We know that future Tesla models will get bi-directional charging, as confirmed by Tesla’s Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Energy Engineering Drew Baglino during the investor day presentation in March 2023. For now, the question is, which model will get it first? And what type of bi-directional charging will be offered?
The following information might sound bizarre, but the Tesla coloring book offered at the brand’s service center comes with a caption that reads, “Cybertruck has enough battery power to charge a Tesla.” For a coloring enthusiast, that information might be of little value, but for Tesla fans, it opens up speculation.
It’s hard to believe that Tesla would allow false information to be printed in the book. So the production version of the Cybertruck is likely to get bi-directional charging. As the caption suggests, Tesla might offer vehicle-to-vehicle charging, and probably not the entire suite of vehicle-to-load (V2L), vehicle-to-home (V2H), and vehicle-to-grid (V2G), capabilities.
When Tesla’s Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen pulled up in a Cybertruck at the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA for a Cars and Coffee event at the end of June 2023, enthusiasts got a close look at the electric truck’s bed, which had a small opening, presumably designed for a socket, as per a Twitter video.
The production version might get a 120V or 240V socket to charge external appliances or another EV.
Tesla Cybertruck’s bed has a small opening, possibly for a charging socket. (via Ryan Zohoury on Twitter)
Rival electric trucks like the Ford F-150 Lightning already offer the feature. The Ford comes with Pro Power Onboard – the company’s speak for bi-directional charging – with standard 120V outlets and an optional 240V socket with up to 9.6 kilowatts of charging rate.
A user even shared its range with a stranded Mini Cooper SE last year, fully charging it, and still having over 200 miles of remaining range.
We’re curious about Cybertruck’s battery size. As per the brand’s Master Plan Part 3, it could get a battery capacity of 100-kilowatt hours, but that seems less for a heavy truck. Competitors like the Rivian R1T and F-150 Lightning have battery packs that are 130 kWh or more.
In 2021, a Twitter user asked CEO Elon Musk if the Cybertruck’s battery could power his home, to which Musk responded “Yes.”
