Tesla starts offering early Cybertruck delivery for long-term TSLA shareholders
Tesla has put up a webpage allowing TSLA shareholders to register for early Cybertruck delivery, as long as they fit certain criteria. It could give us a hint as to how Cybertruck deliveries are going.
Tesla first started delivering Cybertrucks in November of last year, more than three months ago today. First deliveries were of the limited-edition “Foundation series”, which costs a $20k premium for what seems to be some slight trim differences and the privilege of having early delivery. So far, virtually all confirmed Cybertruck orders have been of the Foundation Series (and most in CA and TX), according to the order tracking list on Cybertruck Owner’s Club.
But now Tesla is adding another method for Cybertruck reservation holders to jump in front of the line – or perhaps an incentive to enhance the seeming exclusivity of the model.
Tesla’s website now has a page where shareholders can register for early delivery, as long as they meet these eligibility requirements:
- The Cybertruck reservation must be in the participant’s name and have been made prior to March 1st, 2024
- The participant has not yet taken delivery of a Cybertruck
- Each participant must provide brokerage statements showing that you owned TSLA shares on Feb. 28, 2021 and owned at least 500 TSLA shares on Feb. 29, 2024
- The brokerage statements for Feb. 29, 2024 must show that you owned at least 50% of the TSLA shares that you owned on Feb. 28, 2021
- Brokerage statements proving shareholdings must clearly show first/last name, statement date, and Tesla shares. All other information may be redacted.
These steps must be taken by Friday, March 22, 2024 11:59 PM CT CDT in order to hop the line, and can only be done once per customer and only in the US or Canada (where it’s coming soon).
As a result, even if a shareholder reserved a Cybertruck after initial deliveries began, they could still hop to the front of the Cybertruck line as long as they’ve held a significant amount of shares for some time.
This isn’t the first time Tesla has given special treatment to shareholders, specifically on something Cybertruck-related. A month before the Cybertruck delivery event, Tesla offered TSLA shareholders entries into a lottery for tickets to attend the event.
The company also recently offered accelerated delivery with referral credits, also for Foundation Series trucks, with a referral reward that sold out within hours.
If you fit the criteria and want to register for early delivery, head over to Tesla’s registration page here.
Electrek’s Take
Could this move also give us a sense of how Cybertruck deliveries are going?
Originally it was rumored that the Foundation Series would encompass only the first 1,000 vehicles. Later, rumors said that this number expanded to 20-25k. The company has not confirmed how many Foundation Series Cybertrucks will be made (which…would certainly be relevant information for collectors to know before spending a $20k premium).
Tesla has claimed that it currently has annual production capacity to produce 125,000 Cybertrucks per year – a number that wasn’t all that believable from the get-go. So, a quarter of a year into production, this would mean that Tesla should have been able to make 30,000+ Cybertrucks by now.
But if the company is just starting to offer early delivery to shareholders, either this means they’re going to produce tens of thousands of Foundation Series trucks, or they’re nowhere near 125,000 production capacity. We’re going to guess it’s the latter.
This move could also signal that the take-rate for Foundation Series invites has been disappointing. Customers may be waiting so they can avoid the $20k premium (they did reserve a $40k truck, after all, so $120k could certainly inspire sticker shock), or may be waiting until early production snags get ironed out. Even reports of a Cybertruck selling for $244k might not entice would-be flippers, given that Tesla has threatened and then followed through on punishing early owners who resell their trucks for profit.
Regardless, we might have expected Foundation Series to be done delivering by now, given that the truck has been out for months already, and given that these invites just went out today which means there are at least several more weeks of Foundation Series deliveries left to go (current order confirmations seem to be getting a March-May delivery timeline).
This is simultaneously a quicker and slower pace than previous Tesla rollouts. For the Model 3, Tesla’s first deliveries started in July of 2017, but those cars only went out to employees and the first big wave of deliveries to the general public only started in late December (that’s when we got ours).
Meanwhile, for the Tesla Semi, those seem to have seen effectively no deliveries since the first trucks were released in December 2022. We still haven’t seen any reports of Semis owned by anyone other than Pepsi or Frito-Lay, though Tesla said in October that about 70 trucks have been built – about double the amount we know are owned by PepsiCo.
But with Cybertruck, members of the general public did start receiving trucks within weeks of the delivery event – which is quicker than both of the above. Though months later, it seems like the delivery numbers may still be coming in a trickle, rather than a flood.
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Mammoth Solar, a 1.3 gigawatt (GW) solar farm in northern Indiana, is now powering into its biggest construction phase yet, cementing its place as one of the largest solar projects in the US.
The solar farm is set to increase Indiana’s solar capacity by more than 20% once it’s fully online. And with construction ramping up this month, developer Doral Renewables has given Bechtel Full Notice to Proceed on the design, engineering, and construction of three major phases of the project: Mammoth South, Mammoth Central I, and Mammoth Central II. Together, these phases will generate 900 MW of clean energy.
That’s enough electricity to power around 200,000 homes with clean energy, helping Indiana shift away from fossil fuels while boosting the local economy.
Construction is already underway, and over the next two years, Bechtel will install around 2 million solar panels, with about half of them made in the US. The company is also handling all engineering, procurement, and construction work, using its digital project management tools and autonomous tech to keep everything on track.
At the peak of the buildout, Mammoth Solar is expected to create over 1,200 jobs, with at least 15% of those set aside for apprenticeships.
Bechtel says its success will hinge on strong collaboration with local trades and vendors. The company is working closely with craft professionals and is committed to being a reliable community partner throughout construction.
Once the solar farm is complete in 2027, Doral Renewables plans to roll out agrivoltaics across the site. That means livestock grazing and crop cultivation will happen right alongside energy production, giving farmers in the area a way to keep working their land while supporting clean energy development.
Read more: Solar adds more new capacity to the US grid in 2024 than any energy source in 20 years
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BYD is about to launch an even smaller EV, but this one’s a little different. It’s BYD’s first kei car. You know, those tiny vehicles that dominate Japan’s city streets? BYD’s mini EV was just spotted out in public, giving us our first real look at the upcoming kei car.
BYD’s first mini EV was spotted in public
Last week, rumors surfaced that BYD was developing its first kei car, which would compete with top-selling models from Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, and other Japanese brands.
Kei cars, or “K-Car,” as they are sometimes called, are a class of ultra-compact vehicles that cannot be longer than 3.4 meters (134″). To put that into perspective, BYD’s smallest EV currently, the Seagull (called the Dolphin Mini overseas), is 3,780 mm (148.8″) long.
The mini vehicles are ideal in Japan because they are so small, making it easy to get around tight city streets. They are also more affordable and efficient than larger vehicles.
BYD’s mini EV was spotted for the first time during a road test this week by IT Home (via CarNewsChina), revealing a familiar look. It has that boxy, compact look of a typical kei car with sliding side doors.
According to reports, BYD is developing a new platform for the model. It will reportedly include a 20 kWh battery, good for 180 km (112 miles) WLTC range. By using its in-house Blade LFP batteries, BYD is expected to have a cost advantage.
BYD’s upcoming mini EV is expected to start at around 2.5 million yen, or about $18,000. That’s about the same as the Nissan Sakura (2.59 million yen), Japan’s best-selling EV last year.
既出ですがBYDの日本向けEV軽自動車と言われているフロントとリアからのスパイショット。 pic.twitter.com/CcV5pihpWc
— 主夫まぬか (@syufumanuka) May 16, 2025
Last year, around 1.55 million kei cars were sold in Japan, accounting for roughly 40% of new vehicle sales. Honda’s N-Box was the top-selling kei car (EV or gas) for the third straight year.
As Nikkei reported, some are already calling BYD’s electric kei car “a huge threat.” A Suzuki dealer said, “Young people do not have a negative view of BYD. It would be a huge threat if the company launches cheap models in Japan.”
BYD already sells several electric cars in Japan, including the Atto 3 SUV, Dolphin, and Seal. Last month, the company launched the new Sealion 7 midsize electric SUV, starting at 4.95 million yen ($34,500).
Although Japan isn’t really an EV hot spot, with sales falling 33% in 2024 to just under 60,000 units, BYD sees an opportunity.
By making virtually every car component in-house, including batteries, BYD can offer EVs at such low prices while still making a profit. BYD’s cheapest and best-selling electric car, the Seagull, starts at under $10,000 (69,800 yuan) in China.
With new smart driving and charging tech rolling out, BYD’s electric cars are getting smarter and even more efficient.
Can BYD’s mini EV compete with Japanese brands? At the right price, it may have a chance. Check back soon for more on the upcoming kei car. We’ll keep you up to date with the latest.
Source: Sina, CarNewsChina
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Ford’s electric pickup truck is back at the top. The F-150 Lightning is once again the best-selling electric pickup in the US after overtaking the Tesla Cybertruck in the first quarter.
Ford’s F-150 Lightning is the best-selling electric pickup
After launching in 2023, Tesla’s Cybertruck quickly outpaced the Lightning to become America’s top-selling EV pickup last year.
Since Tesla doesn’t break down regional sales, registration data gives us our best estimate. The latest registration data from S&P Global Mobility (via Automotive News) shows that the F-150 Lightning retook the title in March and the first quarter of 2025.
Ford’s electric pickup notched 2,598 registrations in March, topping the Tesla Cybertruck with 2,170. In the first quarter, the F-150 Lightning remained ahead with 7,913 registrations, compared to the Cybertruck’s 7,126.
Although the Cybertruck was the fifth top-selling EV in the US last year, it didn’t even crack the top ten in March. It placed ninth through the first three months of 2025, behind the Volkswagen ID.4.
While Tesla and Ford remained the leaders in the electric pickup market, several new models are gaining momentum. According to the most recent numbers from Cox Automotive, GM sold 2,383 Chevy Silverado EVs and 1,249 GMC Sierra EV models in Q1. Meanwhile, Rivian sold 1,727 R1Ts during the quarter.
Earlier today, Electrek reported that new models, including the Honda Prologue and Chevy Blazer EV, helped drive EV registrations up 20% in the US in March.
Although the Lightning reclaimed the crown from Tesla, Ford’s electric pickup isn’t exactly flying off the lot. Ford reported Lightning sales fell 16% to just 1,740 units in April. Through April 2025, Ford has sold 8,927 electric trucks, down 9% from the 9,833 it handed over last year.
Electrek’s Take
To be fair, Tesla is still ahead by a wide margin in the US. The S&P numbers show Tesla had over 51,000 registrations in March, up 1% after two months of lower YOY growth.
GM’s Chevy surpassed Ford to become the second-best-selling EV brand with nearly 8,500 registrations, an increase of 274% from last year. Ford dropped to third with 7,361 registrations.
Although it’s just one quarter, it’s starting to show how Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s political antics are likely impacting sales. After the Cybertruck’s initial hype, it appears many buyers are opting for traditional pickups, like the F-150 Lighting.
Meanwhile, Ram is delaying its first electric pickup, the 1500 REV, again. Ram is pushing production back until summer 2027, saying it’s “extending the quality validation period.” The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Ramcharger will also be delayed until the first quarter of 2026.
After pulling the Ramcharger ahead of the fully electric version last year, Stellantis blamed weak demand for EV pickups in the US.
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