As Tesla prepares to put the Cybertruck on US roads, Tesla’s charging network doesn’t seem ready for pickup just yet.
The Cybertruck will be a new addition to the Tesla lineup.
As of now, the automaker only sells sedans and SUVs. The pickup truck is an entirely new segment for Tesla and comes with its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to charging.
Even more obvious is that when you tow with other Tesla cars, the Cybertruck will likely be more popular.
Tesla Supercharger stations are not suitable for trailer parking
In most cases, Cybertruck owners who tow a trailer must unhook the vehicle before parking it at the Supercharger’s charging station.
Tesla is well aware of this problem and is building new stations with a few kiosks where you can charge with a trailer without obstructing other stations.
And it looks like this (image from @VanquishAZ):
This is an ideal solution, but will be a problem for some time as they are currently present in a small number of Tesla Superchargers in the US.
Hopefully Tesla can introduce superchargers with these kiosks in the navigation systems to make things easier, but you’ll be out of luck finding a suitable charger for your route until it’s standard at most stations, which could take years if it’s a few minutes away. .
Another issue is loading speed.
We don’t yet know the size of the Cybertruck’s battery pack, but it will undoubtedly be the largest battery pack Tesla has ever installed in a consumer vehicle.
This will extend the shipping time.
The good news is that Tesla has confirmed that the Cybertruck will run on an 800-volt battery system rather than the current 400-volt system in current Tesla vehicles.
However, Tesla’s Supercharger network does not have 800 volts. The new V4 superchargers are supposed to allow 800 volt charging, but the new V4 docks seen in the US appear to be connected to the 400 volt V3 dock.
This means Cybertruck owners can’t take advantage of fast charging capabilities at Supercharger stations.
I’m sure Tesla plans to fix this problem with the new 800V V4 super charging stations, similar to the towing problem, but it will already be a problem.
This is a problem that not only affects Cybertruck owners, but also everyone who uses the Supercharger network, as it keeps the charger busy for long periods of time.
take electric
It’s not a deal-breaker, but Tesla can’t fix it overnight.
I’m hoping Elon will expand on this a bit at today’s event so we know what Tesla is up to, but I think it will be a bit of a problem for the Cybertruck at least for the first year.
The good news is that there shouldn’t be too many cybertrucks built in the first year, which should help with the problem.
But either way, it’s something to keep in mind when considering owning a Cybertruck.
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