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Opinion: Tesla Truck needs a 250kWh pack if you want to tow.

Discussion in 'Cybertruck: Battery & Charging' started by ratsbew, Sep 21, 2019.

  1. Eclectic

    Eclectic Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2014
    Messages:
    773
    Location:
    Bay Area & Montana
    I just did the 1,000+ mile trip from the SF area to Montana yesterday and was careful to hand calculate the MPG for the trip. My truck is the old 5.4 V8, 6 speed transmission, 4WD and larger off road tires than OEM. It was fully loaded with all sorts of stuff in the bed and cab, though I didn't tow anything. From the SF area to Reno, I kept the speed down to 65 mph and got a touch under 22 mpg. From Reno through Nevada, Idaho and Montana, I took off the 65 mph limit and got 16.5 mpg (I can only say that I made the trip in 15 hours, so assume that the bulk of the trip was at speeds most people would scold me for).

    With a pickup that is shaped like a barn door, frontally, speed really causes a hit to MPG when you get above about 60 mph. If your friend has an ecoboost engine and kept speeds below 65 mph, I can easily see getting 20 mpg, though whatever was being towed was likely very light and aerodynamic. I doubt he'd see 20 mpg at higher speeds or with a substantial load.

    So I'll conclude with this...I really like the idea of either a hybrid or BEV pickup, but I also am the type who can drive for many hours at a time without a stop and would never buy any truck that had less than a 500 mile range unloaded. I made two stops between the SF area and Bozeman...one in Reno to refuel (I left SF with half a tank), then in Pocatello, ID to refuel again, use the restroom and get some coffee and food (a 10 minute stop). I know most people drive for a few hours and take a rest break, which makes supercharging feasible, and I'm not the typical customer for an EV, but there's a lot of pickup owners who are like me.
     
    • Informative x 1
  2. ratsbew

    ratsbew Active Member

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    O'Fallon, IL
    Let's assume that the truck gets 500Wh/mile on the highway. That means that v3 Superchargers at 250kW can add 500 miles/hour of charge or 8.3 miles/minute. Your 10 minute stop would add about 83 miles or about 1hr 10 mins of driving range. Not bad, but not great.

    It's too bad that v3 is already looking to be a bottleneck. Maybe the truck is closer to 400Wh/mile in which case the numbers are a bit better.

    What I'll hate to see, and I know truck owners so it WILL happen, is that people will instantly write off the Tesla truck because it can't do these crazy 600 mile legs without stopping.
     
    • Like x 1
    • Funny x 1
  3. strider

    strider Active Member

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    Haters gonna hate. But that still leaves a huge market for contractors. A 200kWh pack w/ a 240/30A plug in the bed will be eaten up by contractors. They typically don't drive super far to the job site and can use the power w/o having to drag generators around that are prone to being stolen. I'm hoping for it so I can charge my Alta without having to drag a generator.

    The only bad thing about that last rendering is the rounded bed/tailgate. It'll need a straight-sided bed/tailgate to be useful to anyone.

    Also, not to rain on anyone's parade but to keep expectations in check... a 200kWh battery pack is INCREDIBLY expensive. Expect the 200kWh variant to be way over $100k.
     
  4. Wnix05

    Wnix05 Member

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    May 7, 2019
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    Sacramento
    What if the Tesla Truck has a Supercharger port in both the rear and the nose? Then you could pull into a 'back in' spot...
     
    • Like x 1
  5. ratsbew

    ratsbew Active Member

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    This is my guess. Back left corner and front right corner.
     
    • Like x 1
  6. azjohn

    azjohn Member

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    North Carolina
    You can do a lot of mods with a diesel. I saw a Dodge 3500 dually do a 12 sec 1/4 with 37' tires. It did have dual turbochargers that was set at 75 psi though.
     
    • Like x 1
  7. Broccoli2

    Broccoli2 Member

    Joined:
    May 17, 2019
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    Location:
    Santa Clarita CA
    I am defiantly interested in the Truck and most likely will trade in my M3 but if they made cargo van's I would buy five tomorrow. I spend in the 4k a quarter on fuel for my Vans
     
    • Informative x 2
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  8. Sg911

    Sg911 Member

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    Rivian seems to be addressing the off road segment, and range of 400 miles with 180 KW/h pack!
     
  9. Daniel in SD

    Daniel in SD Well-Known Member

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    For $90k. I'll believe it when it's in production :p
     
    • Like x 1
  10. KenC

    KenC Active Member

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    How much is this truck going to cost? A giant battery will require a giant price. My Model 3 got the long range battery option for $9k and that added only 25kWh, right? So, $360 per incremental kWh. Is a 250kWh battery going to cost $90k all by itself? If you have a base model with a 120kWh battery, and a super range option with a 250kWh battery, does that extra battery option cost $46,800?
     
  11. Daniel in SD

    Daniel in SD Well-Known Member

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    Your math would make the Model 3 LR battery $27k just for the modules!
    I do have a feeling that the Tesla Truck will just be a Model Y with a bed (like the Subaru Baja is to the Outback).
     
    • Disagree x 1
  12. strider

    strider Active Member

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    The MY chassis is way too small to support a full size truck and the battery pack it will require. M3/Y wheelbase is only 113". F-150 Super Crew w/ the 5.6' bed wheelbase is 144".

    S/X wheelbase is only 116". They'll need to spin something new or extend the S/X chassis, at least the track width is close there, would only need to make it longer.
     
  13. Daniel in SD

    Daniel in SD Well-Known Member

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    Subaru Baja wheelbase is only 104".:p
    I guess I'm just keeping my expectations low. I'll be surprised if they can do a full size truck for $50k unless the base model is very short range. Can't wait to see what they come up with!
     
    • Funny x 2
  14. starman27

    starman27 Member

    Joined:
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    MN
    Do you guys really not believe they'll have the battery cost down in the next 2 years that it takes them to get this thing up to full production? Seriously, there are some sources speculating that Tesla already has the cost down to $100/kWh at the pack level...

    I have a feeling we're all going to be pleasantly surprised on the 21st.
     
    • Like x 1
  15. BobbyJones

    BobbyJones Member

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    NJ
    I think the cost is going to continue to go down every year.The problem is how the hell are they going have the physical capacity to make enough batteries? How are they going to price this that makes it worth selling 1 truck over 2 long range model 3?
     
  16. ratsbew

    ratsbew Active Member

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    I hope so. You could have a 250kWh pack for $25,000. That's downright feasible.
     
  17. MichaelP90DL

    MichaelP90DL Active Member

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    Lancaster, CA
    Suggest you buy those fake bullet hole decals for your Tesla truck. That way, those in Texas who dislike electric vehicles will think it's been preshot and they won't waste the ammo.
     
    • Like x 2
  18. Xenoilphobe

    Xenoilphobe Active Member

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    Fairfax County, Virginia
    This ban Snowflakes will work too...
    [​IMG]
     
    • Funny x 1
  19. drcarric2650

    drcarric2650 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 22, 2019
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    33
    Location:
    Tulsa, OK
    So does the ac lower your range to half or a quarter of the normal range, I'm in Oklahoma, so I would really like to know?
     
  20. scottf200

    scottf200 Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Chicagoland ModelX S603
    Not even close to that. Many 1000s in hot areas in the summer with great range. Real cold lowers your range by those amounts sometimes. We are talking below freezing. Even in Chicagoland I still get very good range.

    TeslaFI.COM - TeslaFi.com Tesla Model S X 3 Data Logger
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     

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