Photo: @greggertruck, @NxuInc via X
Early reports confirmed that the Tesla Cybertruck has a less-than-stellar charging performance. Many hoped this would improve when 800-volt charging became available. Still, the first tests show that charging the electric pickup at an 800-volt DC fast charger would not bring tangible benefits.
The Cybertruck is Tesla's first model with an 800-volt electrical architecture. Although this was expected, considering the larger battery pack and power, it's intriguing that the Tesla Supercharger network doesn't offer 800-volt chargers yet. This capability is baked into the V4 Superchargers, but current stations still deliver only 400 volts. This is why people speculated that the Cybertruck might charge faster when using a third-party network.
However, those who tried to charge the Cybertruck at an Electrify America charger with 800-volt capability discovered that the Cybertruck refused to play ball. The electric pickup appears NACS-only and doesn't work with an adapter. This meant that Cybertruck owners were stuck with 400-volt Superchargers. This detail made people dismiss Cybertruck's lackluster charging performance. Surely, things should improve once 800-volt chargers become available, right?
Well, not so fast. Recently, Nxu announced it has become the first third-party charging network to support Tesla Cybertruck's 800-volt architecture. Nxu worked with Tesla to make this happen, with the Cybertruck being the first EV validated on its NxuOne Charging System. Work continues to accommodate other 800-volt electric vehicles, but the progress with the Cybertruck is interesting, to say the least. If you ask what's different about Nxu and other charging networks, it's the native NACS plug.
Based on Nxu data, the Cybertruck reaches a "remarkable" 327-kW charging rate, the highest ever seen for the truck. Until now, the highest on record was 253 kW on a Tesla V3 Supercharger. Tesla also lists the Cybertruck with only 250 kW of charging power, although Lars Moravy, VP of Engineering, confirmed that it's capable of 350 kW.
Even more remarkable than the absolute peak power value is how long the Cybertruck can sustain it. The bad news is that it's not long, which is unlikely to change much in the ownership experience. The charging curve shows that the Cybertruck can take 327 kW for a very short time (the first five minutes), after which the power drops abruptly. From there, the charging curve matches that of the V3 Supercharger, which has a maximum power of 250 kW.
This indicates that 800-volt chargers would not change much for the Cybertruck owners. The charging time might improve slightly, but not much compared to charging at a 400-volt charger. This is because the higher voltage is only beneficial when the 400-volt charging reaches its limits. The Cybertruck, sadly, can't sustain the V3 Supercharger peak rate (250 kW) for more than a few minutes. After that, the voltage doesn't matter.
The good news is that the charging curve indicates that the limitation is not caused by the battery overheating and thermal protection coming into play. Instead, the limited charging performance is due to software caps, which Tesla might choose to lift later. Usually, Tesla improves charging performance with software updates as it gathers more data about how the battery cells behave.
However, those who tried to charge the Cybertruck at an Electrify America charger with 800-volt capability discovered that the Cybertruck refused to play ball. The electric pickup appears NACS-only and doesn't work with an adapter. This meant that Cybertruck owners were stuck with 400-volt Superchargers. This detail made people dismiss Cybertruck's lackluster charging performance. Surely, things should improve once 800-volt chargers become available, right?
Well, not so fast. Recently, Nxu announced it has become the first third-party charging network to support Tesla Cybertruck's 800-volt architecture. Nxu worked with Tesla to make this happen, with the Cybertruck being the first EV validated on its NxuOne Charging System. Work continues to accommodate other 800-volt electric vehicles, but the progress with the Cybertruck is interesting, to say the least. If you ask what's different about Nxu and other charging networks, it's the native NACS plug.
Based on Nxu data, the Cybertruck reaches a "remarkable" 327-kW charging rate, the highest ever seen for the truck. Until now, the highest on record was 253 kW on a Tesla V3 Supercharger. Tesla also lists the Cybertruck with only 250 kW of charging power, although Lars Moravy, VP of Engineering, confirmed that it's capable of 350 kW.
Even more remarkable than the absolute peak power value is how long the Cybertruck can sustain it. The bad news is that it's not long, which is unlikely to change much in the ownership experience. The charging curve shows that the Cybertruck can take 327 kW for a very short time (the first five minutes), after which the power drops abruptly. From there, the charging curve matches that of the V3 Supercharger, which has a maximum power of 250 kW.
This indicates that 800-volt chargers would not change much for the Cybertruck owners. The charging time might improve slightly, but not much compared to charging at a 400-volt charger. This is because the higher voltage is only beneficial when the 400-volt charging reaches its limits. The Cybertruck, sadly, can't sustain the V3 Supercharger peak rate (250 kW) for more than a few minutes. After that, the voltage doesn't matter.
The good news is that the charging curve indicates that the limitation is not caused by the battery overheating and thermal protection coming into play. Instead, the limited charging performance is due to software caps, which Tesla might choose to lift later. Usually, Tesla improves charging performance with software updates as it gathers more data about how the battery cells behave.
Remember when I said that 800V charging won’t make much of a difference on Cybertruck? Here’s proof. https://t.co/epEvfsueZI
— Branden Flasch (@brandenflasch) March 5, 2024
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