The $20,000 American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, and no touchscreen
The $20,000 American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, and no touchscreen
Would you buy a truck this bare-bones?
The Slate Truck is an electric two-seater with 150 miles of range and no stereo. | Image: Slate Auto
Ask just about anybody, and they'll tell you that new cars are too expensive. In the wake of tariffs shaking the auto industry and with the Trump administration pledging to kill the federal EV incentive, that situation isn't looking to get better soon, especially for anyone wanting something battery-powered. Changing that overly spendy status quo is going to take something radical, and it's hard to get more radical than what Slate Auto has planned.
Meet the Slate Truck, a sub-$20,000 (after federal incentives) electric vehicle that enters production next year. It only seats two yet has a bed big enough to hold a sheet of plywood. It only does 150 miles on a charge, only comes in gray, and the only way to listen to music while driving is if you bring along your phone and a Bluetooth speaker. It is the bare minimum of what a modern car can be, and yet it's taken three years of development to get to this point.
But this is more than bargain-basement motoring. Slate is presenting its truck as minimalist design with DIY purpose, an attempt to not just go cheap but to create a new category of vehicle with a huge focus on personalization. That design also enables a low-cost approach to …
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I get cutting the infotainment crap, but not even am AM/FM radio with a couple of speakers? That would barely add anything to the cost.
Basically everyone has a bluetooth speaker and phone to go with it already.
I would much rather use that than am/fm radio tbh
I am pretty sure there is a law requiring radios for emergency purposes.
Maybe they got an exemption?
I actually think it's better to go all in and eliminate it completely. More aftermarket options.
If they included mounting and made it easy to mount your own speakers sure.
Finally American competition for 30 y/o Japanese mini trucks.
I want a Kei truck so bad. Problem is I don't really need a truck for anything, so I'm not gonna buy one just to drive around in, I just think they're neat.
Chevy S10, Ford Courier, Dodge Dakota, GMC S15 . . .
. . . wait, half those are Japanese.
It's owned by bezos.
There is a very good reason we have tried to put basically every type of audio system in a car at least once. Driving in silence all the time fuckin sucks donkey balls, and bring-your-own phone/ speaker is a garbage solution, even for a truck that's barely more than a harbor freight special.
Otherwise, this is a pretty sick idea, and it might help solve some of the other more important problems the automotive industry has been having.
I've installed a very good audio system in my car for $200, there's no way an extra $500 or so on top of the $20k was breaking the bank for consumers or the company. Really weird concession to make.
500 here 500 there. If the goal was to sell for sub 20k then…
Why can't techbros just be normal? WHY YOU MUST DISRUPT EVERY TIME JUST BE NORMAL!!1
This is why China is winning.
i love how drivers just cannot bear driving, meanwhile pedestrians/cyclists/public transport users get by just fine
Silently stare into the endless void of highway for hours on end like a psychopath vs. Going zoom-zoom through the canyons while blasting Initial D.
Going postal sitting in LA traffic during a heatwave vs. Raging heavy metal at the stoplight on the way to the grocery store.
Give the people their radios
Honestly, this is probably the EV truck I am looking for.
I don't live on a farm anymore but I still like to haul manure and mulch every year for my backyard garden, I need to haul wood for my wood working projects, and I don't feel like paying 80K for a POS suburban penis enhancer that can't haul shit.
I can deal with no stereo but damn that's sparse even for me.
Not saying you're not sensible. This is a genuine question. The number of trucks I saw when I visited the US (twice) was insane. Wouldn't a trailer fulfill the same needs at a much lower price while being much more flexible in day to day use?
No, a trailer does not fit my use case.
Not really, no. When one or two of the legs of your daily commute requires bulk cargo handling, the added issue of "hitch up the trailer. Wait, where is the trailer? Okay, drive there, hitch it up, pull it here, then we'll go there. Maybe get gas before you get the trailer because it's a pain in the ass to do the gas station with a trailer hitched." Yeah no.
Further investigation shows Bezos to be backing the company. While it isn't Musk and he isn't in charge, I'm leery of this billionaire association.
You need someone with deep pockets to get a production line up and running. If not a tech titan it would just be a billionaire banker.
If they can scale this, it could be revolutionary. A perfect commuter and utility vehicle at a low price could capture a ton of share.
The addition of customization options and intention to have customers wrap their vehicle is utterly brilliant as well - I will be looking forward to hearing more!
I love this idea. It seems like it was designed for function and use over flash. If I needed something for occasional hauling and work on a property I would get this. I also see it as a "work truck" that businesses buy in bulk to keep the costs down. I would add in a radio and I love the lack of touchscreen
It's owned by bezos.
aww damn, was grtting excited about this :(
Almost everything is owned by a billionaire or has the company invested by one. I am not going to buy it because I don't need it
Wow it uses crank powered windows in this day and age. The only real concern (besides the missing stereo) is if it spies on its owners like pretty much all other car manufacturers.
Manual windows with cranks? Do you also have to hold the door handle up when you close it so it stays locked?
If there is spy/telemetry nonsense, I cannot see why it cannot be wrenched out of the car.
Most people don't remove their telemetry devices from their cars because they would lose functionality. This car has no functionality to lose.
If the telemetry is integrated with the car's main controller, I'm optimistic someone can crack it.
I wonder if I can run Doom.
I have always wanted a truck to take care of the DIY stuff and the lawn stuff. I have never like the giant ass trucks that are overkill for my use or a status symbol.
This seems like the right pick for me. Or else I need to get an old used one that I can’t be sure will last. Looking forward to what comes of this.
if Trump is pledging to kill the federal EV incentive and this truck is an answer to it then the article should provide the price without incentives. But even if it’s just under $20,000 with incentives, I still feel like it’s unfortunately paying more for less at the moment. Although if there’s tariffs, it might actually be cheaper than literally anything else you could get so in that situation, why not?
the vehicle is absolutely wonderful.
it's almost everything i'd want (and not want) in a 'car'.
Add a couple feet to that bed and you have yourself a sale...
Keep your kinks to yourself please
Perfect. Now make this 20 years ago....
That said, I'd buy one.
They'll sell a million of these
They'll sell one of these for $1m, more like it, what with the tariffs and all.
Seems like a good upgrade from my 30-year-old Ford Ranger, if it's a 4x4. It's got about the same features, LOL
According to Car and Driver, it's only 2WD. Such a pity. I won't buy a 2x4 pickup. That's my only deal breaker with this truck. Everything else can be added/modded.
I was thinking the same about my 2001 Honda Element that has the back seats removed, has no radio, and only has one functioning window. I already do the bluetooth speaker thing :)
Are we trendsetters? xx
I've seen compact pickups with 8 foot beds. That doesn't look like an 8 foot bed. I'm strongly doubting that's what the thing is going to look like.
I don't remember reading an 8-ft bed. I only remember reading that it could haul a sheet of plywood.
It only seats two yet has a bed big enough to hold a sheet of plywood.
That phraseology heavily implies 4 feet between the wheel wells and 8 feet between the bulkhead and tailgate, the definition of a "full size" truck bed.
My S10 is not that large in either direction; the wheel wells are about 6 inches narrower and the bed is 6 feet long. I've hauled a bunch of plywood in it.. awkwardly resting against the bulkhead, balanced on the wheel wells and tailgate, with about a foot and a half sticking out past the bumper. Can my S10's bed "hold" a sheet of plywood?
Hell, even in a truck that's got narrow hips, embrace the tiny and put a lip/shelf around the perimeter that supports plywood sheets from the edges so they sit flat above the wheel wells. You'd have room for studs underneath on the floor. Just make the box long enough to close the fucking tailgate.
Im pretty sure the website listed a 5' bed
hahaha okay yeah that's adorable but they do realize toddlers aren't allowed to buy road legal vehicles, right? Are they going to make one for adults?
Aw man. I really like CarPlay just for directions but otherwise this is my dream EV. Although I prefer a car or SUV form factor personally nothing against a truck.
I read somewhere they have an SUV conversion kit for it.
Reminds me of how they used to sell cj5 jeeps. Seats, doors, tops, heater, all optional.