US-Built $20,000 Slate Electric Pickup Revealed
It’s back to basics. American startup car company Slate Auto has revealed the subcompact electric pickup it plans to start selling in late next year for less than $20,000.
That price would be after the $7,500 federal tax credit on EV purchases, but even at $27,500 it would be competitive with the $26,995 Ford Maverick Hybrid, which gets 38 mpg and is currently the lowest priced pickup on sale.
Jeff Bezos is among the backers of Slate, which has been secretly developing the vehicle in stealth mode for a couple of years with the laser-focused goal of keeping the costs low.
The two-door is about the same size as a Ford Bronco Sport and has two seats, composite bodywork, manual crank windows, a smartphone/tablet holder instead of a built-in infotainment system and a small battery back that provides just 150 miles of range.
It is also offering a 240-mile pack, but if you buy the truck with the standard version, you can swap to the larger battery pack at a later time for a yet to be announced price.
That’s the idea behind the truck, to provide a blank slate for accessorizing and updating the vehicle, hence the name. Slate will be offering hundreds of options including a kit that converts it into a five-seat SUV, with either a squareback or fastback shape, that is designed to be installed by the owner.
All of the trucks will leave the factory in the brand’s signature Slate Gray and Slate will sell DIY wrap kits in a variety of colors and patterns priced in the hundreds, not thousands of dollars. A Slate University website with videos demonstrating how to install accessories will be offered to owners, but service centers will be available for difficult work and anything involving high voltage equipment. Additional body styles are planned for the future.
Slate’s chief commercial officer, Jeremy Snyder, told American Cars And Racing that the vehicle is being engineered to earn a 5-Star crash test rating from NHTSA in both the pickup and SUV configurations and will have an automatic emergency braking system and all of the other equipment required for this result.
The truck has a 201 hp engine driving the rear wheels and a De Dion suspension. It weighs 3,602 pounds and can accelerate to 60 mph in eight seconds. Its top speed is electronically limited to 90 mph, but it is capable of hauling a 1,433-pound payload in its five-foot-long bed and towing up to 1,000 pounds.
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Slate is converting an existing factory at an Indian brownfield site into its assembly plant.
It is now accepting reservations with $50 refundable deposits and will be selling the trucks directly to consumers. An exact date for the start of production hasn’t been confirmed, but deliveries are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026.
This story has been updated with additional information