The Tesla Cybercab and Slate pickup are very different electric vehicles, but they have a major feature in common beyond having just two seats.
Both were engineered with low-cost manufacturing in mind. The Tesla was designed to optimize its efficiency as a money-generating ride-hailing vehicle, and the Slate to deliver the subcompact truck at a $26,400 base price.
While their assembly processes and structures are nothing alike — with the Cybercab featuring a largely aluminum chassis and the Slate using steel — their bodies are quite similar. Not in style. The Cybercab’s low-drag teardrop is the polar opposite of the Slate’s boxy shape, but they share the same construction type.
The panels are unpainted injection-molded composites with the body color baked into them. The Cybertruck only comes in gold to make it look like a futuristic taxi, and the Slate in gray because that’s a great play on words. The factory painting process is one of the most complex, time-consuming and expensive steps in automotive assembly, so eliminating it entirely removes a large percentage of the materials, energy and labor costs required.
Slate’s solution for customers is to offer a wide range of wraps in a variety colors and patterns, while Tesla is building the Cybercab initially only for use in its Robotaxi ride-hailing service and has not yet announced retail sales.
Interestingly, the stainless steel Tesla Cybertruck is not available in any optional colors, aside from wraps like the Slate. Tesla has also been traditionally stingy with the paint color choices for its more traditional vehicles, although the Model 3 and Model Y are each currently available in the U.S. with six.
Of course, the Cybercab and Slate couldn’t be further apart in spirit, as the former is a fully autonomous vehicle that doesn’t have a steering wheel and the latter a back-to-basics vehicle with barely more than a steering wheel.
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