine it could also be removed at a later date, but it’s not something you could just do on your own when you don’t need it.

Unfortunately that means that owners will have to choose between additional range or cargo room. If you use the truck mostly for towing, the reduced cargo space may not be a big deal, but for other owners that use their truck for a variety of tasks, it could be a deal breaker.

Some Cybertruck owners have suggested renting the Range Extender for weekend trips or extended camping holidays.

However, the Cybertruck’s range extender isn’t designed for easy removal or installation, primarily due to its weight and high-voltage connections. Tesla has stated that installation must be performed by Tesla Service and is considered a “permanent” modification. While removal may be possible later, it won’t be something owners can easily swap in and out as needed.

This means Cybertruck owners will have to choose between additional range or cargo space. For those who use the truck primarily for towing, the reduced cargo capacity may not be a major issue, but for owners who use their truck for a variety of tasks, it may not be an easy decision.

Availability / Release Date

The Range Extender was initially expected to be available for pre-order customers in early 2025, but that timeline has now slipped to mid-2025. Given Tesla’s ambitious production goals this year, it wouldn’t be surprising if it gets pushed even further, possibly into 2026.

One potential reason for the delay is Tesla’s ongoing work on perfecting its dry-cathode battery process. Since the Range Extender is a low-volume product, Tesla may be prioritizing it as a testbed for dry-cathode cells before scaling them to full vehicle production. Unlike an entire truck, a battery pack like the Range Extender is easier to replace or refine if necessary.

In the meantime, Tesla is likely focused on the Cybercab and its next-generation vehicle. The Ranger Extender is expected to use the same 4680 battery cells as the Cybertruck, so Tesla will also want to ensure it has sufficient supply for vehicle production before producing the Range Extender.

Tesla Teases New 7-Seat Model Y

By Karan Singh
The third row in the first-generation Model Y
The third row in the first-generation Model Y
Not a Tesla App

In a move that’s sure to excite those with larger families, Tesla has started teasing the return of the seven-seat configuration for the Model Y. In a new marketing email sent out to customers recently, Tesla explicitly highlights the vehicle’s spaciousness.

“Ready for anything with long range, seating for up to seven, and enough room for everyone’s gear.”

The seven-seat Model Y was initially offered in late 2021, but it hasn’t been available since Spring 2023. The return of the new variant will be an addition that many have been waiting for, as the next vehicle with that much passenger space in the line-up is the Model X, starting at almost double the price.

First-Gen Model Y Third Row

The original seven-seat Model Y was extremely popular in the Asia-Pacific and European markets, and it still sold fairly well in North America despite differences in preferred vehicle sizing and spaciousness. It offers additional seats for larger families with young children, but space in the third row is minimal.

The seven-seat variant makes the Model Y more competitive against other three-row SUVs on the market. The video below features the seven-seater, first-generation Model Y.

Power Reclining Third Row?

The refreshed Model Y was launched with power-reclining second-row seats, a huge plus for practicality and ease of use. The power-reclining second-row seats are extremely popular with families and are very helpful, as you can control them from the front screen rather than needing to open the rear doors.

Tesla is likely to integrate power-reclining seats into the third row and potentially keep them for the second row as well. With the second row sliding forward and backward for easy entry, as well as allowing the second and third rows to fold flat for additional cargo room when needed.

Launch Date and Price

Tesla’s tease of the seven-seat variant is likely just the start. With recent sightings of the Model Y Performance variant hitting the Nürburgring, it seems Tesla has a lot in store for this summer. If you’ve been waiting for the seven-seat variant, it seems like it’ll be just a few short months away at this rate.

While we haven’t seen any production samples or other details regarding dates yet, Tesla previously priced the seven-seat option at an additional $2,000 USD ($3,000 CAD). The seven-seat option will likely only be available on the Long Range AWD and Long Range RWD variants, not the Performance model, similar to the first-generation Model Y.

Tesla’s First Autonomous Vehicle Delivery to Happen on June 28th

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

In Elon’s flurry of posts on X about FSD yesterday, he also revealed the date that another moment of peak science fiction would be occurring — June 28th. Tesla expects to conduct the first-ever self-delivery, where a brand-new Model Y will depart from the production line and arrive directly at its new owner’s home without any human intervention.

Imagine ordering a vehicle, and a few days later, rather than needing to pick it up, it simply arrives in your driveway and notifies you via an app that it has arrived. That’s no longer the talk of science fiction; it is quite literally something that is likely to happen this month.

Expect a Model Y Delivery in Austin

Considering everything Tesla has done so far, we’re fairly certain that the first self-delivered vehicle will be a Model Y in Austin, in the same geo-fenced area where Tesla’s Robotaxi will operate. FSD is highly optimized for the Model Y, and it’ll take some time for those optimizations to trickle down to the rest of the fleet. It’s not clear if FSD performs better on the Model Y because it’s the most popular vehicle and, therefore, Tesla has the most data for it or if Tesla explicitly chose to focus more on their most popular vehicle.

Why Self-Delivery?

While a car driving itself is something truly different from what other manufacturers offer, there are also numerous strategic advantages for Tesla to do so. This includes drastically reducing last-mile delivery costs by minimizing the need for car carriers, delivery drivers, and even delivery personnel at your local Tesla center. For customers, it could mean a faster, more flexible delivery method - and one absolutely unforgettable welcome to Tesla ownership.

We recently took a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of vehicles delivering themselves to customers. While it’s all positive for Tesla, there are some potentially negative sides to it as well.

A Futuristic Glimpse

When you step back and look at it, Self-Delivery is a logical extension of Unsupervised FSD and the Robotaxi network in general. Self-deliveries are expected to run on the same software stack that powers the Model Ys currently roaming Austin’s streets autonomously, which means there is little for Tesla to do other than enable specific instructions for self-delivery during the final vehicle configuration steps.

Robotaxis currently run a newer version of FSD than what’s available to the public, but these self-delivered vehicles will likely be on the same version when they’re delivered.

Given Elon’s note that the dates could shift, this could easily be moved to early July; however, either way, it seems like we’re just weeks away from this monumental event, which will further reduce the cost of Tesla vehicles.

Latest Tesla Update

Confirmed by Elon

Take a look at features that Elon Musk has said will be coming soon.

More Tesla News

Tesla Videos

Latest Tesla Update

Confirmed by Elon

Take a look at features that Elon Musk has said will be coming soon.

Subscribe

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter