Slate is officially taking orders for its bare-bones electric pickup. The Amazon-backed EV startup opened pre-orders on June 24 for a vehicle positioned directly against the steadily rising average cost of new vehicles and broader automotive inflation. The base model truck starts at $24,950, while the enclosed “Squareback” and “Fastback” SUV configurations push the starting price to $29,950.
The company originally promised a highly ambitious sub-$20,000 starting price. The final sticker price reflects the reality of building vehicles today, as the company factored out federal electric vehicle tax incentives that are no longer applicable. Slate is aiming entirely at consumers completely priced out of the current luxury-focused EV market.
Stripping Down the Modern Car
The vehicle strips out almost every modern convenience to keep manufacturing costs down. Buyers will not find built-in speakers or a central infotainment screen inside the cabin. The truck relies entirely on the driver’s smartphone connected via Bluetooth and a proprietary app. It also uses manual hand-crank windows and replaces traditional painted sheet metal with unpainted injection-molded plastic body panels.
Despite the missing creature comforts, the underlying hardware saw some capability bumps before launch. Slate shifted the powertrain to a single US-built lithium iron phosphate battery offering 205 miles of range. The final production spec drops the power output slightly to 181 horsepower, resulting in a zero to 60 mph time of roughly 8.0 seconds and a top speed of 90 mph. The stripped-down approach did not stop curb weight from increasing by roughly 450 pounds from initial estimates.
The truck can handle more physical work than initially projected. The payload capacity sits at 1,550 pounds, and Slate doubled the towing capacity up to 2,000 pounds. Demand remains extremely high for this back-to-basics hardware. The startup claims it secured 180,000 reservations before buyers even knew the final sticker price.
How the Loss of Federal Incentives Shapes Slate’s Battle With Ford
Slate’s pricing strategy shifts the competitive environment of the entry-level EV market. The loss of federal tax incentives forced the company to permanently abandon its original $20,000 target, placing the truck slightly higher on the affordability spectrum. This $24,950 price point puts the minimalist truck directly in the crosshairs of traditional automakers adjusting their own strategies.
Ford is actively developing a fuller-featured affordable truck to rival its own Maverick, aiming at the exact same budget-conscious buyers Slate wants to capture. Buyers cross-shopping the Slate pickup will also weigh it against the growing surplus of cheaper, off-lease vehicles entering the used EV market. Slate’s success will depend entirely on whether consumers are willing to trade standard hardware features like power windows and screens for the novelty of a brand-new, ultra-minimalist platform.