DIY Portable Battery Range Extender: EV Owner Adds 34 Miles to His F-150 Lightning

Range anxiety has been the Achilles' heel of EV ownership since the beginning, and one resourceful YouTuber decided to take matters into his own hands. Simon Lindley of the Trucked Up EVs channel rigged up a prototype system to feed portable battery packs directly into his Ford F-150 Lightning's charging system — while the truck was moving down the road. The result? A real-world glimpse at what DIY extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) could look like for everyday owners.

What happened

Lindley tested a prototype product called EverDrive, which taps into the Lightning's high-voltage system to add an auxiliary J1772 charging port. Rather than simply plugging something into the truck's standard charge port (which doesn't work while driving), the EverDrive system uses a microcontroller from PEAK to send custom CAN messages to the truck. Combined with a series of relays, this allows the truck's onboard charger to accept power from an external battery source even while the vehicle is in motion.

To put the system through its paces, Lindley loaded the bed of his Lightning with Bluetti battery packs totaling 16 kWh of stored energy and hit the road. He also had add-on solar panels feeding into those batteries along the way. The hardware wasn't cheap — the Bluetti battery setup ran approximately $7,500 at U.S. retail (though Lindley paid around $5,300 for a Canadian-priced bundle), and the EverDrive prototype is targeting a launch price of around $2,000. All told, the project cost roughly $9,500.

Why it matters

The test didn't go perfectly — an imbalanced discharge left about 8% of the Bluetti packs' stored energy undeliverable to the truck. Still, Lindley calculated that the system contributed an estimated 34 miles of additional driving range on his trip. That may not sound earth-shattering on paper, but the bigger story is what the EverDrive prototype actually unlocks: an open door for the aftermarket community to start treating EVs more like modular, expandable platforms.

For context, the now-cancelled Tesla Cybertruck range extender was estimated to deliver around 47 kWh of additional capacity at a price of roughly $16,000. Lindley's setup delivered 15.8 usable kWh (minus the imbalance loss) at about $9,500 — a different cost-per-kWh equation, but one that points to a growing consumer appetite for bolt-on range solutions.

The EREV concept is gaining traction industrywide. BMW, various Chinese automakers, and even Scout have all leaned into extended-range architectures. This experiment shows that EV owners aren't waiting for manufacturers to catch up.

What this means for EV owners

For most everyday drivers, a $9,500 DIY project isn't going to make the shopping list anytime soon. But the underlying idea — having a portable, high-capacity power source available for long trips, off-grid adventures, or genuine emergencies — is something every EV owner should be thinking about. Even without prototype hardware, portable power stations and quality charging accessories can meaningfully improve your ownership experience and peace of mind.

If you drive a Cybertruck or are thinking about one, the appetite for expanded range and bed-mounted power solutions is clearly real and growing. Exploring your charging and adapter options now puts you ahead of the curve. Check out the ePlugKit EV Chargers collection to see what charging gear makes sense for your setup — whether you're topping off at home, at a job site, or planning a long haul where every mile of buffer counts.

Owners of other Tesla models planning road trips should also take stock of their adapter situation to make sure they can access the widest possible network of charging options. A well-equipped charging kit is the closest most of us will get to a real-world range extender right now.

"In an emergency, hooking up a generator or battery system like Lindley did could be beneficial." — InsideEVs

The bottom line

Simon Lindley's experiment is equal parts inspiring and instructive. The EverDrive prototype isn't available to consumers yet, and the price tag for this kind of DIY EREV build is still steep. But the proof of concept is real: portable battery banks can add measurable range to an EV under the right conditions. As aftermarket solutions mature and prices come down, range-extending accessories could become as common as a roof rack or a set of floor mats. For now, making sure your charging setup is dialed in is the smartest, most practical move any EV owner can make.