Tesla says the Cybertruck range extender won’t be removable

Posted on


Tesla’s Cybertruck is set to get a range extender add-on at some point, and over the weekend, one engineer from the company noted that the hardware will be structurally mounted—rather than being able to be removed by owners or service employees.

In response to questions about the range extender and whether or not it could be removable or rented out by Tesla service centers, Lead Cybertruck Engineer Wes Morrill confirmed on X on Saturday that the hardware will not be removable. Instead, Morrill says that the range extenders will be structurally mounted in order to optimize safety in the event of an accident.

Plans for the Cybertruck range extender were unveiled alongside the launch of the electric vehicle (EV) last year, though Tesla has not yet shared when the upgrade will become available. It’s set to increase the Cybertruck’s driving range to 440 and 470 for the tri-motor Cyberbeast and dual-motor all-wheel-drive configurations, respectively.

The first Cybertruck range extenders are expected to become available later this year, though Tesla has yet to share a specific date that it plans to launch the add-on. The company also has not shared a price for the range extender, though it’s estimated to be starting around $16,000, as spotted in source code from Tesla’s website.

The hardware is expected to take up roughly one-third of the Cybertruck’s bed, according to a past statement from Elon Musk, and it’s also expected to be compatible with Tesla’s BaseCamp gear, including the Cybertent.

Tesla recently highlighted its Cybertruck production rates during the company’s Q2 2024 earnings call, saying that it had “more than tripled sequentially.” The company also included the Cybertruck production rate as being “greater than 125,000 units” in 2024, and it’s also expecting to achieve profitability with the Cybertruck by the end of the year.

Tesla Cyberbeast owners to receive Cybertruck light bar soon

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla says the Cybertruck range extender won’t be removable





Source

Elon Musk gives new updates on Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot project

Posted on


Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave new updates on the company’s Humanoid Robot project, known as Optimus, yesterday, stating the company will have low production for internal use in 2025 and “hopefully” higher production in 2026 for other companies.

The Optimus humanoid robot is one of Tesla’s newest projects, unveiled just three years ago at the company’s Artificial Intelligence Day.

Although the company is well-known for its AI development through the Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite, Optimus has become one of Tesla’s most prominent projects due to the claim that it would eliminate trivial and monotonous tasks.

However, in typical Tesla fashion, things have not moved along at the pace that Musk said they would. In 2021, as Optimus was unveiled, Musk said the company would have units ready to be operational in Tesla factories in 2022. While some have been used to complete very elementary tasks recently, this timeline was off.

Musk commented on Optimus and its potential capabilities:

“For the Tesla bot, it’s going to start with work that is boring and repetitive, Basically work that a person would least like to do… Things that I think are very hard about having a useful humanoid robot is ‘Can it navigate through the world without being explicitly trained?’ Without explicit line-by-line instructions. Can you talk to it and say ‘Pick up that bolt, attach it to the car with that wrench. It should be able to do that.”

Now, Musk is stating the company will have “genuinely useful” humanoid robots in low production for the company to use next year. Additionally, production is expected to be at a point in 2026 where other companies will be able to order them:

Tesla has been ramping up its job postings for the Optimus program in recent months. In March, Tesla sought field testing experts for the humanoid robot.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Elon Musk gives new updates on Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot project





Source

Tesla’s new Climate Menu revealed

Posted on


Tesla’s new, redesigned, and streamlined Climate Menu is getting its first looks after the automaker brought a new look to vehicles with a recent Software Update.

Earlier this month, we reported that Tesla was making a number of changes to its Climate Control settings. Along with a new feature that would calm the fan level while on the ‘Auto’ setting during a phone call to decrease ambient noise, Tesla’s release notes stated it would also roll out a new, redesigned Climate Control panel.

Some owners complained about the lack of ease there was when making adjustments to the vehicle’s temperature or airflow, which enticed Tesla to make some changes.

We are now getting our first looks at the new design (h/t Not a Tesla App):

Tesla’s Old Climate Control Panel

Tesla’s New Climate Control Panel

The new icons are definitely more subdued and could cause less havoc among drivers who want to change the settings of their interior climate.

It is definitely less busy than the previous design, and it is undoubtedly streamlined. It seems this will absolutely be a very welcomed appearance for some drivers, but others may feel the older design is simply easier to navigate due to the large, bold buttons.

Nevertheless, Tesla’s minimalistic design is coming to the forefront here. Just as it has streamlined vehicle interiors, most recently with the new Model 3 “Highland” and even the Cybertruck, Tesla is looking to make things as simple as possible to navigate, which seems to have worked based on the new appearance that is shown here.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

FIRST LOOK: Tesla’s new Climate Menu revealed





Source