Upgrading the audio system in a Tesla Cybertruck is a landmark moment in car audio, as the truck uses a 48 volt accessory battery rather than the typical 12 volts.
Tint World Orlando is one of the first to install a new car audio system in the truck, experimenting on the shop’s demo Cybertruck and finding several roadblocks in tapping into the car’s 48 volt battery.
First, be advised that the 48 volt battery does not have the typical terminals, said Tint World Orlando owner Pete Muller. Instead, a proprietary plug on the battery connects directly into the car’s main computer, and that computer closely monitors everything about that battery. “When we tried to tap in, it started giving us voltage errors. It knows the slightest deviation in voltage from the battery. The most we could put on it was a 15 amp draw without getting errors,” said Muller.
First, the team put a 100 amp power inverter directly between the battery and computer thinking the battery would behave like a normal one and would convert the 48 volts to 12 volts. Instead, the Cybertruck wouldn’t turn on. After lots of troubleshooting, they did get it to restart, but with a long list of fault codes on the display.
There are a couple of 110 volt, AC power outlets in the car and it would be possible to simply tap into those to power an aftermarket system. Muller said, installers can “use that to keep a 12-volt battery charged with a 110 to 12v inverter, which is exactly what some companies have done for major modifications that required a lot of power. We were trying to make the 48 volts usable versus just plugging into the 110. We’re not against it; we wanted something hidden and built-in like you would see in a traditional stereo install.”
Tint World Orlando took power from several 48v sources within the vehicle, each capable of delivering about 15 amps of current, without triggering any fault codes, and combined them to get enough current for powering the aftermarket products. They installed a 12 volt battery and 48 volt power converters, connecting them to the 12 volt battery and then to the amps and lighting.
“Adding a 12 volt battery in to the Cybertruck is the most likely scenario for any aftermarket system. The main part that changes will be whether you just connect it to the AC power or go through the effort to find places to pull the current and keep it charged,” said Muller.
“After a lot of experimenting and trying different ideas, we are confident that we can add aftermarket audio and lighting to a customer’s Cybertruck without any issues,” Muller said. “And the install shouldn’t be significantly more expensive than typical installs.”
As shown in the video above, Tint World Orlando replaced all 16 speakers in the truck with Arc Audio top of the line Reference Series speakers and two subwoofers in a custom enclosure, powered by Arc Audio amplifiers. Metra products were used for wiring, batteries and lighting, including an underglow system.
The truck was tinted and the car was finished in Pine Green “Cosmetic Paint Protection Film” by FlexiShield. The truck now seems to change color between black and green, depending on the angle and light. A ceramic coating for extra protection was then added.
