12 ms·

Slate EV truck starts at $24,950

• for_i_in_range 3mo ago
  If not bankrupt in three years like Lucid and Rivian, I'll still buy a Cybercab instead. Also, I hope they succeed. There's definitely a market for them.
  • alistairSH 3mo ago
    I'll be amazed if Tesla meets their sub-$30k target for the cab. But stranger things have happened. And the Slate should have better utility, for anybody who needs a truck/SUV vs coupe. And also comes without the Musk stigma.
    • bluGill 3mo ago
      The Slate only tows 2000lbs, and has a tiny bed. If you need a truck it isn't for you. Maybe it works as a SUV. Of course most people only need a coupe to begin with. Too bad you can't buy any that are cheap. (that and you mostly only need a coupe, but at least once a week need something more)
      • greedo 3mo ago
        I bought a house recently, and need something to haul landscape stuff around. Slate is perfect for that. I also need something to haul wood around for woodworking etc. Slate is perfect. If I need to help my kids move out of their apartment or move some furniture, this is perfect. Can't do any of that with my coupe.
  • alexb_ 3mo ago
    Personally, I hope that nothing Elon Musk ever does for the rest of his life succeeds. Maybe that's just me though.
• fergie 3mo ago
  Is this an actual think that is actually going to happen? I really want a simple notech ev.
• sidewndr46 3mo ago
  is this vehicle actually available for purchase at $24,950?
  • jer0me 3mo ago
    Preorder shipping late 2026
• cobri 3mo ago
  Pricing was released today for the base truck and accessories.
• theappsecguy 3mo ago
  This looks great, I'd happily buy one if they are proven reliable and can remain a sustainable company.
• coldpie 3mo ago
  Interested to see how this turns out. I'd like to see a size comparison. Is this actually a reasonably-sized vehicle, like a pre-2000 pickup, or just a cheap modern monster truck? Sadly it's not on carsized.com (yet). If the company is still around 5 years from now, I could see myself getting one of these to replace our current "compact" (but still enormous) SUV.
  • fwipsy 3mo ago
    https://www.slate.auto/en https://www.slate.auto/en they have a size comparison if you scroll down about 3 pages.
    • coldpie 3mo ago
      Oh wow sure enough, I just needed to scroll down. It does look like a human-scale vehicle. Thank you.
      • ben-schaaf 3mo ago
        Yet it still has a relatively tall, straight hood that tends to drag people underneath the car. These designs are terrible in pedestrian accidents; to a significantly greater degree when children are involved.
        • bitexploder 3mo ago
          The hood is very short and you sit way closer to the ground. I have driven one of their comparison vehicles (the 1985 toyota) with a very similar profile. There is no way you are missing someone in front of you compare to other vehicles. This thing sits lower and gives better visibility than many SUVs people are driving. This truck is small.
          • bryanlarsen 3mo ago
            It's still square rather than sloped, and higher than massive vehicles like the Pacifica. It might be low enough that it'll bounce an adult off the hood rather than drag them underneath, but it'll still drag kids underneath. That 1985 Toyota had a radiator in the grill so had a reason for that shape. This truck doesn't.
• Marciplan 3mo ago
  cute cute car
• functionmouse 3mo ago
  Awesome
• deadbabe 3mo ago
  That deeply undercuts Rivian.
  • brendoelfrendo 3mo ago
    You wouldn't cross-shop a Rivian and a Slate. The Rivian is a high-end luxury vehicle with a laundry list of features, including things like self-driving. The Slate is literally the opposite: it has a laundry list of things it doesn't have and, indeed, its lack of features is part of the sales pitch.
    • dpb001 3mo ago
      Right. Even the cheaper R2 just released is in a different market segment. There will be some cross-shopping of the Slate with the upcoming new platform Ford EV truck, which Ford is hinting will be $30K. Of course, I remember when Ford hinted that the F150 Lightening would initially be a $40K truck, so we'll see.
    • pennomi 3mo ago
      Lack of features sounds better and better as time goes on. No thank you, I do NOT want my car sending telemetry data.
    • marssaxman 3mo ago
      Someone is finally building an electric vehicle for people like me!
    • frenchman_in_ny 3mo ago
      On your point of self-driving, I was just looking into if this would be compatible with a comma.ai autopilot, and it looks like Slate doesn't even have the default hardware onboard to allow it (and there's no option to add it?). Unfortunate miss.
      • mikestew 3mo ago
        A “miss”? If you’re looking for self-driving HW in a $25K vehicle, I think you’re “missing” the point.
• nathan_compton 3mo ago
  One under-appreciated value of having an EV is that you don't have to buy gas. You literally do not have to buy gas. I cannot emphasize this enough: you do not buy gasoline for these cars. Not only that, but many places let you charge them for free. That is like someone giving you free gas.
  • pc86 3mo ago
    That is literally the only selling point what are you on about?
  • coldpie 3mo ago
    Not only that, if you have access to an outlet at home (many do; many do not), then you just never have to think about your "gas tank" at all. You start every day at a full "tank". After a month of ownership, your state of charge is just not even something you think about, at all.
    • bell-cot 3mo ago
      Not quite that simple. "Normal" home outlets (120v, 15A) charge EV's very slowly. And even then, non-trivial driving will show up on your electric bill.
      • Schiendelman 3mo ago
        As someone who does non-trivial driving: When I switched over, I was floored - that electric bill increase was less in a month than gas was in about three days. And yes, I also have a dedicated 240V/50A circuit, 120/15 is only fine for normal commuters. In Seattle, we also went from flat 13.4c/kWh to a new variable rate with 8c/kWh available from 12-6am. My electric bill just dropped by about 30%.
        • bell-cot 3mo ago
          What did you switch from and to? Even Tesla's Charging Calculator is far less optimistic than that: https://www.tesla.com/charging-calculator https://www.tesla.com/charging-calculator "Seattle" may be a critical bit here. The Fed thinks the "U.S. City Average" cost of electricity is far higher than yours: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU000072610 https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU000072610 Based on how many of my friends followed their first EV purchase with an electrical outlet upgrade - even those with very short commutes - I suspect your "120/15 is only fine for normal commuters" is still a tad optimistic. EDIT: Re-reading comments here - I'd bet a leading reason to upgrade from 120/15 to 240/50 charging is to get much more of your charging done within the 12am - 6am "lowest rate" time window. Or whatever that window is, locally.
• x187463 3mo ago
  These things remind me of my dad's 90's ford ranger. I would love a small functional pickup. I don't need to drive a battle-tank around town. If all works out for these trucks, it's a top contender for my money in the near future.
  • jollyllama 3mo ago
    > my dad's 90's ford ranger The only reason it takes an EV to get this is CAFE.
    • malfist 3mo ago
      The maverick isn't an EV
      • Server6 3mo ago
        The Maverick is barley a truck. It's a unibody SUV with a small truck bed. Its built on the Escape/Bronco Sport platform.
        • malfist 3mo ago
          The dimensions of the maverick vs a 1990's ford ranger are almost identical. The Maverick is slightly bigger. So if the maverick is barely a truck, then the 1990's ford ranger is barely a truck too.
          • alamortsubite 3mo ago
            Size has nothing to do with it. The Rangers were body on frame.
            • malfist 3mo ago
              truck [truhk] / trʌk / noun > any of various forms of vehicle for carrying goods and materials, usually consisting of a single self-propelled unit but also often composed of a trailer vehicle hauled by a tractor unit. > any of various wheeled frames used for transporting heavy objects. > Also called hand truck. a barrowlike frame with low wheels, a ledge at the bottom, and handles at the top, used to move heavy luggage, packages, cartons, etc. > a low, rectangular frame on which heavy boxes, crates, trunks, etc., are moved; a dolly. > a tiered framework on casters. > a group of two or more pairs of wheels in one frame, for supporting one end of a railroad car, locomotive, etc. > Movies. a dolly on which a camera is mounted. > British. a freight car having no top. > a small wooden wheel, cylinder, or roller, as on certain old-style gun carriages. > Nautical. a circular or square piece of wood fixed on the head of a mast or the top of a flagstaff, usually containing small holes for signal halyards. I see no mention of "body on frame" as part of what makes a truck a truck.
• whycome 3mo ago
  I don’t care that it’s EV. I’m just stoked that they’re making an actually modular system like this. I don’t know why it’s not possible with other cars.
  • close04 3mo ago
    The modularity is there with classic manufacturers too, just not "exposed" to the buyer. Cars use a common platform and you can still buy the classic or fastback, different styling packages, but you won't be able to self service them after the sale. I don't really know how much Slate is the Framework of the auto world, and how much it's just customization options at purchase time. Most people who buy a car would never be bothered to "tweak" it later, upgrade, add stuff. Modularity also constrains the design and could add some reliability issues. The biggest benefit would be home repairability so I think that's a big driver for why other manufacturers don't do it. EVs already require less maintenance so that's lost revenue. P.S. Looking at the options on the site, other than the body style everything else is just as easy to have on any other car. Most of the customization is purely esthetic (wraps, decals, rim options, light plates) and even the practical options like light bars or roof racks are common in the OEM world for any classic brand.
    • happyopossum 3mo ago
      The difference is that with a slate you’re not limited to buying one of the versions of the modular platform - you can swap them out yourself. Want an open air 5 seater in the summer and an enclosed pickup the rest of the year, except for November when you really want an SUV? Sure, no problem.
    • mlhpdx 3mo ago
      This concept makes a lot of sense for first time car buyers. Having never owned a car, maybe being fresh out of college, a car can be a big leap. What will it need, what will it do? Commute? Car pool? Camping? Moving? Boating? If the customization can be done after the fact it lowers the risk of buying. Makes sense to me.
    • FloatArtifact 3mo ago
• alistairSH 3mo ago
  Just built a "hatchback" Slate with what I guess will be common options (speakers, wheel upgrade, spare wheel carrier, and a few other odds and ends) and it came to $35k. So, still pretty inexpensive, but also getting close to some existing EV sedans that are known entities and have pretty decent interiors. So, I'm not totally sold on these, but not not sold either. Need to see one in person, I think.
  • cammil 3mo ago
    Presumably you could reconfigure it easily later. Which seems like a plus
    • alistairSH 3mo ago
      Yeah, you could buy a basic one and add the rear seats and roof later. But, is that likely? Most people buy cars on credit and won't have $10k cash to spend on those bits later. I guess they could put it on Visa, but that's a terrible financial choice.
      • giantg2 3mo ago
        It's possible they will offer financing for that. From a business strategy perspective it would be almost unimaginable that they wouldn't.
      • bitexploder 3mo ago
        If these become popular it should be reasonable to expect the aftermarket to provide less expensive options. These are clearly where Slate's margin will live right now.
      • Suppafly 3mo ago
        They'll end up being worth a ton of money in the future like those roofs from the original mazda miatas.
  • zamadatix 3mo ago
    I'm simultaneously not interested in an electric truck & amazed the price is still reasonable if you want to turn it the truck into a hatchback instead. The range is also meh. Same conclusion: interesting, but not necessarily interested. Hope they go places though.
• tedggh 3mo ago
  I could not see anything related to safety besides airbags and cameras. Any crash tests available anywhere?
  • kasey_junk 3mo ago
    I’m on the waitlist and this is the main thing I’m contemplating before actually pulling the trigger on buying one.
    • ramesh31 3mo ago
      Do they actually have solid delivery dates yet? This still reeks of vaporware to me.
      • kasey_junk 3mo ago
        The preorder delivery window they offered me was effectively q2 2027. No idea what the likelihood of them delivering it by then is.
  • neogodless 3mo ago
    The Specs page has a list of safety features. Sadly it's an image and not text, so here's a direct link: [PAGE] https://www.slate.auto/en/specs https://www.slate.auto/en/specs [IMAGE] https://images.ctfassets.net/20dhmw20vttc/2wmiW5shOfgAKsd1nFbNus/b3aeb4932cc39e0d3f95a74629c7084b/specs-chart-web_cr.png?fm=webp&w=3840&q=75 https://images.ctfassets.net/20dhmw20vttc/2wmiW5shOfgAKsd1nF...
  • beart 3mo ago
    They did a demo and some discussion in this video. I recall some discussion on safety features www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6_9_HHLOSY
• cjonas 3mo ago
  I would honestly consider one of these for the utility of a cheap, small electric truck, but not having 4wd is an absolute deal breaker for a truck in the mountain west.
• gwd 3mo ago
  I like the idea, but the "About" page triggers some warning bells: "We’re not trying to make this about us. BECAUSE SLATE IS ALL ABOUT YOU." I mean, that's fine, but... I am on your "About" page, that's because I actually want to know about you. How can I trust you with $25k if all I know is "We’re designed in California and Michigan, engineered in Michigan, and assembled in the Midwest. And our team is spread across the entire country, from Washington state to Florida" ? What's your funding? Who owns you? Who's the CEO? What are the credentials of your engineers? Basically, why should I believe that you can pull this off? https://www.slate.auto/en/about https://www.slate.auto/en/about
  • pc86 3mo ago
    The general population doesn't care a lick who has invested in the company, who the C suite is, any of that. Normal people make product-buying decisions based on the product.
    • gwd 3mo ago
      I mean, that's just not true. You're right that when people buy a Ford, they're not thinking that much about the CEO. But they certainly are thinking about other Fords they've owned, or their friends have owned, or things they've heard about in advertisements or the news. Ford may not be the best car out there, but it's very unlikely to have basic thinks like seals that don't work; and if somehow they do have basic issues, the company will be around to fix it. If you pre-order a Ford, you know there's a near-zero chance that you won't get what you ordered, and an effectively zero percent chance that you don't get your money back. None of those things are true for a brand new company. Tesla was infamous for having random things wrong with their cars in the early days which the established car companies had figured out a long time ago. And there's a non-negligible chance the company will end up folding before it can give you your product, or before they can fix the product you got. The amount of money they have, the character of their backers and their CEO, and the quality of their engineers matters significantly.
  • officeplant 3mo ago
    It's well known to be backed by Jeff Bezos which might be the only reason they haven't ran out of money.
• dwa3592 3mo ago
  It's at the second to last page where it says it's an EV. I didn't know and had to scroll down. Also there is no mention of range on one charge, which I think is a miss. The range (especially for an EV) must be on the landing page. The modular design is cool though.
  • coldpie 3mo ago
    Good criticism. It looks like the car's EV tech is average at best; definitely not outstanding. That's probably why they don't advertise it strongly, and also probably a big factor in why it's so cheap. They list some details on the Specs page[1]. They quote 200 miles of range, which is not great especially for a small car. They list a 20-80 charge time of 30 minutes so it's probably a 400V architecture, which is becoming outdated as 800V architectures and chargers exist now. Seems like a fine about-town car, but probably not a great one for road trips. I think that probably aligns with the NVH[2] expectations you should have for a car of this price. [1] https://www.slate.auto/en/specs https://www.slate.auto/en/specs [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise,_vibration,_and_harshness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise,_vibration,_and_harshnes...
    • rjsw 3mo ago
      That range is typical for European mass-market EV cars.
      • pc86 3mo ago
        The US is bigger.
      • coldpie 3mo ago
        That's cool. This is a US market vehicle. The geography of the US is very, very different from Europe, so I don't think expectations for the European market are terribly useful for a US market vehicle. Have a play around with https://thetruesize.com https://thetruesize.com and https://luminocity3d.org/WorldPopDen https://luminocity3d.org/WorldPopDen . 200mi is definitely acceptable in the US, but it's on the low end of the acceptable spectrum.
• rib3ye 3mo ago
  Saw this on Jay Leno's youtube channel: https://youtu.be/L6_9_HHLOSY https://youtu.be/L6_9_HHLOSY Everything about modularity seems awesome, but you can see panel misalignment in several shots. Are the component tolerances really going to be that low?
  • kllrnohj 3mo ago
    I believe all of these previews are using pre-production units. Production units should be better built with better tolerances since it becomes all factory done, but that's definitely something you'd have to wait and see when it actually begins shipping. That said, given the price point and the new-ness of the manufacturer, there's all but certainly going to be fit & finish issues.
    • vablings 3mo ago
      Tesla normalized bad panel gaps in production EVs. I don't really think they matter that much as say suspension creaks, performance and reliability and general useability
      • WillAdams 3mo ago
        Not a strictly recent thing --- I am still baffled that my father took possession of a new Ford Escort station wagon in 1981 where the front fascia was offset to the passenger side by a quite visible 1/8".
      • neogodless 3mo ago
        ... in Teslas. Not in "production EVs."
• frabjoused 3mo ago
  This is very cool, probably should have gotten more inspiration from Porsche on the design UX. It's pretty rough.
• freedomben 3mo ago
  The color options are a much bigger deal than I think many people realize. It's been too many years since I saw the studies so I have no hope of being able to cite it, but in a marketing class in college I remember reading about how much people value picking a color they really like, that they feel matches their personality. It increases satisfaction, significantly reduces the cognitive dissonance (aka "buyers remorse") that usually accompanies a major purchase, and increases identity sharing (where the vehicle feels like part of your identity, which is good for brand loyalty and total ownership satisfaction). I've been surprised how limited the color palette usually is for vehicles given all that. It will be interesting to see how Slate does!
  • ellyagg 3mo ago
    I noticed recently it’s cool to match the color of your vehicle to your house
    • zamadatix 3mo ago
      Anything beats https://blog.iseecars.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Grayscale-Car-Colors-Black-Gray-Silver-White-Market-Share_-1996-to-2025-iSeeCars-Study2.png https://blog.iseecars.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Graysca...
      • baq 3mo ago
        I've got a feeling this approaches 100% at airports
        • soco 3mo ago
          And Swiss architecture - birthplace of Le Corbusier, and the very definition of dull gray chunks.
      • ted_bunny 3mo ago
        Why is this? I find it hard to imagine the appeal of so much grey. Half of them look like cheap plastic.
• boombapoom 3mo ago
  can someone please make an EV passenger van with good range and costs 25k?
  • coldpie 3mo ago
    Probably not, no. Large vehicles are heavy which needs more battery, and good range needs more battery too. Batteries are expensive.
  • rjsw 3mo ago
    What do you consider good range? Ford [1] and Stellantis [2] have small EV passenger vans. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Transit_Courier#Tourneo_Courier https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Transit_Courier#Tourneo_C... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_e-Berlingo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_e-Berlingo
  • pc86 3mo ago
    [dead]
• uberman 3mo ago
  If only the federal incentives were still in place that might have made this brand new car cost $16k. I would have got one for each of my daughters.
• alexb_ 3mo ago
  The truck is cool. The blank slate looks good. Every other "suggested" design looks insanely corny, in the Cybertruck sort of way.
  • kypro 3mo ago
    Everyone has their own corny. Problem with the Cybertruck is that it's corny in a single cyberpunk kind of way which doesn't appeal to many people. Some of the designs are corny but in a way I find quite appealing. The Moon Duster looks super cool imo.
• __mharrison__ 3mo ago
  Wish it had all wheel drive...
  • deltoidmaximus 3mo ago
    Wish it was at least at FWD. I know, I'm the oddball that wants a subaru brat. I'm more concerned about snow handling with very limited truck utility.
    • __mharrison__ 3mo ago
      Agreed. Driving in snow is paramount for me...
    • alamortsubite 3mo ago
      In an ICE pickup, maybe, but assuming the Slate has an EV weight distribution advantage, RWD is probably better. To each their own, but I much prefer my driven wheels not to be my turning wheels. That said, lack of 4WD is really a bummer.
• Kalkaline 3mo ago
  I love the concept, but it's giving me Elio vibes.
• jefb 3mo ago
  Can't believe it's come down to this in 2026, but if this does not beep incessantly and slam on the brakes when maneuvering around some foliage I'm all in.
  • tonyarkles 3mo ago
    You’ve hit a nerve for sure. A couple years back I was doing some field ops in rural Illinois and the rental SUV I had (Nissan?) made it almost impossible to turn around on a gravel road. Slowly backing up towards the ditch, watching carefully in the backup camera… BAM, full brake, lots of beeping, cue frustration. Every damned time.
  • officeplant 3mo ago
    You can usually disabled the automatic braking in every vehicle I've driven from 2020-2025. I tend to leave on the warning noises, but disable to auto braking.
    • rationalist 3mo ago
      I went through all the settings on my vehicle, and I can't; all I can do is just lower the sensitivity.
• ChrisArchitect 3mo ago
  Previously (2025): A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43794284 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43794284
• poppafuze 3mo ago
  tight cabin. where's the legroom.
• WillAdams 3mo ago
  Price on the tower roof racks? I need a plywood hauler.
• MisterTea 3mo ago
  My favorite part about this vehicle is no stupid center console touch screen. Hopefully aftermarket dash kits for a DIN radio become available and we can put proper audio and control back into our vehicles and remove the tyrannical center console screens.
  • mghackerlady 3mo ago
    I love the lack of a center console touch screen precisely so I can add one I made myself with a raspberry pi and some cool shit from adafruit
    • alamortsubite 3mo ago
      Entertainment, telemetry, weapons systems?
      • mghackerlady 3mo ago
        I was moreso thinking music, gps, and control of the cars ac/heating. Maybe also the control of some LED strips for decoration. Also, random sensor readouts would be cool. Sure, most cars have thermometers but how many cars have geiger counters? Weapons systems do sound pretty sick though
      • ryukoposting 3mo ago
        https://youtu.be/9nJtXiK7bPk?si=rPyR3FpOIVRfa3mG https://youtu.be/9nJtXiK7bPk?si=rPyR3FpOIVRfa3mG
    • dmonitor 3mo ago
      I'm surprised I haven't seen a generic "turn a raspi into carplay" firmware or anything of that sort.
      • mghackerlady 3mo ago
        There have been attempts but most of them kinda suck. One of them is a webapp and another requires you to install android
• gibspaulding 3mo ago
  Really excited to see this one step closer to release! My first car was a 1999 Mazda b2500 (a rebadged ford ranger). I’m sure I have a bit of nostalgia around it but I’ve missed the compact simplicity of that vehicle ever since. It had manual locks, crank windows, a manual transmission, and sat about 2.5 people. I distinctly remember in that truck that I could very comfortably lean over and crank down the passenger window without taking my eyes off of the road. This feels much more like a spiritual successor to that truck than the actual new Ranger or Maverick. I’m really hoping this succeeds so that they’ll be around to replace our Dakota when it dies!
  • tbolt 3mo ago
    The b2500 was great. My buddy's dad had one and we would take it to go fishing. This and the 95 or so Ford F-150 are _the_ canonical trucks to me.
• mghackerlady 3mo ago
  I don't like trucks, but I might get this solely because it's the only thing like it right now. Honestly half the reason I want one is because I'd love to cram a raspberry pi and some cool shit in there to make a custom "smart car"
• giantg2 3mo ago
  I love that it's reasonably priced and somewhat low tech, but the range is just too limited for me. I can't wait for the batteries promising 4x energy density. That would really change things.
• -warren 3mo ago
  There used to be (before preorder) an option for an extended battery. Am I missing it hidden in the customizer?
  • MichaelNolan 3mo ago
    I believe they got rid of the smaller battery. Before the tax credit was removed, they were sourcing a more expensive battery. After the credit was removed the switched to a cheaper battery. The cheaper battery would not have qualified for the tax credit, but that’s not an issue anymore. https://insideevs.com/news/799667/slate-truck-lfp-battery-range/ https://insideevs.com/news/799667/slate-truck-lfp-battery-ra...
    • -warren 3mo ago
      Thank you for that!
• throwawaypath 3mo ago
  A pickup truck with less towing capacity than a Tesla Model Y?
• woeirua 3mo ago
  Slate was far more compelling when we still had the federal EV incentive. Now... you can get a far better equipped Ford Maverick hybrid just around $30k (maybe less with dealer discounts). Hard to see what the market is for the Slate.
  • DangitBobby 3mo ago
    There are people who want an EV and not a hybrid, like me.
    • woeirua 3mo ago
      That's fine, but there are a lot of used EVs that have more features in the low-mid 20s now. You really have to want an _EV_ truck.
      • bluGill 3mo ago
        Considering the cost of gas wanting an EV is an economical choice.
      • officeplant 3mo ago
        If you keep your eyes on the market often enough you can even grab a Ford F-150 Lightning used for sub $35k and I've seen a few go sub $30k. They haven't devalued as fast as some of the other EV work vehicles. The E-transit was $67k new for a high roof and now they are going for $23k on the used market.
  • officeplant 3mo ago
    >Hard to see what the market is for the Slate. Well you quoted a hybrid, which needs fuel. At current local electric rates ($0.07/kw) I can fully charge my E-Transit (~68kwh usable in the battery) for $4.76. Then I can go around 130 miles before coming back home to charge. Vastly cheaper than a gas van, but lets look at the Maverick which gets even better economy. Most gas stations I drove by today were $3.15 to $3.39 for 87oct gas. Self reported fuel economy for the Hybrid Ford Maverick on a few sites maxes out around 37mpg combined. That means for a Slate truck with the larger 84kwh battery you'll be spending $5.90 for a full at home charge in my area which will get you ~240 miles. While if you bought a Maverick you'll be getting around 70 miles for the same cost. This is all before we even factor in maintenance differences. EDIT// They dropped the 84kwh battery, but my point still stands.
• cptaj 3mo ago
  Dead on arrival. China will sell you fully kitted hilux equivalents with japanese engines for 10k. Even toyota is making 10k trucks in thailand. US manufacturers are just not ready to face free market competition these days. They're entirely reliant on tariffs protecting them.
  • voakbasda 3mo ago
    That is not just the auto industry either. US manufacturers have really dropped the ball across the board, and tariffs are not going to fix it for them. I’m not really sure what the solution is at this point. We can’t just drop the tariffs, as that will decidedly end almost all manufacturing that has been propped up by them. On the flip side, the current administration’s recent erratic application and resulting litigation in this area have created an environment where no one in their right mind would invest in building out new capacity. The winds have demonstrated that they are too likely to shift again. I hope someone can swoop in on this thread and explain how it’s all going to work out. Because I just don’t see it anymore…. And that makes me sad, because I want to love the Slate. Seems great. But I can’t see past how the pricing is tantamount to systemic theft, knowing that it has been artificially inflated by such protectionism.
    • Server6 3mo ago
      I think the answer is subsidy rather than tariffs (maybe a combination). One of the reasons China is beating the US in manufacturing is because they have a fully thought out economic plan and directly subsidize targeted sectors. In the US its a free-for-all with tariffs, which means we can't compete on world markets.
    • therealdrag0 3mo ago
      US manufacturing is hanging on by leveraging heavy automation. At least a couple years ago I saw a chart that showed while employees dropped, manufacturing output stayed steady or went up. Labor is too expensive relative to Asia for it to be otherwise. That’s not a full answer but party of the story. As a nation we want a local manufacturing base. But as consumers we just want the thing, and it doesn’t matter where it’s made.
• visha1v 3mo ago
  crank windows and zero touchscreens is a feature, not a compromise. give me a dumb car with physical buttons over a rolling ipad any day of the week.
  • MetaWhirledPeas 3mo ago
    We are about to see this increasingly frequent commentary put to the test.
  • bobchadwick 3mo ago
    I understand zero touchscreens, but what's the problem with power windows? What if you're driving and you want to lower the passenger window?
    • Marsymars 3mo ago
      The obvious answer is that you don't. I don't have any particular preference for crank windows, but drove cars with them for years, and can't ever recall it being a problem that I couldn't lower the passenger window while driving.
    • zephen 3mo ago
      What if you get swept away by an unforeseen surge of water, and want to lower a window to get out? https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/public-safety/1-year-deadly-texas-perrin-beitel-floods-san-antonio-working-long-term-fixes/273-66e1e0e4-3097-4e33-a671-51da64fc4eb7 https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/public-safety/1-yea...
• chrsw 3mo ago
  Do they not use any memory chips in this thing?
• mekdoonggi 3mo ago
  The Japanese Kei trucks have a cult following, so if this hits the right niche, it might be viable. I think these might have a slow start, but as long as the company can survive and the trucks last, I think they could have a winner.
• bryanlarsen 3mo ago
  I wish the design was more function over form. Why is the grill so large? A lower front end would improve efficiency (and thus probably give another 10-20 miles of range), improve visibility, and kill fewer pedestrians. I know why, the market is nostalgia and it wouldn't sell well if it looked more like a mini kenworth which has a hood that slopes down and in and less like a pickup truck. That low range is going to turn off a bunch of buyers. I doubt another 10-20 miles of range would capture more buyers than a non-traditional shape would turn off. But I wish the market was that rational.
  • chaostheory 3mo ago
    They have a lowering kit, but it’s “coming soon” and it costs extra
  • SoftTalker 3mo ago
    Yeah 200 miles is pretty much the low end of what I'd consider (and I assume that is an "absolute best case" number, e.g. unloaded at a constant speed on a flat road, not running AC or heat but IDK how those are actually computed). 300-350 miles would be a lot better. That would cover most of my trips (and allow for some payload) with a little bit to spare before I needed to stop to charge. I guess the price isn't too bad. I still remember something like a Toyota or a Ford Ranger or Chevy S10 selling for under 10K new, but inflation and all... probably not terrible for a compact truck in 2026.
    • ssl-3 3mo ago
      I guess it depends on the person. 200 miles more than covers all of the driving I do on any normal day. Today is an exceptional day, and I'll be driving a total of 120 miles for work. The Slate would cover that just fine with a ton of breathing room. I do take far longer trips than that for pleasure, but they're rare. I think if I only had an EV to drive, and that EV could only do 200 miles on a charge, then I'd be able to figure out how to make these <5% events work for me. (I can use a break after a couple/few hours on the road, anyway.)
      • 3mo ago
• tw1984 3mo ago
  pretty cool, now wait for the Chinese to list this company as national security threat and ban selling any parts to it. oh, wait, that is what Americans do.
  • satonakamoto 3mo ago
    Ha, no way. China will welcomes any American manufacturers to procure parts for their products. In fact, China is already capable of competing freely in any field. So, it will only happen that the US blocks China, not the other way around.
• pwenzel 3mo ago
  Speaking for Minnesotans and other winter folk, I would love to see heated seats as an option!
  • bryanlarsen 3mo ago
    Heated seats make a lot of sense for small battery EV's. Cabin heating can really take quite a dent out of your battery, but heated seats use a lot less power.
• dismalaf 3mo ago
  Looks cool but rear wheel drive only is a no-go where I live (somewhere very snowy).
  • bluGill 3mo ago
    Don't be so sure. Rear wheel drive is just fine in a truck if you fill the bed with firewood. This is an EV, so I would expect they put a lot of batteries under the bed and so have good weight on the back wheels. Of course I'm waiting for real world reports, but I'm not going to rule it out yet.
    • dismalaf 3mo ago
      > Rear wheel drive is just fine in a truck if you fill the bed with firewood "Just fine" lol. Alright let's go straight back to being 16 years old and doing ghetto shit for the sake of it. AWD is ubiquitous nowadays. Can get it on entry level vehicles as an option. Electric vehicles are way simpler, as in they could simply strap a motor to the front wheels without much complication. I already have a 4WD SUV. 4WD is simply superior in the snow, even if I could suffer and survive with RWD.
• peppersghost93 3mo ago
  Neat vehicle but there's no way I'm giving bezos even more money. Maybe I'll buy used if it's proven there aren't always on connections later down the road.
  • manfre 3mo ago
    I was interested until bezos. Hard pass.
  • jkestner 3mo ago
    The Bezos investment gives me pause too. But the claim that there’s no telemetry is exciting: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/06/slate-says-its-electric-pickup-will-never-track-you/ https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/06/slate-says-its-electric...
    • peppersghost93 3mo ago
      I'll believe it when it's verified by a third party hacker. Not trusting a bezos org on it's word.
• thegrim33 3mo ago
  I mean, it still seems like a lot for an absolutely barebones vehicle. Going by an inflation calculator, $25K in 2026 translates to $~13K in the year 2000, and in the year 2000 the average completely barebones/entry car sold for $~8K-9K. So this is still 50% more expensive than barebone cars used to be.
  • superxpro12 3mo ago
    Compared to ICE? Yes. EV's are still paying a premium for the battery. That's not going to change any time soon. Compared to Ford or GM's EV trucks? It's almost 1/3 the price... The closest comparison is like the Ford Maverick, and that starts at 29.
• drunner 3mo ago
  I am glad there is some viable disruption in the auto space here, but I am also really disappointed. A new 4wd kei style truck is ~10k, with a bigger bed. I know its apples to oranges, but damn do I hate the ridiculous regulatory capture around small vehicles and trucks we have in the US.
• doodlebugging 3mo ago
  I like the idea of the Slate. I think the ability to transform from truck to SUV mode in your driveway is pretty great. It reminds me of my Broncos where I can remove the top and the rear seat and have a truck. I love the idea of individualized wraps as there are far too many white, black, silver, and grey vehicles on the road. We need some color. I love that it is a bare-bones basic vehicle that can made to be whatever you need it to be and that it does not have all the factory owner tracking bullshit in new cars today. I can see this being useful to my wife and I both as a small truck and as an SUV. For the things that we do every week this vehicle would work fine and would replace our Ford Ranger. It might be able to replace our 90's F150 too. I do most of my own maintenance so a vehicle that comes with factory manuals at no cost is far superior to any other that I have owned. I have bought factory manuals for all of our vehicles so that I can minimize downtime when doing maintenance. I would also take advantage of a service network in the event that I had more projects than time, which is increasingly the normal case at my house. With that network I could spend my time on things that have the highest impact. The vehicle's range works fine for my wife and I. As a vehicle for our kids off at college it is not as attractive. The distance from our house to campus is just under the stated range of the Slate so anything that prevented the vehicle from hitting maximum target mileage would cause it to fall short and I would need to tow or trailer it the rest of the way home. That would be a drag (haha, I made a pun). Adding the ability to run from an external battery would be a huge plus since that would eliminate range issues. I wonder how difficult it would be to add connections and charge circuitry for an EcoFlow or Jackery battery bank so that it could be carried in the cargo compartment and serve as a backup. I would also probably use solar panels to keep it topped off while in my driveway. I think the existing EV chargers manage that well today.
• codingrightnow 3mo ago
  Its size and range are too low for the price. End of story on this one.
  • tzs 3mo ago
    The range is fine. Did you overlook that it has an LFP battery? LFP batteries do not suffer increased degradation at either end of their charge range. You can charge to 100% daily and run them down to 0% (although if you leave them at 0% parasitic drain could drain them below the built in below-0% buffer which can be bad). The other common EV batteries suffer increased degradation at the high and low ends and it is generally recommended to stay in the 20-80% range except on road trips. Then charging to 100% just before you start and driving down to 10% if you are going to recharge soon after back to above 20% is OK. Let's first consider non-road trips. With level 2 home charging and a 200 mile range LFP EV like the Slate, I could actually get 200 miles between charges. I'd be cautious though and try not to let it go below 10%. That's 180 miles of usable range. On a non-LFP where I only get to use 60% between charges (80-20%) I'd need a 300 mile range EV. That's more than the 262 mile range of the 2027 Chevy Bolt which is doing fine and costs more than Slate. That's also better than or close to the most popular non-Tesla EVs in recent sales, namely the Chevy Equinox, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Hyundai Ioniq 5. For road trips it is a little different because even though LFP won't be harmed going to 100% it, like non-LFP, slows down when you are trying to charge with high power DC chargers, so it is almost always faster to just charge to 80 and get back on the road than charge to 100 to get maximum distance before the next stop. The LFP still punches above its weight on road trips, but not by as large an amount as it does for around town use. On a road trip, past the initial segment when running on home charge, if we assume the Slate will be going from 80 to 5% and the non-LFP is doing 80-10%, the Slate would be equivalent to a non-LFP with around 215 miles of range. For people who won't want to use it for long road trips (road trips long enough that you would have to charge before reaching your destination) it should be fine. BTW, for long road trips charging speed is generally quite a bit more important than range as long as you have enough range to cross the gaps between charging stations. The Ioniq 5 is widely considered to be one of the best long road trip EVs because of its fast charging even though its range is smaller than many competitors. It is 800 V so can accept very high power without excessive heating, and its charging curve stays high for longer than most others. (But you need a trip that has high power chargers, which most Tesla Supercharger stations lack).
• gigel82 3mo ago
  This was posted about a year ago and it was complete vaporware, all pictures and videos were digital art. And looking at their website now, I see the same thing unfortunately. Why would someone "preorder" a car that only exists as a prototype and digital art? What proven track record do they have of actually being able to manufacture these, and what independent outlets reviewed it? I'm sorry, but a lot of red flags immediately pop up for me, I'm confident this is 99% a scam.
  • tencentshill 3mo ago
    You get to give Bezos a $300 loan, with the opportunity to upgrade to $25k later.
• nunez 3mo ago
  Here's to hoping that they don't pull a CyberTruck and decide "you know what? $79000 US seems like the right price."
• beezle 3mo ago
  Like for car EVs, I'd like ot know what those range numbers are when tested in the real world - like with two or three passengers or in the case of this small truck, a few hundred pounds of tools and/or supplies (and better yet, hills and cold weather). I'm skeptical that that 200 mile estimate range doesn't drop quite a lot and heaven forbid you get a load of gravel in the back.
• grep_name 3mo ago
  If they just had a back option that was a foot higher, I'd seriously consider buying one of these to use as a mini camper. I feel like they were so close! Edit: damn, bed length: 5 feet. Wonder if they could get an extra foot in the other direction as well, although I'm guessing all that would eat into range.
• zakkl 3mo ago
  If this actually ships this year, at this price, it will be an incredible accomplishment. I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets delayed and inflation pushes that MSRP up.
• rayiner 3mo ago
  How can they make any money on this?
• eclectric 3mo ago
  Slate Auto filed patented its electric pickup in India. https://www.team-bhp.com/news/slate-auto-patents-its-electric-pickup-truck-india https://www.team-bhp.com/news/slate-auto-patents-its-electri... Hope they can enter India in the next 5-10 years.
  • burnerthrow008 3mo ago
    Is that not just a standard design patent (which is different from a utility patent, but nobody understands that), like the infamous first iPhone?
• numpad0 3mo ago
  What I find appalling about Slate is that it's already more expensive than actual low end EVs. All the supposedly radical cost saving measures don't seem to be doing anything. I guess it was just Amazon trying to undercut Rivian EDV, in the end.
• jccalhoun 3mo ago
  This is microtransactions in real life. The upsell on these will be crazy.
• a_shovel 3mo ago
  the sun seeker wrap is a cool retro look. can anybody place what it's based on / inspired by?
• JSR_FDED 3mo ago
  Easiest decision ever to skip the infotainment system - your phone is better at that anyway. The Slate is like the original Nintendo Wii - swapping sophistication for fun.
• dtagames 3mo ago
  Many people will be pleased to have a vehicle with no communication, sensor, or surveillance systems. It's hard to estimate how important that might be now that all other cars force them on everyone.
  • brookst 3mo ago
    It’s going to be very interesting. Has Slate identified an under-served market? Will they see mainstream success? Or is this another iPhone Mini / Framework / sports wagon where a small, passionate minority ends up disappointed and angry that their priorities are not shared by the mainstream? I sincerely hope for the former. We need lower-cost vehicles, I like diverse product offerings, and this is a purist’s take on a small truck. But then I like small phones, (the idea of) repairable laptops, and sports wagons.
    • monkaiju 3mo ago
      Strange to put Framework in this category... They seem reasonably successful and even the company I work at is switching to them.
      • brookst 3mo ago
        The iPhone mini was reasonably successful; it shipped more units than Framework has in the life of the company (about 15m iPhone minis based on reports of if being ~4% of iPhone 12 and 13 sales, vs hard to find estimates of Framework but none over 1m). Framework is making a go of being a niche provider, which is great. But they are currently estimated to have less than 0.1% of the laptop market.
  • wiml 3mo ago
    > a vehicle with no communication, sensor, or surveillance systems Do we know that? The website seems silent on the topic, unless I've missed something.
    • dtagames 3mo ago
• mc32 3mo ago
  Price is nice to see. The cab design is from before the '90s though. That's to say, not much space and rather plain. Also, like many contemporary vehicles it still has that snubbed nose design that limits vision of low profile objects in front of the vehicle. It's a design choice, not a necessity. Wonder why given it was a blank slate design,
• WheelsAtLarge 3mo ago
  This truck is remining me of the Yugo. When the Yugos were announced people were thrilled about the price. Unfortunately after they were in use people understood why they were so cheap, quality suffered and they were basically disposable cars. Cheap is nice in theory but eventually you wish for something a bit better. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugo
  • bicx 3mo ago
    I also wonder if it will develop a negative stigma as a cheap beater truck used in company fleets and such.
  • germinalphrase 3mo ago
    I actually think it is not cheap enough. Start adding basic, standard features and the price doesn’t look as competitive against legacy manufacturers. Do those manufacturers offer an equivalently cheap EV today? Maybe, but probably not. Though they could, and if they did, Slate is probably toast.
  • dtagames 3mo ago
    It seems unlikely they'll be like the Yugo. That car was produced in a low quality factory. This is a modern product from Jeff Bezos that has fewer parts, not just cheap, poorly made parts. Yugo was Yugoslavia's only car manufacturer. Slate competes with all the other US brands so it can't just be total garbage going in. That wouldn't make sense.
    • otterley 3mo ago
      Bezos is just an investor; he played little part in its design or engineering.
      • dtagames 3mo ago
        Yes, it's a very different environment from the state-run Yugo company that was a product of socialism and never could compete successfully in the market. That's not the situation for Mr. Bezos.
• Waterluvian 3mo ago
  Does it fit a standard 4x8 sheet flat with the tailgate down? (Anyone seen detailed dimensions specs?)
  • gnabgib 3mo ago
    Easily found: https://www.slate.auto/en/specs https://www.slate.auto/en/specs
    • Waterluvian 3mo ago
      None of that seems to answer my question.
      • gnabgib 3mo ago
        Detailed dimension specs are.. right there. Your other question is about.. bed vibes? That's not a real spec (for any truck builder). You can put a 100x4 sheet rock in any 4'+ wide bed.. best of luck to the person behind you. Don't forget the red flag (day) or light (at night).. in north america.
        • otterley 3mo ago
          Only the bed length is listed there. It’s insufficient data to determine whether a full size sheet of plywood will fit.
      • RugnirViking 3mo ago
        the bed is listed as 5 feet long, and the entire truck a bit under 6 feet wide. so I don't think you can get something thats 4x8 feet to lay flat.
  • cherry_tree 3mo ago
    It seems like not quite. The width is 50 some inches but the wheel wells are there so you may need some 2x4 or something to keep plywood from flexing over them. And the length of the bed isn’t near 8 feet so you’d need the bed open and the boards strapped in. This jalopnik article had some helpful measurements: https://www.jalopnik.com/1845231/slate-pickup-bed-fit-every-motorcycle/ https://www.jalopnik.com/1845231/slate-pickup-bed-fit-every-...
• al_borland 3mo ago
  I’ve never been a truck person, if I hadn’t just bought a car 3 years ago, I’d be eyeing this. If it’s still around and remaining true to form when I’m ready for my next vehicle it will be a serious contender. Working from home, I don’t drive much. If I could not have a car at all, I would. Having a no frills truck, that’s isn’t an old beater in constant need of repair and maintenance, sounds really nice.
• metalman 3mo ago
  Single pedal is a non starter. I know from experience when trying to run single pedal machines that I make "mistakes", instinctivly reaching for the brake pedal, that isn't there. And further, anyone who breaks with a convention used by billions, without a very very good plan and rationalisation and explanation, is an asshole, or a genius, and I am the asshole, but not I think, this time.
• Friedduck 3mo ago
  As much as I’m on-board with EVs this isn’t as compelling as the Ford Maverick at the price point. As you add features they’re at price parity and you arguably get much more for your money with the Ford.