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What simply occurred? Unhealthy information for any Cybertruck house owners who hoped to buy a spread extender for the EV: Tesla has deserted its plans to promote the $16,000 add-on battery pack, and is refunding prospects who’ve paid the $2,000 reservation charge.
Tesla and Elon Musk confronted loads of criticism when the Cybertruck formally went on sale in 2023, principally resulting from it having a better worth and decrease vary than what Musk promised in 2019.
Tesla had beforehand mentioned that its tri-motor Cybertruck would have a 500-mile vary and begin at $70,000. Right this moment, the highest-range Cybertruck is the $79,990 dual-motor AWD mannequin that may attain 325 miles. There’s additionally the $99,990 tri-motor “Cyberbeast” that may attain 301 miles.
Nonetheless, Tesla additionally provided an optionally available vary extender battery pack for the Cybertruck that will increase the gap it could possibly journey on a single cost. It price $16,000 and takes up a few third of the truck mattress.
Tesla initially mentioned the vary extender would improve the dual-motor Cybertruck’s vary to over 470 miles, however this estimate was lowered to 445+ miles in 2024. The corporate additionally delayed the battery pack’s launch date from early 2025 to mid-2025 final yr.
The writing was on the wall in April when the vary extender was quietly faraway from the Cybertruck’s on-line configurator. It had been out there to order for a non-refundable $2,000 deposit. The transfer led many to consider Tesla was giving up on the product earlier than it reached the market.
BREAKING: Tesla has cancelled the Cybertruck Vary Extender.
“We’re not planning to promote the Vary Extender for Cybertruck. Because of this, we might be refunding your deposit in full” pic.twitter.com/yb1xOqecX2
– Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) May 7, 2025
Certainly sufficient, the corporate has now confirmed it can not promote the vary extender for the Cybertruck. Tesla has been emailing those that reserved the battery pack to tell them they are going to obtain a full refund on their deposit.
One thing that the e-mail does not reveal is why Tesla has taken this resolution.
As of the latest recall introduced in March 2025, the Tesla Cybertruck has been recalled eight occasions since deliveries started in late 2023. It is one of many the reason why fewer than 50,000 Cybertrucks had been bought over a 15-month interval, which is a fraction of the 250,000 to 500,000 models Musk as soon as mentioned he anticipated to promote.
It might merely be that Tesla did not consider it might promote sufficient vary extenders – primarily based on reservations and Cybertruck gross sales – to make manufacturing worthwhile. Taking over 30% of the truck mattress and requiring set up and elimination at a service heart additionally made it a tough promote, particularly at $16,000.
