A new video of a Tesla Cybertruck Supercharging while towing a trailer shows why superchargers are so important for towing

Yesterday, we published an article outlining a new Tesla Cybertruck leak video that confirmed the truck’s all-electric range. According to the video showcasing the Cybertruck’s new “electronic user interface,” we know that the Cybertruck has a fully charged range of 267 miles.

This number was calculated by Tesla’s on-board trip planner in the Cybertruck. However, since this range is specific to the specific trip the Cybertruck tester was taking, we can be generous and say that the Cybertruck’s official EPA-rated range could be around 300 miles.

Elon Musk believes that an electric car does not need a range of more than 250 miles. The way Musk sees it, if you’re able to drive 80 mph for 3 hours straight, you’ll want to stretch your legs, use the bathroom, and eat.

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During that time, your car will be charged and you will be able to drive for an additional 3 hours and repeat this cycle.

We largely agree with Musk’s belief. It’s rare for anyone to drive 5-6 hours straight at highway speeds without taking a break, which means an EV with a 250/300 mile range will be sufficient.

This is true when it comes to cars and SUVs which are usually intended for personal use and are often not expensive to carry heavy loads which can greatly impact their range.

However, if we’re talking about trucks, that’s a whole other ball game. Most trucks are used for work or to carry or pull heavy objects. This can easily cut the rated range of an electric truck by more than half.

A good example of this is the videos of the Ford F-150 Lighting and Rivian R1T towing tests. While towing a heavy trailer, these vehicles, which have an official EPA-rated range of about 300 miles, see their range reduced to about 100 miles.

This brings us to the task at hand. If you’re towing a trailer with the Cybertruck, which has similar range numbers to the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T, similar to what happened to those vehicles, you’ll see the Cybertruck’s range drop to about 100 miles.

That’s enough in itself to cause frustration, however, add to that the fact that most superchargers aren’t optimized for charging while towing, and it means you have to hitch and unhitch your trailer every 100 miles or so.

This turns towing with a Cybertruck from frustrating to unacceptable. So what is the solution? The simplest and most obvious answer is to increase the Cybertruck’s range by increasing the size of the battery pack. However, this will increase the weight and cost of the truck and reduce its efficiency.

If battery energy density continues to increase year after year at the pace it is currently improving, the problem will certainly be solved in the future. However, what do you do in the meantime?

In my previous article, which showed a photo of someone trying to pump gas into the Cybertruck (as a joke), I discussed the idea of ​​equipping the Cybertruck with an alternator that could be powered to increase its range while towing or on long trips.

Although this approach has many practical advantages, it does not appear that Elon Musk will build a gas-powered Tesla. Well what do we do then? One easy solution to address at least part of the problem is to build more superchargers with retractable charging stalls.

If you are towing or carrying a heavy load, you will still need to overcharge frequently, however, at least you won’t need to hitch and unhitch your trailer every time you have to recharge your truck, which can be very frustrating.

This should at least partially alleviate the anxiety associated with the Cybertruck’s range. As you can see in the video, the release candidate Cybertruck is seen supercharged.

Despite towing and hitching a large trailer, since this particular turbocharger has a retractable charging stall, the truck was able to supercharge without having to unhitch the trailer.

This still isn’t as ideal as having a super long-range Cybertruck that barely needs a supercharger, but having a tow supercharger option would at least significantly improve the user experience.

As of now, there are only a few Tesla Superchargers with a retractable charging stall option, however, we recommend that Tesla install at least one Supercharger at each Supercharging station in markets where it expects to sell the Cybertruck.

Right now, with the introduction of the company’s V4 superchargers, Tesla is doing a lot of work to improve its already industry-leading supercharger experience and we’ll be sure to keep you posted as the electric car maker improves on that front.

Until then, be sure to visit Torquenews.com/Tesla regularly for the latest updates.

What do you think? Are you excited to see a supercharged Tesla Cybertruck attached to a trailer? Also, in addition to retractable Superchargers, what do you think Tesla needs to do to make the Cybertruck a capable work truck? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

picture: Courtesy of Nick Cruz Bataan on X

For more information see: Tesla’s first YouTube ad shows a Model Y being run over by a Silverado pickup truck

Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the development of the EV space on a daily basis for several years. It covers everything Tesla from cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay For daily Tesla news.