Less Expensive Tesla Cybertruck Is Expected Later This Year

• Tesla invites Cybertruck reservation holders to order the more affordable non-Foundation Series versions of the pickup, after offering the pricier Foundation Series versions for an extra $20,000 for most of the past year.

• The most affordable Cybertruck now starts at $82,235 for the AWD model, while the tri-motor Cyberbeast starts at $102,235.

• The RWD version of the pickup appears to be missing from Tesla's website, which would have been the most affordable version of the truck, if available.

The Tesla Cybertruck has been drawing curious looks on the roads for just a little under a year, with the EV maker having kicked off deliveries in November 2023.

And if you've been wondering just how much the first few thousand Cybertruck owners have paid for their vehicles, the answer can be summed up as: More than twice the initially promised base price of $39,990, as indicated back in 2019.

That's because the Foundation Series, which has been the launch flavor on the menu until earlier this month, added a generous $20,000 to the $82,235 starting price of the dual-motor model (including the $1,995 destination charge and the $250 order fee) for a $102,235 starting price, adding a similar premium to the tri-motor Cyberbeast version that brought its price up to $122,235.

The Foundation Series models added quite a few options starting with Tesla's Full Self-Driving suite, in addition to items like the $3,500 Cyber Wheels, $2,000 white trim, and a few other goodies.

True to genre conventions, the better equipped models have shipped first, with just under 30,000 units believed to have been delivered thus far.

Now, a more affordable Cybertruck is on the way, with Tesla opening orders for the $82,235 AWD version of the angular pickup, with the first deliveries expected later this year.

It's not on the website yet, though it is expected to appear there soon. For now, Tesla has been inviting just the reservation holders to configure their trucks.

Of course, the $82,235 version may not be the eventual base model at all. Early on, Tesla revealed it would launch a single-motor rear-wheel-drive version of the truck at some point, with industry watchers expecting it to appear further down the road after all the pricier variants have debuted.

It remains to be seen whether that's still the plan, as two months ago Tesla had quietly removed the RWD option from its website, sparking rumors of its complete demise.

There is still no clarity regarding the RWD version, which was expected to be the most affordable version of the truck, but whose delivery schedule was not fully detailed.

It could be that Tesla has judged that demand for the RWD version was too slim based on current orders, or that the truck would benefit from having more traction, not less, given its weight and other factors.

One other curious option is on the way in 2025: an extra battery billed as a range extender, designed to fit into the cargo bed, creating a step of sorts within the bed.

The range extender is slated to boost the AWD version to approximately 460 miles, up from the current 340, and is expected to cost $16,000 when it appears as an option next year. The extra battery is now offered to be reserved for $2,000.

The EV truck segment has seen a bit of a slowdown over the past year amid a continued debut of pricey models.

While the first wave of EV trucks is said to be concluded, there are a few other models further on the horizon, including Scout's planned electric truck.

Overall, electric offerings in the wide world of pickups continue to require some major coin, with the least expensive option at the moment being the Ford F-150 Lightning with a starting price of $65,090 for the XLT trim, in case you're not a Pro customer.

Will EV pickups become a major segment in the coming years, before 2030, or will they largely remain a niche item? Let us know what you think in the comments.