Tesla Cybertruck

[topgun2]

  On 10/26/2024 at 2:45 PM, jd1923 said:

Saw one at Inks Lake in green-camo which made it look a bit better.

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If it was in camo - how'd you even see it?🙂

[jd1923]

  On 10/26/2024 at 5:15 PM, topgun2 said:

If it was in camo - how'd you even see it?🙂

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There were all these white egg shaped objects all over the park and behind the moving truck. A polar white Tesla would have hidden better given the park landscape! 🤣

[Jps190]

Colter bay RV park.  Grand Tetons.

[Jim and Chris Neuman]

  On 10/26/2024 at 2:45 PM, jd1923 said:

Saw one at Inks Lake in green-camo which made it look a bit better. Was leaving too quickly to get a picture.

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Thought I saw one near Sunriver, OR but it turned out to be just a shiny dumpster!

[SeaDawg]

We have a white wrapped one somewhere near us. Doesn't look so bad as the stainless ones I see most days. 

It's an odd design , for sure. It definitely says "I'm not your everyday pickup truck."

I also see Rivians, and Lightnings, every week, sometimes several times a week.

Last week, in Asheville,  we rented an f150 hybrid. Great truck. Great seats. 

[Galileo]

Eh, this thread was still active just 5 months ago, so maybe it’s not dead yet.

When selecting our new TV, we did consider an EV for about a microsecond. That was before we knew the range was SO much less while towing.

Anyway, previous to the Ollie and towing - aside from an hauling occasional farm trailer a few miles with a 2000 Ford Ranger (with 340,000 on the clock) our daily driver was a 2017 Prius. I really liked that car. The rural mileage was phenomenal - 60 mpg - and even highway (not a hybrid’s forte) was almost 50 mpg. The tech in an eight year old car was better than in my 2025 GMC.

I always thought the typical hybrid drive system is overly complicated - driving the wheels with the ICE and/or electric. But was also very impressed with how simple the electronic CVT is. No clutches in there like a conventional ICE trans. The motor/generator working with/against the ICE provides all the ratios needed.

That said, I think a much more efficient “hybrid” system would be one like the diesel/electric locomotives use. One where the diesel engines run at a constant (efficient) speed and serves solely to spin generators. That would leave the drivetrain very simple as it is in a full EV.

I would think a dedicated shade tree mechanic with just enough knowledge to make him dangerous could concoct something like this with an F150 lightening, Rivian, or (yuck) a Cyberttuck. Slap a Honda 2200EUi or two in the bed and see what kind of mileage increase can be obtained. Generators could be charging the HV battery at stop lights, and -may- even be able to supply all the power needed at cruise when power demands of accelerating to cruising speed drops off. The battery is still there to do the heavy lifting (hailing) of getting the truck and trailer up to cruising speed. 

[Snackchaser]

  On 3/13/2025 at 2:00 PM, Galileo said:

Slap a Honda 2200EUi or two in the bed and see what kind of mileage increase can be obtained.

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The milage increase would be insignificant. The Honda is less than 1% of the horsepower of a Tesla and Energy conservation law states “energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can only be transformed from one form to another.”

As Tesla owners, we love the performance and safety aspects of it, and it's defiantly energy efficient.  However, I’d never consider one for travel trailer tow vehicle because of the range and charging challenges.  I’ll stick with the 2500 RAM.

[SeaDawg]

@Galileo, you may want to see the new 2026 ramcharger when it (finally) goes on sale later this year. It's a phev, but the gasser 3.6 pentastar V6 engine is strictly an onboard generator, not part of the drivetrain. Although it is gas vs diesel, it's a bit like what you described, and makes a lot of sense, to me. Charge while driving from the fossil fuel motor, and reduce the range anxiety. 

I'll be interested in seeing talks towing test when they finally get their hands on one. Even if range is cut in half by towing, you'd still get 300 miles or so between charging (or, just filling the gas tank). Best of both worlds, if it works as stated. 

https://www.ramtrucks.com/electric/ram-1500-ramcharger.html#overview

 

Edited March 13 by SeaDawg

[ScubaRx]

  On 3/13/2025 at 6:00 PM, Snackchaser said:

As Tesla owners, we love the performance and safety aspects of it, and it's defiantly energy efficient.  However, I’d never consider one for travel trailer tow vehicle because of the range and charging challenges.  I’ll stick with the 2500 RAM.

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Good thinking. 

[Galileo]

  On 3/13/2025 at 6:00 PM, Snackchaser said:

The milage increase would be insignificant. The Honda is less than 1% of the horsepower of a Tesla and Energy conservation law states “energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can only be transformed from one form to another.”

As Tesla owners, we love the performance and safety aspects of it, and it's defiantly energy efficient.  However, I’d never consider one for travel trailer tow vehicle because of the range and charging challenges.  I’ll stick with the 2500 RAM.

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I’d like to see the numbers behind that “1%” you quote.

Sure, a little Honda generator may only 1/100th of the horsepower of a Tesla - but a Tesla (or any ICE) powered vehicle isn’t putting out its full rated HP at cruise. Likely not even at acceleration to cruise unless you’re really mashing the snot out of it. It may only be putting out 40HP - and that’s a generous guess. 

Im not debating the laws of conservation of energy. I’ll even concede that in this conversion from one form of energy to another, there are efficiency losses. That said, fossil fuel is a good way to store energy - probably why we keep filling our tanks with it. 

I can’t speak to the Tesla, but EVs typically are pretty good with rolling resistance, aerodynamics, and minimizing the amount of power required to keep them rolling once gotten up to speed. That’s why driving technique (in any vehicle) can impact the mileage you get by a significant factor.

[Galileo]

  On 3/13/2025 at 6:15 PM, SeaDawg said:

@Galileo, you may want to see the new 2026 ramcharger when it (finally) goes on sale later this year. It's a phev, but the gasser 3.6 pentastar V6 engine is strictly an onboard generator, not part of the drivetrain. Although it is gas vs diesel, it's a bit like what you described, and makes a lot of sense, to me. Charge while driving from the fossil fuel motor, and reduce the range anxiety. 

I'll be interested in seeing talks towing test when they finally get their hands on one. Even if range is cut in half by towing, you'd still get 300 miles or so between charging (or, just filling the gas tank). Best of both worlds, if it works as stated. 

https://www.ramtrucks.com/electric/ram-1500-ramcharger.html#overview

 

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This looks pretty slick.

Surprised they picked a V6 to run the generator. I guess they figured they needed it.

Neat thing that will put a technology like this at a pretty decent advantage is the regenerative braking. That’s even more significant while towing as you have a LOT more inertia to turn back into energy. That’s something even the most efficient ICE powered vehicle can do. Going up a long incline just means you are never getting that energy back in a conventional vehicle. In an EV, you can smile as you regenerate all the way down the hill. The smallish battery may actually limit how much you can store. I had that issue with the Prius.

Still - I’ll take a look at it later this year!

[Snackchaser]

  On 3/13/2025 at 9:32 PM, Galileo said:

I’d like to see the numbers behind that “1%” you quote.

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I was conservatively using the 300 horsepower rating of our Tesla verses the Honda generator at 2.5 hp.  It's actually way less than 1% because the Cyber truck is rated 600 to 800 hp.  

They say that regenerative braking re-captures about 20% charge, and that's already factored into the range estimates.  Our Tesla has never registered an increase of charge even on the longest downhill grades.  It sure registers discharge going up them through. 🫢   

I see this technology working well for long haulers where they can stop for hours at charging stations.  But I think there is still a ways to go before it's practical for campers.  

[jd1923]

Too bad idiot protesters are fire-bombing these Tesla Cybertrucks! I’m not much for the style of this truck, but wow will somebody please give me a Model S! Though I would need a neck brace to do 0-60 in 2 seconds! Might be a good time to buy Tesla stock. Leon said yesterday production will be doubled next year and what about that model that drives itself with no installed controls. That one is also not for me, just give me an S!

[rideadeuce]

Turns out the 2026 Ramcharger is more interesting than I originally thought… range is not cut in half like a 100% EV truck and when at the end of the 690 mile range you can fill up with gas and continue on your way. Even if the battery was depleted as well, at the time of fill-up. Pretty interesting.

[Mountainman198]

  On 3/13/2025 at 6:15 PM, SeaDawg said:

@Galileo, you may want to see the new 2026 ramcharger when it (finally) goes on sale later this year. It's a phev, but the gasser 3.6 pentastar V6 engine is strictly an onboard generator, not part of the drivetrain. Although it is gas vs diesel, it's a bit like what you described, and makes a lot of sense, to me. Charge while driving from the fossil fuel motor, and reduce the range anxiety. 

I'll be interested in seeing talks towing test when they finally get their hands on one. Even if range is cut in half by towing, you'd still get 300 miles or so between charging (or, just filling the gas tank). Best of both worlds, if it works as stated. 

https://www.ramtrucks.com/electric/ram-1500-ramcharger.html#overview

 

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The Ramcharger appears to be a series hybrid which means that the onboard gas generator provides electricity to the batteries to drive the wheels when the drive battery charge goes below the predetermined lower threshold and stops discharging. This feature is great when you deplete your battery and then the generator kicks on to provide electricity. From what I understand the generator can only provide a diminished, set amount of electric to run the drivetrain. This is all fine for driving on flat land at moderate speed and not towing. But what about when you are towing up a significant incline and the battery has gone below its lower limit and the electricity output from the onboard generator is not enough to meet the heavy power demands of towing uphill?  It appears the Ram engineers have thought of this and included a “Tow” mode which reserves a preset amount of battery reserve to be engaged along with the generator output in high demand situations. Good thinking. This is very similar to the “Mountain”mode in my Chevrolet Volt (which reserves electric for climbing when using the onboard gas generator. 
 

But, what if someone forgets to engage towing mode and depletes their battery before starting to climb a long steep grade while towing?  If the Ramcharger behaves like my Volt in similar conditions, you can quickly reach a point where energy demand outpaces the capability of the onboard gas generator, forcing the vehicle into reduced propulsion mode. I know with my volt the accelerator response and power is greatly diminished, placing the car into a sort of enhanced limp mode. Will the Ramcharger do the same?  Will the reduced propulsion mode on the Ram be enough energy to tow a heavy trailer up a grade slowly or at all?  Will the tow vehicle come to a stop leaving you stranded on incline?  Who will be first to test this out and report back?

 

my point above is stated perhaps more clearly in this article, however it is still not clear whether the enhanced battery reserve is available in standard drive mode or only when the driver manually engages tow mode before heading out with a fully charged battery. 
 

https://insideevs.com/news/751670/ramcharger-battery-size-usa-towing/

Edited March 14 by Mountainman198

[rideadeuce]

  On 3/14/2025 at 1:57 AM, Mountainman198 said:

The Ramcharger appears to be a series hybrid which means that the onboard gas generator provides electricity to the batteries to drive the wheels when the drive battery charge goes below the predetermined lower threshold and stops discharging. This feature is great when you deplete your battery and then the generator kicks on to provide electricity. From what I understand the generator can only provide a diminished, set amount of electric to run the drivetrain. This is all fine for driving on flat land at moderate speed and not towing. But what about when you are towing up a significant incline and the battery has gone below its lower limit and the electricity output from the onboard generator is not enough to meet the heavy power demands of towing uphill?  It appears the Ram engineers have thought of this and included a “Tow” mode which reserves a preset amount of battery reserve to be engaged along with the generator output in high demand situations. Good thinking. This is very similar to the “Mountain”mode in my Chevrolet Volt (which reserves electric for climbing when using the onboard gas generator. 
 

But, what if someone forgets to engage towing mode and depletes their battery before starting to climb a long steep grade while towing?  If the Ramcharger behaves like my Volt in similar conditions, you can quickly reach a point where energy demand outpaces the capability of the onboard gas generator, forcing the vehicle into reduced propulsion mode. I know with my volt the accelerator response and power is greatly diminished, placing the car into a sort of enhanced limp mode. Will the Ramcharger do the same?  Will the reduced propulsion mode on the Ram be enough energy to tow a heavy trailer up a grade slowly or at all?  Will the tow vehicle come to a stop leaving you stranded on incline?  Who will be first to test this out and report back?

 

my point above is stated perhaps more clearly in this article, however it is still not clear whether the enhanced battery reserve is available in standard drive mode or only when the driver manually engages tow mode before heading out with a fully charged battery. 
 

https://insideevs.com/news/751670/ramcharger-battery-size-usa-towing/

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I believe what he stated in the video is out of the 90 kWh battery only 69.7 kWh is available to maintain a huge buffer for those times when it is needed for increased demand when towing uphill, etc.

The example he gave for testing was Davis Dam. The truck towing 14, 000 lbs  (2,650 lbs payload) could go up 3000 feet over 11 miles on a depleted battery.

But I agree, what is the range difference in a variety of real world applications.

So interesting, having a Pentastar V6 for generator only. 7.2 kW available to power your house if needed! 

Edited March 14 by rideadeuce

[Mountainman198]

  On 3/14/2025 at 9:12 AM, rideadeuce said:

I believe what he stated in the video is out of the 90 kWh battery only 69.7 kWh is available to maintain a huge buffer for those times when it is needed for increased demand when towing uphill, etc.

The example he gave for testing was Davis Dam. The truck towing 14, 000 lbs  (2,650 lbs payload) could go up 3000 feet over 11 miles on a depleted battery.

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Pretty sure these statements are directly from Ram as I have seen the exact quotes elsewhere in their announce media. Assume these quotes are for when vehicle is operating in Tow mode. Battery reserve would have much lower “floor” in normal mode. 
 

Looking forward the TFL Truck test run towing the Ike Gauntlet. Hopefully they address the normal vs tow mode battery reserve issue when towing. 
 

I love the series PHEV model for “EV” towing. I just wish they would make tow mode automatic when a trailer is attached (maybe this will be the case at launch). 

[Zodd]

I think the Ramcharger sounds very interesting and has a much more compelling design than other trucks in the space. However, I don't like being any gen 1-3 versions of any engine, so it will probably be a while before I consider it. Need to let the dust settle first. 

[SeaDawg]

  On 3/14/2025 at 8:44 PM, Zodd said:

I think the Ramcharger sounds very interesting and has a much more compelling design than other trucks in the space. However, I don't like being any gen 1-3 versions of any engine, so it will probably be a while before I consider it. Need to let the dust settle first. 

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True. The pentastar engine is tried and true, but not as an "onboard generator. "

I do think it's an interesting concept. Most pickup trucks really don't do a lot of long haul. My Silverado hasn't left the county in over a year, though it has been to Canada a few times. The pentastar as generator definitely should reduce range anxiety. Or, if you really use your truck "mostly" locally, like many of us, you can charge at home or at a station, and run on electric most of the time.

I'm looking forward to seeing one later this year.

[Chukarhunter]

  On 3/13/2025 at 2:00 PM, Galileo said:

Slap a Honda 2200EUi or two in the bed and see what kind of mileage increase can be obtained.

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A Honda 2200 EUi has a continuous rating of 2,000 kW which means it is capable of putting at most 2 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy into an EV battery if it runs for an hour.  An EV pickup like the F150 lightening will travel from 2-2.5 miles on a kWh of battery power in normal driving.  That means if you wanted to add driving range using an Honda 2200 EUi, you would need to run the generator for a full hour for every 2 miles of additional range you wanted. 

Level one chargers at home (120 volts) are limited to about the same charging rate as a 2200 EUi; a rate of about 2 kW (15 amps x 120 volts equals 1.8 kW charging rate).  Level 2 home (240 volt) chargers can charge a vehicle up to a 16 kW rate (i.e., the F150 Lightening) depending on the specific vehicle.  The charging rate using AC power from home is limited by the charging circuitry in the vehicle that converts AC power from the home plug to DC power into the batteries.  These internal vehicle electronics limit the charging current (whether 120 volts or 240 volts) so charging the vehicle will not trip the circuit breaker in the home panel.  

The charging stations being built along freeways, et. are DC fast chargers.  They supply DC power directly into the vehicle batteries and typically are capable of charging the vehicle at a rate of 150-250 kW rate which is why they can charge a vehicle like an F 150 lightening from zero to 80% charge in way under an hour.  It would take a 2200 EUi over 50 hours of continuous charging to do the same.

The good news is if you had an EV like the F150 lightening that is capable of bi-directional power flow, you wouldn't need much if any battery storage in the Oliver itself.  When you set up camp, you plug the trailer into the F150 (with 130 kWh of battery), you have over 100 kWh hours of battery reserve for over a month of camping assuming you arrive at camp with close to a full charge in the vehicle.

My son is a rural large animal veterinarian and has an F150 Lightening (11,000 lbs towing capacity) as his work vehicle.  It gives him several hundred miles of range which is more than enough for a day of ranch calls and he can recharge it from empty to full overnight at home with his 16 kW level 2 charger.  Last summer his batteries in his travel trailer were nearly shot but he didn't replace them.  He just took his family camping and plugged in to the F150 when they got to their campsite.

My son did keep his gas powered F150 for now for the rare times he needs to travel out of state or go on hunting trips more than several hundred miles from home.

 

[SeaDawg]

  On 3/18/2025 at 10:30 PM, Chukarhunter said:

My son is a rural large animal veterinarian and has an F150 Lightening (11,000 lbs towing capacity) as his work vehicle.  It gives him several hundred miles of range which is more than enough for a day of ranch calls and he can recharge it from empty to full overnight at home with his 16 kW level 2 charger.  Last summer his batteries in his travel trailer were nearly shot but he didn't replace them.  He just took his family camping and plugged in to the F150 when they got to their campsite.

My son did keep his gas powered F150 for now for the rare times he needs to travel out of state or go on hunting trips more than several hundred miles from home.

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I didn't quote the whole post, as most folks won't read it, but, they probably should.

Real world experience,  and thank you for posting it.

 

Edited March 28 by SeaDawg