Tesla Cybertruck Owner Straps a Gas-Powered Generator to the Truck Bed & Creates the First Hybrid Tesla, Takes 15 Gallons of Fuel to Charge to Full (18.7 MPG)
A Cybertruck owner from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Johann Faubel, has created the first hybrid Cybertruck.
Johann achieved this feat by mounting a small, portable, gas-powered generator in the truck bed.
The Cybertruck owner showed his generator in action on a recent towing trip he took to the wilderness. Away from civilization and any power outlet, Johann was able to charge his Cybertruck from 12% to 100%, giving him enough juice to drive back from his campsite.
Johann shared his gas-powered Cybertruck experience with the Tesla Cybertruck group on Facebook.
This is what he wrote…
“Here's my generator charging my Cybertruck off grid. For all the haters, yes, it runs on gas. Yes, it gets the job done. With 15 gallons of gas I was able to charge to 100% and have the truck ready to tow again after the weekend was over.”
Watch this video from the Torque News Youtube channel about Johann's hybrid Cybertruck and see what range extender Tesla is preparing for the Cybertruck that should be available in 2025 and how it's different from Johann's solution.
Together with his post, Johann shared a video of his Cybertruck charging using a gas-powered generator.
In the video, you can see a small Predator 9500 generator running pretty loud in the middle of the night loaded onto the Cybertruck bed.
From there, Johann ran some lines and connected the generator to a Tesla mobile charger using an adapter. The charger is plugged into the Cybertruck and blinks green, which shows that the vehicle is charging without any issues.
In the video, Johann says…
“For all the non-believers. People who don’t understand the science. There she is, charging out in the middle of the woods in the middle of nowhere. Yeah, it’s going to take a long time, but it’ll be charged by tomorrow morning.”
Johann also shares a view of his campsite, showing that he’s in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees and snow-covered ground.
Following, the Cybertruck owner turns his camera to the truck’s center touch screen and shares some charging stats.
The Cybertruck is charging at 6 KW, which is slightly lower at 25 amps and 240 volts than the Tesla mobile connector’s maximum rated charge capacity of 32 amps, which would’ve increased the power to 7.5 KW.
At this rate, the Cybertruck is charging at 11 miles/hour and will take 14 hours and 5 minutes to charge fully.
According to Johann, he started at 12% and charged all the way to 100%, and in the process, he used up 15 gallons of fuel. With his Cybertruck’s 320-mile EPA range, it means, Johann has managed to get 18.7 miles per gallon of efficiency by charging his Cybertruck using a gas generator.
This doesn’t make the Cybertruck the most efficient truck; however, fellow Cybertruck owners were still happy writing that even at these levels, the Cybertruck is “more fuel efficient than the new Ford F-250.”
Should other Cybertruck owners consider installing a generator?
At 18.7 miles per gallon, the whole setup isn’t too bad if you ever find yourself in an emergency situation.
This setup can be especially useful if towing. When pulling a trailer, the Cybertruck’s range can easily be cut to less than 100 miles.
Also, at 257 lbs and a compact size, leaving the generator permanently on the truck bed wouldn't be too noticeable. Add a couple of gas cans, and you can be sure you will never be stranded out in the wilderness.
Having said that, the obvious limitation of this DIY system is that the Cybertruck will not be able to charge while driving like other hybrid vehicles.
This means every time you want to charge your Cybertruck, you will need to come to a complete stop, and at 11/miles an hour, you’ll need to be stopped for a long time to get any meaningful range.
Additionally, there is also the issue of sound. You can run the generator overnight while you are sleeping; however, getting any sleep with all that noise will be challenging.
Comparison with Tesla’s range extender battery pack
Tesla is developing a range-extender battery pack that will be launched in mid-2025. This 50KWh battery pack will give the truck another 120 miles of travel, increasing its EPA-estimated range to over 445 miles.
The range extender battery pack will be permanently mounted on the Cybertruck bed and will take up one-third of the bed space. When it becomes available, the extra battery will also cost $16,000.
On the other hand, a gas generator like the Predator 9500 that Johann used costs $2,000, takes less bed space, doesn’t need to be permanently mounted to the truck, and can add hundreds of miles of range depending on how much fuel you are willing to carry.
Having said that, it’s still important to note that the comparison is somewhat apples to oranges because the range extender battery pack also has other advantages over using a generator.
The battery pack is silent, doesn’t depend on fossil fuels, can be used while the truck is driving, has OEM support, and so on.
Ultimately, comparing these two systems brings us to the age-old debate: would you rather have a long-range pure electric vehicle with a heavy, expensive battery or a lighter, cheaper, less clean hybrid vehicle?
Different people will have different preferences; however, please let me know what you think in the comments. Share your ideas by clicking the red “Add new comment” button below. Also, visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.
Image: Screenshot from Cybertruck Owners Club
For more information, check out: Progressive Insurance is Penalyzing Cybertruck Owners Who Frequently Drive Using Tesla’s Full-Self-Driving Software – Dings for Hard Braking & Fast Acceleration Result in 51% Premium Increase
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.