This $25,000 Electric Slate Truck Transforms Into an SUV

There's a new American automaker on the block, and it's taking aim at a sorely neglected segment of the electric car market. EV startup Slate emerged today, debuting the new Slate Truck targeting an extremely affordable $25,000, post-incentive starting price. To hit that mark, Slate stripped out all but the bare necessities for reliable electric driving. We're talking hand-crank windows here, but also a blank slate that's highly customizable -- so customizable, in fact, that the pickup can be transformed into an SUV with a flat-pack accessory kit.

Michigan-based EV startup Slate has been operating in secret for a few years now, attracting funding from Amazon chief Jeff Bezos and many other wealthy investors. (Bezos' Amazon was also instrumental in the launch of Rivian with an early $700 million investment in the then-fledgling automaker.) In a world where most EV startups launch with costly flagship models before scaling down to cheaper additions, Slate's bottom-up, low-price approach to launching its brand is a novel one, and given the current uncertainty around inflation, tariffs and the rising cost of goods, perhaps a timely one.

The Slate Truck is surprisingly small. At just 174.6 inches from bumper to bumper with a 108.9-inch wheelbase, the little EV is a full 21 inches shorter than the Hyundai Santa Cruz and 25 inches shorter than Ford's Maverick, currently the smallest pickup trucks you can buy in the US. Of course, those are four-door crew cab pickups with back seats, while State's pickup is a single-cab two-seater (at least in its standard configuration).

Despite its smaller stature, the Slate's standard 5-foot bed is longer than the Ford's 4.5 feet and Hyundai's 4-footer. Plus, the EV features a 7-cubic-foot "frunk" storage space under the hood. With up to 1,433 pounds of payload, the little Truck is in the ballpark of the other compact pickups and should make it a decent runabout for errands that involve small hauling. However, its 1,000-pound towing capacity is significantly lower than its combustion-powered competitors.

The small size is part of how Slate expects to keep the Truck's price "under $20,000 after federal incentives," but the brand's minimal approach to features, bells and whistles is the bulk of how it keeps costs low. For starters, the EV looks like it only comes in one color -- flat gray -- and customers are encouraged to wrap the Slate Truck in whatever color or livery tickles their fancy. Basic 17-inch steel wheels fill the Truck's wheel arches, and body panels feature exposed hardware.

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Inside, rather than the massive touchscreens found in most modern cars, the Slate Truck features a basic digital instrument cluster and a universal phone mount with USB power. The idea is that most drivers will use their phones for navigation, calls and media anyway, so why waste money on a big screen? Drivers who prefer a larger screen for navigation can opt to install a dedicated tablet.

It's not totally low tech. The Slate Truck will feature driver aid and safety features like active emergency braking and forward collision warning when it launches, but zooming into the photos, I also spy hand-cranked windows. That's how dedicated Slate is to bare-bones, basic transportation and keeping the cost of its electric truck low. The newborn automaker says it will offer over 100 accessories, bundles and options at the point of purchase (or as after-sale accessories) to allow owners to customize their Slate Truck to meet their needs or style.

Perhaps the most interesting accessory is an SUV kit that allows owners to transform the two-seat pickup into a five-seat SUV. Arriving flat-packed like Ikea furniture, the SUV kit can be installed at a Slate service center, by a trusted mechanic, or in your driveway as a DIY project, adding rear occupant roll cage, airbags and, of course, rear seats.

I wonder how quickly the conversion can be done. If it's quick, being able to flip between the two configurations depending on the week's needs -- a pickup truck for weekend yardwork and an SUV for hitting the town with family -- sounds very intriguing.

The modestly sized pickup will be outfitted with an equally modest electric powertrain, sporting numbers that aren't super impressive on paper, but which should be more than adequate for many drivers' basic needs.

A 150-kilowatt (201 horsepower) motor twists the rear wheels with 195 pound-feet of torque. The Truck's estimated 8-second 0-to-60 mph sprint and 90 mph top speed mean it won't be a neck-snapper, but should provide decent performance for commuting and running errands.

The EV will be powered by a 52.7 kilowatt-hour standard battery that can last up to 150 miles between recharges. Slate will also offer an 84.3-kWh accessory battery that targets 240 miles of range. The brand's designation of the bigger battery as an "accessory" seems to imply that it can be swapped or upgraded post-purchase, which is a very interesting proposition, if true.

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When it's time to recharge, users will plug into the Slate Truck's NACS charging port for around five hours with an 11kW Level 2 home charger. At a Tesla Supercharger (or other DC fast charging station via an adapter), the EV will be able to rapidly juice from 20% to 80% full in "under 30 minutes." That works out to adding about 90 to 140 miles in half an hour, which isn't the fastest charging EV in the world, but I also don't think Slate expects most takers to be traveling cross-country in its Spartan pickup.

Slate says it will build the Slate Truck here in the United States at a reindustrialized factory likely near Indianapolis, Indiana. Pricing hasn't been finalized, but the automaker expects the price to start somewhere in the $25,000 ballpark before up to $7,500 in federal tax incentives, making it the most affordable new EV in America, if true. Direct-to-consumer sales open online today at slate.auto with a $50 refundable deposit.