A bare‑bones electric pickup that makes price the headline
The Slate truck is an affordable EV truck built as a two-seat electric pickup with a 205-mile range, modular body styles, and user-added options, designed to undercut combustion rivals on price by stripping out in-built tech and luxury while still covering core work and daily-driving needs.
This week, Slate Auto opened pre-orders for its electric pickup, with the base two-seater starting at USD 24,950 (approx. RM117,000) before destination fees. At that price, Slate is not chasing Tesla Cybertruck fantasies; it is attacking the low end of electric pickup pricing and compact work trucks head-on. Production is ramping up in Warsaw, Indiana, with customer deliveries planned for the fourth quarter of this year. The company already claims more than 180,000 reservations from earlier deposits, which suggests pent-up demand for budget electric vehicles that do not try to be rolling smartphones. In a market where the average new car price hovers near double Slate’s entry point, this launch is a deliberate provocation: the EV does not have to be a luxury product.
Anti‑bloatware design: what you get, and what you do yourself
Slate’s most radical move is philosophical, not technical: it treats excess software and hardware as the enemy of affordability. Former CEO and now President of Vehicles Chris Barman calls out an industry where electric vehicles are getting heavier, screens stretch across dashboards, and prices climb out of reach, describing the current idea of “affordable” as “broken.” The base truck arrives with crank windows, no built-in radio, no giant central touchscreen and steel wheels. A small digital cluster covers essentials like speed and range, while a sturdy mount turns your smartphone into the infotainment system. Air conditioning, power door locks, cruise control and a rearview camera remain standard, which keeps it livable rather than ascetic.
Everything beyond that is on you. Slate has designed the vehicle to be easily modified, with over 100 personalisation accessories available either at purchase or later, most priced under USD 500 (approx. RM2,350). The company’s own example build adds alloy wheels, all-terrain tyres, power windows and a Bluetooth speaker, bringing the price to about USD 28,049 (approx. RM131,000) — still below many basic combustion trucks. That paycheck-to-paycheck upgrade path matters: instead of financing every convenience for years, buyers can start with a work-ready shell and slowly build a truck that fits their lives. It is an explicit rejection of the one-spec-fits-all model that bloats prices elsewhere.
Modular body and 205-mile range: enough truck for real work?
Under the simple skin, the Slate truck’s numbers are pragmatic rather than headline-grabbing. A 65kWh LFP pack (63kWh usable) delivers an estimated 205 miles of range, paired with a single rear motor rated at 150kW and 264Nm. That makes this affordable EV truck more of an urban workhorse than a cross-continent hauler, but that is exactly the point. For tradespeople, fleets and commuters who rarely exceed 100 miles in a day, 205 miles is breathing room, not a limitation. Payload is a healthy 1,550 lbs and towing is rated at 2,000 lbs, meaning the Slate can haul as much or more than many small combustion pickups while emitting nothing at the tailpipe.
The modular body is where things get interesting. The entry “Blank Slate” is a two-seat utility pickup at USD 24,950 (approx. RM117,000). From there, buyers can convert it into a five-seat Squareback SUV kit for USD 29,950 (approx. RM140,000) or a more aerodynamic Fastback SUV kit at USD 31,950 (approx. RM149,000). There is also an Open Air Kit in the works. Rather than forcing buyers to choose between a truck or SUV at purchase, Slate sells a platform that can transform as family or business needs change. That is far more radical than another screen upgrade; it is a structural rethinking of ownership.
Taking on the Ford Maverick and the old idea of value
Slate is not coy about its target: this is an electric alternative to compact combustion pickups such as the Ford Maverick. The Blank Slate’s sub-USD 25,000 (approx. RM117,000) sticker undercuts the Maverick’s USD 28,145 (approx. RM132,000) entry price while beating it on raw payload capacity at 1,550 lbs versus 1,500 lbs and matching baseline towing. On paper, the Slate truck review is clear: for city and suburban work, a budget electric vehicle can now match one of the most talked-about cheap trucks on utility while offering EV running costs and zero tailpipe emissions. What Slate lacks in brand heritage it tries to counter with investor backing from figures such as Jeff Bezos and a direct-to-customer sales model that bypasses traditional dealership markups.
This is also a statement about control. Customers configure the vehicle online and use a network of partner repair shops for handover and servicing, rather than dealer-limited access. The focus on straightforward hardware and user-addable parts makes the truck easier to build, own and repair than many feature-stuffed EVs. In a segment where trucks have become lifestyle ornaments, Slate positions itself as the anti-bling option: the tool that lets you spend money on range and payload first, and style or comfort only when you decide they are worth it.
Will this budget EV truck reset expectations?
The real disruption here is psychological. Slate proves that electric pickup pricing does not have to start at luxury levels; it can start where working people and small businesses actually shop. By “putting the power back in the hands of customers that have been ignored by the auto industry,” as the company describes its mission, the brand is betting that many buyers value low payments and flexibility more than panoramic glass roofs and 4K dashboards. If everything goes to plan, first deliveries roll out in Q4 with a major volume ramp in the first half of 2027, and the company is concentrating on a left-hand-drive rollout with no immediate expansion beyond that.
There are risks: a stripped-back cabin on steel wheels will not appeal to status-conscious buyers, and 205 miles of range will not comfort everyone. But if even a fraction of those 180,000 reservations turn into trucks on job sites, the message to the wider market is unmistakable. EV makers can no longer hide behind high prices and tech excess. Slate has drawn a bright line: future budget electric vehicles will either respect buyers’ wallets and needs in the same way, or they will look bloated and out of touch by comparison.
