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A Tesla Cybertruck Seen at a Gas Station Powering Several Gas Pumps Allowing ICE Vehicles to Fill Up – A Cybertruck Comes to the Rescue After a Power Grid Failure in Oil-Country Texas

After a tornado destroyed the electrical grid in Houston, Texas, an unlikely hero—a Tesla Cybertruck—emerged to help gas cars during the power outage. A Cybertruck was seen powering gas pumps, allowing ICE vehicles to fill up.
Tesla Cybertruck

Electric Vehicles are often criticized for their reliance on the power grid. Many people feel uncomfortable owning a vehicle that will be rendered undrivable without a constant electricity supply, and this criticism is further amplified when it comes to electric trucks.

More than other vehicle types, trucks are expected to be versatile and capable of going anywhere and doing anything. This inherent expectation makes the idea of an all-electric truck especially off-putting for some individuals.

On the surface, you could be excused for worrying whether you can rely on an all-electric truck if the power goes out; however, a real power grid failure in Houston, Texas, shows that electric vehicles are much more resilient than we make them out to be.

A tornado in Houston, Texas, recently took down the power grid in the city. In the ensuing power outage, conventional wisdom suggests electric vehicles suffer, whereas internal combustion engine vehicles shine.

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However, that couldn’t be further from the truth, especially at one Houston gas station. A video shared online following the aftermath of the tornado that hit the city shows a Cybertruck powering a gas station where tens of internal combustion vehicles are lined up to pump gas.

The gas station is providing gas to all vehicle types, including trucks, vans, SUVs, and sedans. Despite the grid failure, the adjoining gas station store is open, powered up, and the cash register is working.

This is a great sight to behold following a natural disaster, and rather surprisingly, if you make it to the back of the store, all these functions are being powered from the truck bed of a single Cybertruck.

In the video, you can see several extension cords coming out of the Cybertruck bed. This Cybertruck, wrapped in gloss black, is the only power source for the large gas station and store.

On the Cybertruck bed, Tesla provides two 120-volt outlets and one 240-volt outlet that can output a maximum of 9.6KW. In addition, Tesla provides two more 120-volt outlets in the vehicle cabin.

In this particular Houston gas station, all the Cybertruck bed outlets appear to be plugged in, and the electrical lines are going to the Cybertruck’s under-bed storage for coordination.

In the video, it’s not exactly clear for how long the Cybertruck is powering the gas station; however, Tesla has fitted the all-electric truck with a massive 123KWh battery, and at a max continuous output of 9.6KW, the Cybertruck can easily power the gas station for over 12 hours.

However, it’s unlikely the gas station will constantly draw that much power, especially if it’s simply powering the gas pumps and cash register. This means the Cybertruck can theoretically supply power to the gas station for days.

However, at 9.6KW max power, given the right wiring, the Cybertruck can also power the store’s other types of equipment, including refrigerator units, which could be crucial to extending some products' shelf life.

What’s even more impressive is that the Cybertruck can power the gas station without having to idle the engine, emit toxic substances, or create loud noises, which would be the case if an ICE truck or a generator were used to do the same job.

Due to the efficiency of drawing electricity from a battery pack instead of using an onsite generator or an internal combustion engine vehicle, the electricity costs are also significantly lower while using the Cybertruck to power the gas station.

As the events in this particular gas station show, the Cybertruck can easily come to the rescue if you are in a bind. The truck can not only function during a power outage, but the Cybertruck can also be a power source for other vehicles.

The Cybertruck’s onboard outlets can power the gas pump, allowing internal combustion engine vehicles to get gas. However, if you drive an electric vehicle, the Cybertruck can also come to your aid in the event of a power outage.

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According to Tesla, you can use the Cybertruck’s 240-volt outlet to output 9.6KW to charge another EV. Depending on your electric vehicle, this can give you 40 to 60 miles in a couple of hours.

This is what the Cybertruck can do for you in a bind; however, if you want a seamless and more permanent backup system for your home or business, the Cybertruck also has you covered.

The Cybertruck is the first Tesla to allow vehicle-to-grid technology, in which the truck’s battery pack can be used to back up power to your home. In this instance, rather than running multiple cables out of the back of your Cybertruck, your truck’s charge port can be used as a gateway to send power back to your home or charge your truck.

Let’s say your Cybertruck is plugged in and charging at home when the power suddenly goes out. Your Cybertruck can detect the outage, automatically stop charging, and send power back to your home in less than a minute.

While using the charge port, the Cybertruck can output even higher power levels, and Tesla says the Cybertruck can back up your home with 11.5 KW power for up to three days.

Tesla makes the three-day assessment based on the average US home daily power usage of 30KWh, but your mileage may differ based on your power consumption and the size of your home.

This is all well and good; however, before you can have this seamless integration between your Cybertruck and your home, Tesla requires you to have installed Powershare equipment. 

If you have previously installed a Powerwall in your home and completed all the necessary steps with your utility, permitting, and electrical systems, then using your Cybertruck to back up your home is simply plug-and-play.

However, if your Cybertruck is your first means of adding backup power to your home, you must install a Tesla Universal Wall Connector and Powershare Gateway.

The Tesla Universal Wall Connector enables bi-directional charging, allowing Cybertruck to either charge or power the home when plugged in.

The Tesla Powershare Gateway, on the other hand, controls the connection to the grid, automatically detects outages, and provides a seamless transition to backup power.

After purchasing and installing the Tesla bi-directional charger and Tesla Powershare Gateway, your Cybertruck can seamlessly provide backup power to your house.

Further explaining the Cybertruck’s backup power-providing capability, Tesla writes…

Currently, the only way to get Powershare equipment is to purchase a Foundation Series Cybertruck. In addition to cabin and cargo bed power outlets, all Foundation Series Cybertruck owners will receive a Powershare Mobile Connector and may be eligible to receive Powershare Home Backup hardware (Universal Wall Connector and Powershare Gateway).

Cyberbeast Foundation Series owners may also be eligible to have up to $4,000 of their Powershare Home Backup installation expenses covered by Tesla.

Powershare Home Backup functionality is available for system configurations that do not have a backed-up solar system, Backup Switch, or Powerwall setup. Powershare Home Backup functionality is expected to be available for additional system configurations later this year through an over-the-air update. Until that point, you will be able to charge your Cybertruck using a Universal Wall Connector or any other home charging product you have.

Overall, this route is more complicated as you will need a certified electrician to come to your house and initially configure everything; however, once fully set up, your home is automatically backed up.

Currently, the Houston gas station case is our first instance of seeing the Cybertruck assisting in a natural disaster; however, we’ll be sure to keep you posted as the all-electric truck shows its usefulness in more situations.

Until then, visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.

So, what do you think? Are you surprised to see a Cybertruck coming to the aid of internal combustion vehicles during a power outage? What do you think is better during a grid failure, an electric vehicle or a gas car? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below by clicking the red “Add new comment” button.

Image: Screenshot from Greggortruck’s post on X

For more information, check out: A U.S. Army Veteran, EV/Tech YouTuber Says – “Tesla is Refusing To Give Me a Replacement Cybertruck After Mine Has Been Broken 4 Times” – “I have 16.8 Million Views Showing Issues With My Cybertruck”

Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.

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Comments

J. Peter (not verified)    May 18, 2024 - 6:12PM

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I wonder how many ICE vehicles will be needed to charge a Tesla Cybertruck when the power goes out.