For those unfamiliar, Slate is a Jeff Bezos-funded automotive company that has been teasing a no-buckshit electric pickup truck for the past few months. Originally, the company promised to introduce a vehicle that would cost less than $20,000. This is absurd in today’s economy, and has been proven About False.
However, following the introduction of the company’s production-ready pickup, that price is now expected to be $24,950. There will also be an SUV iteration, with a starting price of $29,950. But I’m not here to talk about the price tag. Although it is certainly part of the equation.
When the slate was first teased, and after I saw Jay Leno driving around Los AngelesI couldn’t help but wonder if this little electric pickup could be the perfect moto hauler.
The price has also changed since it was first unveiled, as has the expected range, but this time it’s for the better. Instead of the originally promised 150 miles, Slate is now claiming the little electric truck can go up to 205 miles on its 65-kilowatt-hour battery pack, which it says produces 181-hp and 195 pound-feet of torque.
So, while the price went up, at least we’re getting something for that extra five grand – 55 miles, to be exact. And that matters, because I’m going to use myself as an example of how and why a slate can make a great moto hauler. And why do I want one. Perhaps.
Photo by: RideApart.com
I live in the Phoenix Valley, a sprawling metropolitan area in central Arizona that includes eight cities spanning nearly 2,000 square miles, with more than 5.2 million residents. In a general sense it is crowded, and yet easy to avoid. i have an old cargo van With hundreds of thousands of miles on the odometer. It’s gas powered, the size of a brick, and gets maybe 15 miles a gallon on a good day. I’ve lived, camped and traveled in that van, so I won’t say anything bad about the old Ford, except for the fact that it’s not very economical, especially nowadays.
The hauler that I have in the back of the van. This is a model that’s meant to carry the load of a 500-pound adventure motorcycle, so it’s quite big and makes parking in the city a pain. But I can load my dirt bike on the back and be on the road in ten minutes, so, again, no complaints.
Photo by: Justin W. Coffee, WESTx1000
During the fall and winter months, I ride at an OHV area about 45 minutes from where I live, almost exactly 40 miles north as the crow flies. Getting there and back to your garage requires about a quarter tank of fuel in an old Ford. So, if it takes $100 to fill the tank (I’m being generous), my trips to the trailhead and home cost me about $25 each time. Multiply that by the two or three days a week I try and ride, and well, it adds up.
Along with pricing, the slate also announced its payload and towing capacity, which, along with the range, are the numbers I’m most interested in. according to the crew driveThe Slate “can now carry 2,000 pounds in the back of a pickup, or 1,550 pounds in the bed.” Those aren’t rookie numbers, especially for such a small platform. But small is relative, just ask your doctor.
The slate pickup has a 60-inch bed with the tailgate closed, and 81.6 inches of space from front to back with the tailgate down. A five-foot bed is short by comparison, but with the tailgate down there’s almost a seven-foot bed available, meaning the small electric truck should be able to tow some motorcycles, especially dirt bikes, with ease.
Photo by: RideApart.com
For example, my Beta 300 RR is 85.5 inches long, from tip to tail, which means it will hang over the edge of the tailgate a bit, but will still fit. You can also carry anything heavy, although I don’t recommend trying to load a bagger on your back. But can slate take your sport bike to the track? Absolutely.
what’s more, according to the crew JalopnikThe diagonal space available in the bed of the Slate pickup is 98.35 inches. If so, my Italian two-stroke should be able to fit sideways in the bed with the tailgate closed. I’ll believe it when I see it, but I’m hopeful.
With a 205-mile range and a 1,550-pound payload rating, the slate checks a lot of boxes. When small pickups became midsize pickups, which were basically old-fashioned full-size pickups, the boxes remained empty. A Ford Ranger used to be small, so my friends in high school also had Toyota SR5 trucks. But nowadays it is not so. Ford introduced the Maverick a few years ago, and I applaud the effort, but a decently equipped model will cost you a minimum of $32,490, and you’re still paying a premium at the gas pump.
Photo by: RideApart.com
It doesn’t matter if you like, like, or dislike electric vehicles when you’re shopping for practicality. And if slate is anything, it’s practical. The base model also doesn’t come with a stereo or power windows.
The onboard 11-kilowatt charger is said to charge the battery from 20 to 80% in 17 hours on a Level 1 charger and just four hours on a Level 2 charger. There’s also a North American Charging Standard (NACS) port, meaning the slate can charge at Tesla Supercharger stations. All this makes small electric trucks more practical.
So, is the Slate Truck the perfect bike hauler for the budget-minded moto enthusiast? No, not necessary. You can find a used Ford Ranger for less than $10,000. But it will require maintenance and upkeep and possibly new belts and a water pump (ask me how I know), and it’s still going to sting when you swipe your card at the Chevron.
What Slate offers is an option. Which could work perfectly for someone like me. With space to load two bikes in the back, as well as enough range to get me to the trailhead and home at least twice on a single charge, this little electric truck could be the perfect temperature of oatmeal for my Goldilocks.
The price of $24,950 isn’t bad all things considered. But you’re not getting much with the base model – just crank windows, cloth seats and a slate gray exterior. However, I think that’s the point. For someone like me, a no-frills pickup that can haul my moto to a trailhead, be plugged in overnight (or filled with electrons at a Supercharger), handle daily truck duties and not ask for much in return… well, that sounds pretty good.
But what do you think? Is this an old-school moto hauler made electric, or is its asking price too high for something that can be accomplished by a roached Ford Ranger?
