cross-posted from: https://piefed.social/c/electricvehicles/p/2162853/usa-slate-s-new-electric-truck-will-cost-slightly-more-than-24950
Range is said to be 205 mi (330 km), higher than the original estimate. This price is for the basic truck. The SUV configuration is expected to be $5000 more.
The original price of 24950 included the federal tax rebate. This is why they used cheaper batteries and other cost cutting to try to keep the price the same. The rebates are gone.
I wonder if Aging Wheels will be able to get a hold of one of these for review.
Meanwhile in germany that’s the cost of a compact car EV…
Hello Nissan and Toyota. Where are your small EV and hybrid pick-up trucks?
The new Hilux does have both mhev and bev version.
Edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Hilux
Seems like it’s available everywhere except america
Hilux are not small, look at a Ford Falcon AU Ute.
lol, they’re $66,000 in Canada.
Seriously!
suburu
brumbybrumb-e 🤤subaru e-sambar 🤤🤤🤤
Hard pass for me for various reasons but I hope this does well enough to make other auto companies want to compete.
This sounds nice for someone who needs a truck. But I have lots of kids. Why can’t I get an EV minivan for under $50k?
They’re offering a 5 seat SUV body as well. Not a minivan, but, closer.
The minivan is important. That sliding door means my kids never slam the door open into the next car… Many people get too attached to perfect paint on their car even though they have a history of trading in “that old thing” every 3 years.
Politics. It can be done
https://m.made-in-china.com/hot-china-products/Electric_Mini_Van.html
The Chinese government is subsidizing the cost of their EVs. They are smart enough to realize that’s the future and want people hooked on them as the supplier. So, yeah it can be done cheaply if you own the entire supply chain and receive government subsidies.
I only have a truck so i can tow a trailer. I wish they included some towing capacity and range numbers.
Cargo is 1500lbs. Towing is 2000lbs. I doubt… at the same time.
That would tow a utility trailer with a lawn care setup. That’s not bad at all.
There’s an entire website about it
My buildout went to $33,600 for fastback with roof rack and speakers
While that’s a lot more than base, it’s exactly what I want and it’s still a great price compared to any other EV available to me. The only thing it would really not be good at is road trips but I still have my model Y
But as a big and tall guy I would never buy a vehicle without trying it to see if it’s comfortable for me …… and to see if I can remove the back seats and fit it out as a camper. (My brother is doing that with a sienna hybrid and he probably has the right idea: lack of range could be a problem if you want to camp for a week with no electric)
If you are camping for a week a few solar panels can give you some useful range, perhaps enough to get a full charge (depending on sun, how many panels, and what else you do for power)
Interesting, the telematics module is sold separately at $275.00. So for everyone worrying about spying, for this vehicle you got to opt-in and pay extra for it.
I read that the telematics package is meant for fleets, not average buyers
For remote app to vehicle features:
Description A plug-and-play solution that acts as a cellular bridge between your smartphone and your Slate vehicle, unlocking features like remote access and battery pre-conditioning.
Product details Includes: One (1) Telematics Unit, complete with a one year service subscription for your vehicle. Fits all body styles.
Never mind the low price, not having that shit built in is the killer feature for me, making it the only new car I would even consider buying. (It’s just too bad they won’t have a 4x4 version for another couple of years.)
It is kinda good that there’s an optional module available, though, because it means there’s an interface that, in theory, a third-party module running Free Software could hook into.
You don’t need 4 wheel drive with an EV truck, the weight is properly distributed between the 4 wheels, not like stupid pickups that put all the weight over the wrong drive wheels.
A pickup is supposed to be used such that the weight is properly loaded. If you don’t have the back full of firewood or something else anyway you are doing it wrong.
Then again if you don’t have a full 8 foot bed you are doing it wrong, and those are almost impossible to buy.
because it means there’s an interface that, in theory, a third-party module running Free Software could hook into
Absolutely this!
I’m fairly sure that the aftermarket will sort out 4x4 situation
The aftermarket is not going to make an entirely different drive train.
I’m fairly sure some spying is required by law, like the new driver cam legislation. Wonder how they’ll get past that.
The driver cam does not need Internet connectivity to meet the new standards.
I was wondering about that 2027 legislation and how this vehicle is affected. I didn’t see anything. Maybe that’s a next year production problem.
It goes into effect September 2027 and I’m guessing there will be a price increase.
Very interesting indeed.
Only 2 doors for the SUV is pretty wonky.
I mean, Blazers and Broncos have been around forever as 2-door SUVs, not a big issue there
well it’s not a minivan
As Canadian…
American company?, nope
Owned by Bezos?, hell nah
It’s never going to be released. Zero prototypes and being pushed by a billionaire.
Bezos was one investor, not the owner
Slate raised at least $111 million in Series A financing, including an undisclosed amount from Bezos. Slate then raised $600 million in 2024 from Mark Walter, the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and CEO of Guggenheim Partners, Jeff Bezos, and General Catalyst, a venture capital firm.[5] In mid-2026, the company said it had completed a $650m series C investment round, which took its total capital raised to $1.4bn.[6]
Bezos was seed money AND part of the owner conglomerate that raised all the capital the company started with in 2024. That is enough for me to avoid this like the plague as it will, certain as the sun is hot, be enshitified to the core
If you do not believe me, here is an article explaining how this is all a big Amazon initiative
https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/08/inside-the-ev-startup-secretly-backed-by-jeff-bezos/
I would truly not be surprised that this would be an attempt to take over there ev truck market, but manufacturers should have been paying attention. There’s a huge market for small ass trucks, no one is catering to it
While I’m sure they’ll try to enshittify, the downside to that plan is that they need to make sure no one takes their place and they need to have something people want that they can enshittify. The benefit of simplicity is that it makes it simpler for another manufacturer to pick up the slack.
I drove a small truck at one point. Think a late 90s Tacoma, Ranger, or something like that. I don’t want an F250. I don’t want a Ram 3500. I just want to be able to haul a bed full of bikes to the MTB trail and help my friends move a washing machine.
Exactly mini-truck FTW! They used to be everywhere. Now you can’t find one.
deleted by creator
Slate has a size comparison widget on their website. You can show it with the silhouette of a current full size pickup and a circa 1985 small pickup. It’s almost exactly the same size as that generation.
That’s cool. 99spokes does that for bicycles and I’ve found it useful in that respect. Would be cool to compare all of the cars I ever had like that.
I really love my hybrid Maverick. It is still bigger than I want, but it works really well and averages about 40mpg. I can also fit it in a normal parking spot, which is nice.
I wish the Maverick was body on frame and had better tow capacity. It’s almost what I want.
There’s a huge market for small ass trucks, no one is catering to it
Absolutely correct. The American car makers keep on saying “we only want big trucks” but that is complete BS, there is plenty of demand for smaller trucks which is why they have lobbied the gov to all but ban any possible import
The benefit of simplicity is that it makes it simpler for another manufacturer to pick up the slack.
While this is true in theory, in practice it rarely shows up. If these trucks do deliver a good, simple experience at $25K, others would not be able to just copy it and catch up. It would be easier for any of the big guys to just buy the company.
If the company is not for sale, then they would have the monopoly on small trucks and thus, freedom to enshitify
While this is true in theory, in practice it rarely shows up. If these trucks do deliver a good, simple experience at $25K, others would not be able to just copy it and catch up. It would be easier for any of the big guys to just buy the company.
I agree, but without the complications of a combustion engine, it makes it a lot easier. You can buy ev conversion kits for around $15k, so there’s also an “I’ll make my own, with blackjack, and hookers” option.
so there’s also an “I’ll make my own, with blackjack, and hookers” option.
Always the best option! hahahaha
There’s a huge market for small ass trucks, no one is catering to it
That’s incorrect. The Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz exist and are very popular.
Toyota is about to release one to compete with the Maverick, and Dodge has a small and a mid sized truck in the works.
Those are midsized. I would say Hyundai is the only one with the Santa Cruz, and that’s not really a truck.
Edit: I stand corrected, I had assumed the maverick was rwd/awd, not fwd/awd. I’m going to amend my statement and say the maverick is also not really a truck. I consider having the drive wheels under the payload to be an important aspect of a truck. Not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things.
The Santa Cruz is absolutely a truck. It even has a 3500lb towing capacity. Plus it’s only 4in shorter than the Maverick.
The Santa Cruz is exactly as much as a truck as the Ford Maverick is (which is to say, they’re both unibody vehicles).
That’s incorrect. The Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz exist and are very popular.
And they are still inefficient monsters compared to what a real small truck should be:
Ford Maverick (2022+):
-
Length: Approx. 199.7 inches (5.07 meters) almost 1.7 meters larger, 6 feet or so
-
Width: Approx. 72.6 inches (1.84 meters)
-
Height: Approx. 68.7 inches (1.75 meters)
-
Bed Length: 4.5 feet (approx. 54 inches / 1.37 meters) 45% LESS cargo space than a kei truck
Typical Kei Truck (e.g., Suzuki Carry):
-
Length: Max legal limit is 3.4 meters (133.9 inches / 11.15 feet).
-
Width: Max legal limit is 1.48 meters (58.3 inches). Often around 1.4 meters.
-
Height: Varies, but typically around 1.9–2.0 meters (75–79 inches) including the cab/bed height, though the cargo bed side walls are very low (often ~1 meter total height from ground).
-
Bed Length: Typically around 2.0 meters (78 inches / 6.5 feet), which is actually longer than the Maverick’s bed in some configurations relative to the vehicle length, though the total footprint is much smaller.
Kei trucks are power limited and speed limited for urban use only.
yes. they are small so they can work best in urban areas… nobody wants a kei truqk to work a farmein texas
You gotta add a normal US truck to your stats.
The Santa Cruz and Maverick are 2-3.5ft shorter than a Ram 1500.
I have a Santa Cruz, and it looks like a toy truck next to the normal ones. Especially next to duallies.
oh yes most others are way bigger… but I was comparing the “small” trucks that are actually available in the USA to make the point they are not in the same level the real small trucks are
-
There’s a huge market for small ass trucks, no one is catering to it
Ford is. The Maverick is selling like hotcakes (not the 60s coupe). And they have an electric small truck coming soon as well. There’s also Tello.
For the life of me I don’t know why we don’t develop something like this in Canada. It’s so frustrating, we have the people, the manufacturing space, the materials, we could do this.
Whenever something about Canada making vehicles gets brought up, all the nay sayers climb on immediately saying how it can’t be done. I’m sick and tired of them. Nothing worth doing comes easy, if left to these naysayers we’d all be still living in squalor.
We need to move away from the U.S. entanglement, the American public can’t be trusted to elect a proper government.
Building our own low cost, modest feature vehicles would be an excellent start. How many features of a car do people use for a normal commute to work, or such? I’d love a truck like the Slate, except it has to have 4 wheel drive ability. After having Hondas with all wheel drive, I’ll never go back to an older 2 wheel drive vehicle.
We don’t do R&D in Canada. All we do is assemble shitty vehicles for export.
4WD is unnecessary if you use proper winter tires.
Before the current political chaos, you would have made a mint. A little ingenuity and affordable value, along with the worlds second biggest car market next door would have been huge
100000000% agree
Same as a European, I do hope it succeeds though and as much as I hate bezos if he’s backing shit like this my opinion of him has increased by about 3.83%.
Hmm? We have much better options available in Europe
New Chinese EVs will be hitting the streets soon. Much cheaper and higher quality.
Higher quality from CCP run China. Nope. If the EV was from Taiwan, then yes.
Wow, people really are this dumb.
Lol.
I heard that Bezos left the company as an investor. I don’t blame you for disliking anything American, but Slate Auto seems alright so far…
He was never “in it”; but he put up the seed money, then participated in the main round of fund raising and placed a ton of his people in the company. So even if his is not personally involved, he has all the strings he needs to pull it where he wants it to go (which, IMO, means Slate will be enshitified to the full the moment those little trucks start selling)
https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/08/inside-the-ev-startup-secretly-backed-by-jeff-bezos/
FYI: it looks like slate has switched battery chemistry and suppliers. They will now be using LFP batteries. Cheaper, but they’ll last longer. Especially if you charge them to 100% and discharge them below 15%.
An overall win, as there was a zero chance I would have bought one if they put the NMC batteries in it they were going to use.
There will no longer be battery options for a small 150 mile range battery or a bigger battery that would go around 240 miles, though. Now (due to LFP batteries not being as energy dense) there’s only going to be one battery option that they claim will have a 205 mile range.
Unfortunately for me, this means I won’t be getting one. I need to go 180 miles round trip between charges, and that’s just cutting it way too close. Especially during winter time when the range would be reduced by quite a bit.
Yeah, same for me. Buying groceries or going to see a doctor is a 100+mile round trip for me. At a 240 mile range, it was doable for me. At around 205 miles, that’s cutting it really close considering winters here can be very cold trimming the range. And while I know I can charge at home, chargers in the wild are still far and few between.
I still want one though. I’m very jealous of those can find them useful. The whole concept of being able to absolutely repair and change your base vehicle at home and when you want to is going to be a big selling point to many.
I hate the state of current website reporting.
so many sites give so much information but absolutely refuses to provide the original website or source. Instead, deciding to send the viewer through ClickHell as they try to navigate their own website sending the user in circles usually via links that go to their own pages to propagate views/clicks. I hate it
How hard is it to just link to the Slate’s main webpage after reporting on the product that way, the viewer can look at it themselves. Not one of the web pages they link there or any of the pages in said links lead to the actual vehicles site that they are reporting on.
The concept is a good one. The marketing and financial backing is bad. I think an affordable ev would be a good thing, but this is America.
You’d have to be a massive idiot to think buying into a Bezos led infrastructure won’t nickle and dime them to death down the road…
Tbh that kinda sounds like the point from the start. The price they give is the base-base. Like, an absolute barebones build. Any color you want as long as it’s grey.
But making each individual add-on available…individually…is pretty damn sweet. And also making them available after-market…presumably in an easy-to-install method (kinda figure to be scalable it must be, otherwise the build-to-order model would flop at the assembly line), is icing on the cake.
It sucks that it’s a Bezos initiative, otherwise I’d be yelling to shut up and take my money. A basic-ass EV two-seater that can handle light open loads is exactly what I want. And one that is (seemingly) user-servicable? Hell yeah. AND A FRUNK TO BOOT!
But if bezos is behind it, it’s instantly sus. More sus than any other billionaire, save for a handful.
Off the bat, this thing is basically a dumb phone and it’s going to be very easy for third parties to mess with the platform. My bigger concern with the first launch is quality control. It’s a new vehicle, a new platform, and they’re trying to be extremely cost conscious. I won’t be surprised if there are quality issues with the first production run.
My guess is that, like with Rivian, Bezos is more interested in an EV platform for logistics. These are cheap, they don’t dent, they the don’t have a lot of electronics that can break, they can be easily retrofitted with new logistics platforms if you have an Allen wrench, they’re small enough for urban areas, and you don’t pay for gas.
Bezos is a lot of shitty things, but what made him rich was being a penny pinching logistics geek. This is right up his alley. Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, cheap to operate.
