In the past couple of hours, many Cybertruck reservation holders have shared online that they have received an email from Tesla, inviting them to purchase their Cybertruck. The email says ‘As an early reservation holder, you have been invited to order your Foundation Series Cybertruck with early access to delivery.’
For most, it’s been a 4-year wait from the time they placed the reservation, and only recently we found out that a Foundation Series version was being offered.
Sawyer Merritt held a Space on X to discuss the orders and indicated he has received around 50 Direct Messages from people who got the invite email to purchase a Cybertruck Foundation Series. Since then he’s now updated that to 65.
There have now been dozens who have shared screenshots of the email and order screens online, and while we don’t know the exact number (not everyone is on social media), we expect the Foundation Series will be offered in limited supply, with estimates of around 1,000.
Those in the long queue for Cybertruck will be keen to understand when their turn to order will arrive, at this stage, the best indications are that Tesla is prioritising early reservation holders, but not a straight first-in, first-served model, rather those who are geographically located in states close to the Texas Gigafactory.
It seems most of those who reported receiving the email did in fact opt for FSD with the Cybertruck, and given the Foundation Series includes FSD in the price tag, this is also likely a key factor for those being invited.
At the time FSD cost just US$7,000 which at one point got to as high as $15,000 (in Sept 2022) and has now reduced to US$12,000). The Cybertruck is currently offered in 2 versions, the AWD Long Range option, or the Cyberbeast tri-motor.
The all-wheel drive option costs US$79,990 and the Foundation Series is technically an option, but if you don’t take it, you’ll be waiting an unknown period of time to get your Cybertruck without it. The Foundation Series costs an additional US$20,000 taking the total price of the All-wheel drive Cybertruck to US$99,990.
If you have deep pockets and want the best performance, then you’ll pay US$99,990 for the truck and an additional US$20,000 for the Foundation Series.
What do you get as part of the Foundation Series?
One of the first benefits is that you get to take delivery before others (foundation series logos to prove it). On top of this, you also get lifetime premium connectivity, the Off-Road light bar, premium accessories, white interior and FSD, which as we discussed, most were going to pay $7k for it anyway. This ultimately means Tesla buyers are being asked to pay an additional US$13k for the rest of the features.
Under the premium accessories heading, you’ll get all-weather interior liners (floor mats), glass roof sunshade, center console tray, gear locker dividers, vault D-Rings (for tie downs), L-Track Hooks, and L-track bottle opener.
Also included in the US$20k price is Powershare home backup, which allows you to power your home from the Cybertruck. This also includes the new updated V3 Universal Wall Connector and Gateway. What’s crazy about this component is that it actually includes installation up to US$4,000.
If we add the Powershare and original FSD costs together we get $11k, making the delta just US$9k. It’s hard to say $100 – $120k for a vehicle is a deal, but when you break down what’s included in this Foundation Series option, it is better than it originally appears.
None of this takes away from the fact that not everyone was ready to spend this amount of money this week, with a number of the people who received the email sharing they don’t have the money. Surprise, the price of admission for a reservation to be one of the cool kids was just $100 which is fully refundable.
Some time ago news spread of a condition in the Cybertruck purchase contract that would prevent people from selling within 1 year. This was later removed, but it seems to be back for almost all of those who are buying the Cybertruck Foundation Series.
This move may be isolated to the Foundation Series, but we’ll only know if it’s there for regular Cybertrucks sometime in 2024. This is designed to stop people from flipping the truck for large profits during a time when demand drastically outstrips supply, forcing the potential resale price to the moon.
Congrats if you got an email today, let us know in the comments if you plan on ordering now or waiting.
