We have seen the future of pickup trucks, and it includes the Slate EV from Michigan-based startup Slate Auto. The truck is a compact, two-seat electric pickup with a starting price around $20,000-$25,000 (potentially under $20,000 after federal EV tax credits). It’s made to be super affordable and easy to customize, with over 100 accessories, including a DIY SUV conversion kit that turns the truck into a five-passenger SUV in about an hour.
Slate’s “We built it, you make it” slogan is all about making it your own. The starter model is a plain base, and people pay more for extras like larger batteries, wheels, or the SUV kit. This keeps production cheap while earning cash from accessories, a bit like Amazon’s plan of low prices and high sales. Jeff Bezos, through his family office and maybe other investments, is a major supporter of Slate Auto, which has raised over $111 million.
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Unlike Tesla’s tech-heavy Cybertruck or Rivian’s fancy models, Slate’s truck is purposely old-school—with hand-crank windows, no screens, and a focus on keeping things simple. This throwback style appeals to people tired of complicated, pricey electric vehicles and fits a niche for “basic” vehicles, like the dumbphone trend with younger folks.
The base model is bare-bones—unpainted plastic panels, manual windows, no radio, no touchscreen, and a 52.7kWh battery that gives 150 miles of range (or 240 miles with a bigger battery option). It’ll be made in Indiana, with deliveries expected by late 2026.
The definition of what’s affordable is broken. Slate exists to put the power back in the hands of customers who have been ignored by the auto industry. Slate is a radical truck platform so customizable that it can transform from a 2-seat pickup to a 5-seat SUV,” said Chris Barman, Slate CEO.
