Running A Cybertruck On Mostly Solar Power — Interview – CleanTechnica

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The last time I interviewed Anthony Sicari, it was about when he tested his home solar power and Tesla batteries to generate and utilize his own electricity for a little over a month instead of using grid electricity. (Elon Musk re-tweeted that interview.)

Then, the world was quite different. It was pre-pandemic and the Cybertruck had been announced but was nowhere near production.

Arriving in 2024, it turns out Anthony now has a Cybertruck and he uses it in his solar power and energy storage business. On his YouTube channel, he has uploaded some videos with his Cybertruck in them.

The 2019 interview generated a lot of attention, so it only seemed natural to follow up to check in with him about the unique electric pickup truck. 

Why did you decide to purchase a Cybertruck?

I originally decided to purchase the Cybertruck because, damn, that thing looks so cool. It’s something that I would love to take off-roading and who knows maybe stress test it by throwing a metal ball at the window for fun, lol. Initially, I thought it was just a couple of hundred dollars for the reservation, so I figured I would worry about it in a couple of years if it was ever made and decide then if I really wanted it. Then, push comes to shove, it’s January, and Tesla messages me saying if I want the Cybertruck, it will be roughly another $1,000 payment to hold my reservation. At that point, I started questioning if I really wanted this truck and if I really wanted to swing the cost of a Founders Series Cybertruck.

I called my friend in Hawaii who has a solar company, and he said, “Anthony, not only is that truck so cool, but you can wrap it and use it for marketing the solar business as well. It’s a no-brainer.” What better way to deliver materials to job sites than a sleek-looking Tesla Cybertruck? And what better way to drive engagement from the community than to have this sick rig driving around? We have done different events with the truck, but the most rewarding was the New Paltz Touch-a-Truck event. The kids were absolutely stoked to see it. I’ll never forget a little boy screaming, “Mom, it’s a Cybertruck!” It’s been a blast talking to people about this truck.

What do you like about it so far?

I’m not going to lie; it took me a bit of time to warm up to the vehicle. Obviously, it was fun to drive, but I needed some time. At first, I still wanted to drive the all-electric Ford Lightning. It felt too far from practical initially, but over time you realize what an engineering masterpiece this truck really is and you also dial in the settings of the truck and learn more about it. The more you drive it, the more you think, “Wow, this steer-by-wire is absolutely amazing,” and “This retractable tonneau cover is so useful.” I filmed a video of our experience picking up the truck, and at the end of the video, it was so funny—my newborn daughter Mia made a big poop, so we didn’t even pull out of the parking lot with the Cybertruck before we were already using the center console as a changing table. So, the Cybertruck is baby-approved.

Anything you would change?

There is nothing I would change about the truck besides having more frunk space. It seems like a lot of space is unused, and it would be great to fit a stroller or larger items in the frunk.

The wrap looks really good. Did you get that mainly to make it easier to clean the Cybertruck?

This truck is not a trailer queen, we use it every day and have it at different events. So, yes, the fingerprints would have been impossible to keep up with on this truck, so wrapping it was a necessity. When we first got the truck, just the first 3 days when it was not wrapped was close to impossible to keep up with the fingerprints. 

Do you still have 3 Tesla Powerwalls?

I still have three Powerwalls that have been working great, and I am in the process of adding a fourth, as well as upgrading my Tesla Gateway at home so that I can take advantage of the PowerShare from the Tesla Cybertruck. It’s amazing that all existing Powerwall customers do not need to do anything but have an existing Gateway and a Tesla charger, and their Cybertruck is now additional battery capacity. So, if everything goes as planned, I currently have three Tesla Powerwalls totaling 40.5 kWh. If you add the Cybertruck on top of that, it’s an additional 123 kWh, so my home can now have 163.5 kWh of backup storage. That’s absolutely amazing, especially in the Northeast where we lose power quite often, and in the winter when our entire home runs off electric—from heating and cooling to appliances and transportation. This is really going to help.

Did you expand your solar power system, and if so, what is the total kW now?

My current solar system is 17.2 kW, with 48 360-watt panels, and I am in the process of increasing the system size to help cover more of the load from these electric vehicles. 

Does it provide enough electricity to power the Cybertruck?

In these summer months, my solar system does cover the usage of the Cybertruck, the Tesla Model Y, and the Ford Lightning. But in the winter months, we are at roughly 50%. With the added solar to the home, we should be able to close the gap on an annual basis. 

I have two Level 2 chargers at my home and four at our office in Modena. The data is pretty cool to look at my home—just this year, the Cybertruck and the Ford used a combined 5,334 kWh from the Wallbox charger, and the Tesla used 2,025 kWh from the Tesla charger. So, total YTD, we used a combined 7,359 kWh for all our electric vehicles, and our solar produced a total of 11,426 kWh. Unfortunately, my home used 14,256 kWh, not including vehicle charging, so year to date, we are at 50% offset.

What do you use the Cybertruck for?

This Cybertruck wears many hats. We use it as a daily driver for the family, and we also have it parked outside our office, where at least two people a day pull in or take pictures of the truck. One day the truck was in front of our office and the utility company was changing a light on the pole and we must of had 10 utility line workers all around the truck asking questions. Starting next month, we will be delivering Tesla Powerwall 3s in the Cybertruck. And last but not least, we use it for different community events. 

Do you have any other EVs?

Yes, we have a Model Y, a Ford Lightning, and the Cybertruck.