This Electric Truck from Slate Auto Might Just Save Your Wallet - As Long As You Can Live Without Fancy Bits
Image Credit: Slate.
There's a new kid on the EV block, a startup calling itself Slate Auto, backed by none other than the internet shopping behemoth's main chap. And what have they cooked up? An affordable electric pickup. I kid you not. Those two words haven't been seen together much lately, have they? With the average electric chariot setting you back around a king's ransom – a staggering $55,000, apparently – most folks in the good ol' US of A have been left gawking from the sidelines.
But Slate reckons they've got the golden ticket. Their all-electric pickup is slated to start at a mere $25,000. And with the current federal tax breaks, you might be able to snag one for under twenty grand! Under twenty thousand dollars for an electric car? That's less than what some people are paying for a slightly used… never mind. Let's just say it's significantly less than the price of admission to the current EV party.
Image Credit: Slate.
The automotive boffins reckon that the snail's pace of recent EV sales growth is down to one simple thing: they're too darn expensive. Apparently, even the so-called "affordable" options are still creeping into the $40,000 range. One industry chap even said the definition of "affordable" is broken. And I agree.
But Slate's boss man, a former bigwig from the land of Fiats and Chryslers, claims that the established players have been completely ignoring what the punters actually need. So, they've gone and built something that's not only supposed to be kind to your bank balance but also as customizable as a particularly enthusiastic Mr. Potato Head.
This "radical truck platform," as they're calling it, can morph from a humble two-seater pickup into a five-seat sport-utility vehicle. All with the help of over 100 accessories. One minute you're hauling whatnots in the back; the next, you're ferrying the rugrats. Clever, I suppose.
Of course, the big question is, will people actually want one? One expert I chinwagged with reckons that if you can get solid EVs in the mid-$20,000 range, the market will explode like a dodgy firework. Another bloke, a bit more cynical, wonders if Slate has hit the right nail on the head. He pointed out that those small pickups of yesteryear faded away because they simply weren't practical enough. People wanted back seats and proper doors, apparently.
And there's another potential snag. Slate is aiming at the younger crowd, who might be keen on electric power but might not have a driveway to plug into a charger every night. Relying on public chargers can eat into any savings you might make on fuel. It's a fair point, that.
Image Credit: Slate.
Time for the oily bits, or rather, the "electrically charged" bits. The Slate pickup, in its basic form, is a rather petite thing - it has a total length of just over 14 and a half feet (174.6 inches) with a wheelbase of just over nine feet (108.9 inches). That's smaller than some of those trendy little trucks already on the market.
The clever clogs at Slate have gone for a steel frame and high-strength plastic body panels. A bit old-school in some ways, with steel wheels, proper climate control knobs, and even – yes, really – crank windows. Crank windows! It's like stepping back in time, albeit with a digital dashboard staring back at you. Fancy a fancy infotainment screen? Well, you'll have to use your phone or tablet. There's a handy holder for it, mind you.
But don't think it's entirely basic. Even the entry-level pickup comes with a reassuring eight airbags and a bunch of those driver assistance gizmos that stop you from doing something daft. Slate is even planning on offering different "levels" of vehicle wraps, so you can change the look of your electric steed whenever you fancy a new color. A bit like changing your socks, but hopefully less often.
The Slate truck is rear-wheel drive only, with a single electric motor kicking out a respectable 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. That should be enough to lug around about 1,400 pounds of whatever it is you need to lug.
You'll get a choice of battery sizes too. A 52.7-kilowatt-hour pack should give you around 150 miles on a single charge. Or, if you're feeling a bit more adventurous, you can opt for a larger 84.3-kWh battery, boosting the range to an estimated 240 miles. Not exactly crossing continents, but enough for pottering about.
Image Credit: Slate.
And the charging? It'll come with a Tesla-style NACS port, which opens up a whole world of charging stations. Charging at home will take a full night, but using a public fast charger should get you from a low battery to 80% in under half an hour. Not bad at all.
Slate is planning to start building these things in a new factory in Indiana towards the end of 2026. You can even put down a measly $50 refundable deposit to reserve one. They're also setting up "experience centers" where you can go and have a good poke around. And, unsurprisingly, they're expected to tap into Amazon's vast marketing machine to get the word out.
Will this plucky little electric pickup be the one to finally democratize the EV revolution? Will it tempt the masses away from their gas-guzzling behemoths? I'm not entirely sure. We have been spoilt for choice with all the on-board gizmos in modern cars, but the Slate truck is certainly an interesting proposition. A no-frills, customizable electric truck that won't break the bank (too much). I bet my kids would be confused by those crank windows…
