Slate aims to disrupt the automotive industry with a new vehicle and way of doing business that focuses on the necessary and gives buyers the power of choice at a budget-conscious price. The company revealed its Slate Truck on Thursday in Long Beach, California.
"The definition of what's affordable is broken," said Slate CEO Chris Barman. "Slate exists to put the power back in the hands of customers who have been ignored by the auto industry."
Paul Waatti, director of industry analysis at AutoPacific, told Newsweek he believes "Slate is poised to challenge entrenched norms in the auto industry by profoundly rethinking how vehicles are designed, built, personalized, and sold. At a time when EV startups often chase high-end buyers with complex tech and escalating price points, Slate takes a distilled, contrarian approach—simplification, modularity, and a focused affordability strategy."
Slate's truck is 20 inches shorter in length than the Ford Maverick and one foot narrower (nearly the same width as a Toyota Corolla), cementing it in the small truck category.
The unique truck is a two-seat pickup that will be sold in a single configuration - one bed size and one cab style. Simplicity is key to the design team's approach to the model; its windows crank and there are climate control knobs. There is no infotainment system nor a touchscreen. It wears steel wheels on each corner.
According to Waatti, the company is "tapping into a growing fatigue with over-digitization in vehicles. By inviting customers to "bring your own tech" and focus on tactile, analog controls, Slate speaks to a growing audience alienated by bloated infotainment stacks and touch-heavy interfaces."
From that baseline, buyers can build up their model which has a 1,400-pound payload capacity and a large front trunk (frunk). When deliveries begin, over 100 accessories for the model will be available individually or bundled. Owners can purchase the accessories at initial purchase or over the vehicle's lifetime, as their budget allows.
Though initially sold as a truck, the model can be transformed into an SUV through an accessories package. "Slate is a radical truck platform so customizable that it can transform from a two-seat pickup to a five-seat SUV," Barman said.
Those who purchase the SUV kit get a roll cage, airbags, a rear seat and body panels. Owners can complete the installation themselves or have it done for them.
A universal phone mount and USB outlets allow a person's smartphone to serve as the infotainment hub. Owners can also install a mount for the tablet of their choice and connect any device to a self-installed speaker system or a portable speaker.
Slate owners also have the option of wrapping their vehicle or having it wrapped by a pro. Customers can choose from three levels of wrap, which is designed to make the vehicle especially personal.
The automaker will host SlateU tutorial videos on its website to instruct owners on how to enhance their model whether through accessory additions or wrapped elements.
Buyers can choose between two battery packs for the mode, a 52.7-kilowatt-hour (kWh) pack or an 84.3-kWh one. The rear-wheel drive truck's smaller battery delivers a targeted 150 miles of all-electric range. The larger is expected to offer up to 240.
Slate's model is charged via a NACS (North American Charging Standard) port, the same as a Tesla and the type of port many mainstream automakers are transitioning to. Using that port, the truck can charge to full overnight on a household outlet or fast-charge to 80 percent when attached to a 120-kilowatt charger, in under 30 minutes.
The American company will purchase American-made batteries for its electric truck and assemble the model in the U.S.
"Made in America is very important to us. We have a passion, we want to re-industrialize America, and in doing that, we're targeting where our location will be in the heart of the Midwest. We want to go into a brownfield [site]. We want to take that and make it over into something that's going to bring a new technology to a community that may have had what for many years a thriving business that over time, for whatever reason, unfortunately, had a shutter. What we want to do is go back in and use that facility and revitalize that community," Barman told Newsweek.
Waatti says "Slate's re-industrialization narrative—building in the U.S., with a transparent pricing model and service infrastructure—is well-timed to resonate in a post-COVID, tariff-conscious economy where domestic manufacturing and affordability are back in focus."
Slate intends for the vehicle to achieve high safety ratings. It will equip the model with automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning technology and have up to eight airbags.
"The vehicle will be an IIHS Top Safety Pick, as well as an NCAP (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's New Car Assessment Program) 5-Star. Often people get concerned when they hear affordable that they may think, 'where have corners been cut?' There's been no compromises here. It will meet the highest safety standards within the industry," Barman said.
"I think next that comes to mind with people is, 'If it's affordable, does it mean that there's going to be some compromise on quality or the reliability of the vehicle?' [Addressing that has] been paramount for us. We [are working to ensure that we] meet the highest quality levels as well as [being] a very reliable vehicle, so that people can depend on it day in and day out for many years, to be able to service them in the way that they need to," she said.
The company plans a direct-to-consumer sales model that allows purchasers to order their new Slate online, take delivery near their home and find a service location in their neighborhood.
"For us, what was really important is we want to own the relationship with the customer. We want to connect with them. We want to service them. We want to make sure that they are satisfied as they're going through the purchase process, be it for the vehicle or be it for the accessorization, and even later, if it may be with service. It's important to us that we have that connection to the customer and that we are the ones that are able to keep them satisfied," Barman said.
Slate announced that the price for its new electric truck would be less than $20,000 when federal rebates are applied to the purchase. The continuation of those rebates is not guaranteed.
"We're just very focused on our primary customer - it's that wage earner. It's that hard-working American. And, regardless of other dynamics that may be happening, we know that we want to serve those hard working people and provide them with safe, reliable, affordable transportation. That's been our focus and our mission since we've started. We also want to provide a vehicle that is desirably designed that those individuals are going to be very proud of, proud to own, proud to drive, and proud to put their own personality with into the vehicle, to have it be an expression of themselves," Barman said.
And Waatti adds that if successful, Slate "could shift expectations not just for what a vehicle is but also for how it's configured, purchased, and owned. It's not just a vehicle—it's a modular mobility platform built for people who want control, simplicity, and value. That's a potent combination in today's market."
Interested buyers can reserve their vehicle with a $50 deposit today at the company's website. The deposit is fully refundable.