The Cybertruck is out, and it’s amazing—but it doesn’t quite measure up to expectations in some key specs. But it marks the debut of a new Powershare feature set that harnesses bidirectional charging. And in other news, Nio is partnering up with the parent of Volvo and Polestar for battery swapping. This and more, here at Green Car Reports.
The Tesla Cybertruck was revealed Thursday in production form, and the Cybertruck’s stainless-steel construction, steer-by-wire system, and packaging like no other truck are all noteworthy firsts. Tesla made plenty of claims about its performance—like out-accelerating a Porsche 911, while towing a 911—but it failed to live up to some of the key pragmatic targets it had previously set for pricing and range. And even with its add-on range-extender, it doesn’t hit the “500+ mile” range Tesla suggested.
It will also be the first Tesla with bidirectional charging. With the rollout of Powershare, the Cybertruck and future Tesla models will be able to provide power for worksites or campsites, or for home backup, or for charging other EVs.
And Nio is on to something with its battery-swapping business, which has recently started scaling up in Europe. Geely, the parent of Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus, has just partnered with Nio for battery-swapping in China—and for future “a unified battery swap operation” between brands.
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