The Slate Truck is unlike anything else on the market. Presented near Long Beach, California, this electric pickup focuses on simplicity. It offers two battery sizes (57.2 kWh for 241 km of range, or 84.3 kWh for 386 km), a modest 201 horsepower engine, and a top speed limited to 145 km/h. It's a far cry from the flashy performance of Tesla or Rivian — and that's intentional.
An electric pickup... old-school
Designed to be produced in Due to its low cost, the Slate Truck only comes in one configuration when it leaves the factory. The interior is stripped down to the bare essentials: no touchscreen, no speakers, no power windows. To navigate or listen to music, you'll need to plug your smartphone or tablet into the designated slot. The controls are physical, the wheels are steel, and the windows are cranked down.
The emphasis is on customization. Buyers can transform their pickup into an SUV with a kit that adds a roll bar, rear seat, and additional airbags. This module is designed for self-installation, but Slate also promises a future network of partner centers for the less handy. More than 100 accessories are planned at launch, from the lift kit to alloy wheels, including a colored wrap for the raw body.
Slate Auto, financially supported by Jeff Bezos, intends to shake up the market with this rustic and inexpensive model. The announced base price is under $20,000, including government incentives. Without aid, it climbs to around $27,500, which remains below models like the Ford Maverick or the Nissan Leaf.
But several gray areas remain. First, manufacturing: while assembly will take place in the Midwest (probably in Troy, Michigan), many components come from China, and are therefore exposed to US customs duties. Then, the certification of certain modules, such as the airbags integrated into SUV kits, could pose legal problems if their installation is done outside of a strict framework.
Finally, the economic model is based on direct sales, without a dealer network, and on a promise of release from the end of 2026. This timetable leaves more than a year and a half to the startup to realize its ambitions, find its logistics partners and convince a young clientele who, more and more, hesitate between buying, renting or simply not owning a car.
The Slate Truck is neither luxurious nor efficient, but it embodies another approach to the electric vehicle: that of a practical, customizable object, with a raw and assertive design. If Slate manages to keep its industrial promises, it could find an audience receptive to this form of sobriety... and tired of technological overkill.
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