this post was submitted on 08 May 2025
676 points (97.9% liked)

Technology

69869 readers
2896 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Tesla has confirmed it has given up on plans to make a Cybertruck range extender to achieve the range it originally promised on the electric pickup truck.

It started refunding deposits for the $16,000 extra battery pack.

When Tesla unveiled the production version of the Cybertruck in late 2023, two main disappointments were the price and the range.

The tri-motor version, the most popular in reservation tallies before production, was supposed to have over 500 miles of range and start at $70,000.

Tesla now sells the tri-motor Cybertruck for $100,000 and only has a range of 320 miles.

The dual-motor Cybertruck was supposed to cost $50,000 and have over 300 miles of range. In reality, it starts at $80,000 and has 325 miles of range.

Archive link: https://archive.is/CGbaE

(page 2) 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago

Why implement a new feature for a product nobody is buying?

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 day ago (1 children)

How about giving up on the Cybertruck

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Why the third motor? One for each of the front wheels and one for the rear?

[–] [email protected] 57 points 1 day ago (1 children)

One runs front wheels, one runs rear wheels and third one powers the mental gymnastics it takes to be a tesla owner in 2025.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Two in the back, one in the front. There's also a two and four motor version.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Two in the back, one in the front.

The Shocker

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (3 children)

That makes even less sense. Distributing mechanical power on non steering wheels is easy, but for steering wheels requires a more complex and expensive coupling, as well as power losses. Just... why?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

How do you figure dual front motors would alleviate any of what you said a front diff would need? Dual front motors will still be rigidly mounted to the chassis, requiring flexible couplings. The rear is also independent, requiring the same flexible couplings whether it's a diff or motors. CV axles all around. Non-steer wheels still have vertical travel from the suspension.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (3 children)

You wouldn't need a front differential, for one. But you're right, unless they somehow made a directly wheel coupled motor that turned with the wheel, it l still needs CV couplings.

As for rear, they don't need CV axles. Two simple cross couplings are enough. The speed variability happens significantly when the wheels turn, going up and down is a negligible issue. Cars have been using the much chapter and simple cross couplings in the rear for decades.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

I believe the three motor versions is to add extra power under load to the rear wheels. (A weight/power/range compromise between the 4 and 2 motor versions).

The motors are essentially in line with the wheels (they have gearing but it's minimal and internal to the motor housing, not attached like an automatic transmission would be, if that makes sense.)

The "three motor" design is just the single motor design up front and the dual motor design in the back.

I'm not sure if they ever actually released the single motor version though.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (3 children)

extra power under load to the rear wheels

Lol like there's enough room back there to add a load.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Basically they use the same size motor everywhere, and your total torque and power is dependent on how many you've got?

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It's supposed to tow. In theory.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago (2 children)

How hard can it be to produce a simple battery pack, for a company that is in the business of designing and producing battery packs no less...

[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Think the end of the article pretty much nails it.

Tesla needed to install and remove it at a service center. Owners couldn’t remove them themselves. I think it was pretty much dead on arrival at $16,000.

But I think it could also be as simple as it’s not worth producing due to demand – both due to insufficient people reserving it and not enough Cybertruck buyers to create a market for the range extender.

Therefore, the range extender is dead for the same reason that the Cybertruck RWD now has the same battery pack as the AWD instead of a smaller pack for less money: the Cybertruck is a commercial flop, and it’s not a high-volume program enough to justify making several battery pack sizes, including a removable one.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago

Grifters grifting

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 day ago (10 children)

Ima be honest, I like the design of this thing. I’m big into brutalism and the Delorean is one of my favorite car designs of all time. I was really hoping this would be good, but it has turned out to be one of the worst products in recent history in any category. It’s up there with the humane pin.

It makes me a little bit sad because I will never be able to live out my cyberpunk fantasy of driving an electric truck made out of bare metal manufactured by a technofascist corporation.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

up there with the humane pin.

Funny, or sad, how quickly we collective manage to forget bad grifts.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

I’ve got an aluminum foil wrapped turd that I know you’re interested in buying. Ready to ship!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I hope the N Vision 74 will one day make it onto the streets

https://youtu.be/pu1yzLEsc1Q

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago (9 children)

hydrogen-powered high performance.

It will literally never make it onto the streets in the US.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Hey now, the US has multiple hydrogen stations, assuming you live in a certain area of California.

load more comments (7 replies)
load more comments (7 replies)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 day ago

It definitely seems an equivalent of putting fingers into your ears and ignoring the issue.

Vaporware and Tesla - name a more iconic duo.

It's kinda troubling that we're returning to reality where vaporware is such a legitimate strategy with no down sides.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

So, anyway, anyone seen any good movies or anything?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago

Surprised they haven’t given up on Musk

[–] [email protected] 82 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

The dual motor was originally announced to be US$39,900, not 50,000. It is lies all the way down at Tesla.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The dual motor was originally announced at 50k

Single motor rear-wheel drive with 250 miles of range, 7,500-pound towing capacity, and 0–60 mph capabilities in under 6.5 seconds, for $39,900

Dual motor all-wheel drive with 300 miles of range, 10,000-pound towing capacity, and 0–60 mph in under 4.5 seconds for $49,900
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

$39,900? Not $40,000? Does Elon still think that old "99" trick still works?

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I was seriously considering it back then. My wife hated the look and wouldn't let me even consider it, but as someone who likes Back to the Future and Tron, I didn't hate the aesthetic, though it took some getting used to. And I want a comfortably large EV (my compact is too small for my old bones) with 500 miles to avoid range anxiety. A 100 mile distance in the middle of a midwestern winter without a charger at the other end is going to require 500 miles of range to get back home due to heating the battery and cabin, and driving at 80mph. And my longest daily commute was 212 miles round trip before someone asks how often I need to drive 100 miles away in the middle of winter.

I wouldn't say bullet dodged because I was never really close to getting one, but charging three times the price for only 60% range compared to that announcement is fucking insane.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

How good was that job for you to be commuting for 2+ hours a day?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Where I live is not super uncommon for people to drive an hour into the nearest city. I don't recommend it, though!

It really makes me envious when I see how much Europeans work: my partner already works more hours on average than the average European, and then his commute is on top of that. Why are we here? Give me mandatory vacation and a job I can bike to ANY DAY.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

I hate driving so much, I moved somewhere 15 minutes from work even though I only go in like 3 times a month

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I was transitioning from being a lotus notes developer to a java developer and I was moving back home to the Midwest from DC. As that job took a chance on me and allowed both, it was a really good fucking job for the moment. It eventually transitioned to hybrid.

We had planned to move to the area but couldn't find a place we liked and kept living with my folks until I just said fuck it and we bought a house near them instead and I dealt with the commute. Then Covid hit and I got laid off on my two year anniversary.

Now, my commute is about 70 miles one way 1-2 times per week (and that's still 3 hours total drive time). That's a pretty typical drive for me. My kids also live kinda near where I work so even if it weren't for commuting, I'd still make that drive quite often. As it is, I drive down the night before an office day, spend time with them and stay over night, and then drive back home about 2pm the next day (fucking hate rush hour in Detroit). But I can't charge at their houses anyway so that doesn't help.

I drive a PHEV because there isn't an EV out yet that can get me there and back. Though I finally have a plug at work if I get in early enough.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Now that's dedication. I'd probably have driven myself into a ditch by the 3rd month of that (but I haaaate driving)

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I don't mind driving as long as I'm not sitting in traffic. Which is why I'm in the Midwest making far less money than I could on either coast. My commute times were just as long near DC with a third of the miles traveled. There was the commuter train but that was just a different kind of stress.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

I'm with you, I'll spend a lot more on a house or accept a lower paying job to avoid commuting.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›