--- title: "With Sales Plummeting, Tesla Cancels Key Cybertruck Component" description: "Tesla has axed its range extender for the Cybertruck, which was supposed to bring the vehicle closer to its originally promised range." date: "2025-05-09" modified: "2025-05-09" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/tesla-cybertruck-cancels-range-extender" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "cybertruck" - "elon musk" - "evs" - "tesla" --- # With Sales Plummeting, Tesla Cancels Key Cybertruck Component ![Tesla has axed its range extender for the Cybertruck, which was supposed to bring the vehicle closer to its originally promised range.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* Tesla has officially abandoned its plan to sell a $16,000 range extender for the Cybertruck, [*Electrek* reports]() — the latest in the automaker's struggles with the incredibly controversial vehicle. This week, customers who paid a $2,000 reservation fee for the extender [received emails]() from Tesla stating it was no longer selling the add-on, but that it would fully refund their deposits. *Electrek* reached out to the automaker and confirmed the decision. Per the reporting, the cancellation comes a month after Tesla quietly pulled the range extender as an add-on on its website's vehicle configurator. No official reason for the cancellation has been given. With a base range of 320 to 350 miles on a single charge, depending on the configuration, the Cybertruck launched with a far shorter range than the 500-plus miles that [CEO Elon Musk once promised](). The range extender, a battery pack designed to be installed in the pickup bed, was supposed to make up for that failure. However, since the accessory was [announced]() around the time the Cybertruck started being delivered in late 2023, Tesla has waffled on how much of a boost the add-on would give. It first said that it would extend the Cybertruck's range to 470 miles, but it later [walked back]() that figure to 445 miles, when the automaker delayed its release date to mid-2025. Symbolically, by canning the add-on entirely, Tesla has admitted defeat on ever fulfilling its original pledge. In any case, the extender was always a questionable option. On top of costing as much as a used car, it was going to weigh a whopping 600 pounds and take up an entire third of the rear bed's room once installed. But the dumped add-on is only the tip of Tesla's troubles with the Cybertruck, which has sold less than 50,000 units since it launched — a far cry from [Musk's boast]() that it would easily move 250,000 per year. In reality, Cybertruck sales have continued to plummet, with only 6,400 of the electric pickups [selling in the first quarter of this year](). Its inventory of unsold Cybetrucks, meanwhile, has reportedly piled up to a [record high]() of over 10,000 units. Buyers have plenty of reasons to stay away. Fraught with quality concerns, the Cybertruck has faced eight separate recalls, with the [latest one]() — issued because its glued-on body panels could fly off — affecting nearly all of the vehicles it had ever sold. The Cybertruck's image has also been irreversibly tarnished by its close association with Musk, who has become deeply reviled for his [far-right politics]() and his [role in the Trump administration](). While Tesla recently announced a [cheaper version of the Cybertruck]() with a slightly longer range and far fewer features, it seems unlikely that the bid will excite sales. Clearly, it didn't have much faith in the range extender doing well, and with reports that it's [slowing down production]() of the Cybertruck, maybe the automaker is finally seeing the writing on the wall. **More on Tesla:** *[Tesla's Sales Are Somehow Continuing to Fall]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()