“Affordability” is a big word in the auto industry these days. And for good reason, as the average new vehicle comes in at over $50,000 by the time you drive off the dealer lot. Prefer EV? According to Kelley Blue Book, this will net you an average of $55,000. And even a commonly used model now sells for $30,000. To make matters worse, automakers are eliminating many of their most affordable products.
it is right here slate Founded just 4 years ago and backed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and other members of the online retailer’s family, the Detroit-based startup is set to debut a brand-new, battery-powered pickup in the coming months, and it’ll come in at a starting price of $24,950.
Reminiscent of the bare trucks that were extremely popular in the days when baby boomers were getting their driver’s licenses, the slate pickup will start with nearly 200 accessories, allowing DIYers to customize their vehicles. They will also be able to convert the pickup into an SUV.
What is slate?
Originally founded as Re:Build Manufacturing in 2022 by ex-Amazon Consumer CEO Jeff Wilke, the company soon changed its name to Slate, but maintained its original focus on producing affordable battery-electric vehicles. It went public with early prototypes in April 2025 and, on June 24, unveiled a production-ready model.
Overall, relatively little changes have been made over the past 14 months. The truck still has one row of seats and measures 174.6 inches long, about 2 feet shorter than the popular compact Ford Maverick. It has injection-molded body panels and is pretty basic: steel wheels, no radio, and hand-cranked windows.
But when it comes to pricing it lives up to expectations – more or less. The startup has always aimed to reach the mid-$20,000 mark. But federal tax credits phased out last September would have brought it below $20,000. It will still be the lowest priced electric truck in the US market. And compare that to the Maverick, which starts at $28,145 in hybrid form.
What’s new?
However, there are several notable updates. For one thing, the slate dropped plans for two optional battery packs. All of its vehicles will now feature a 65kWh pack that will provide an estimated 205 miles of range. This is 37% more than the basic “standard” pack’s 150-mile rating, though 16% less than the “long range” option at 240 miles per charge.
Original plans called for only one body style: that of a single-row pickup, although the automaker was going to offer a DIY conversion package that would turn it into an SUV. You’ll still be able to get aftermarket kits, but the Slate will now offer two already assembled SUV versions, the Squareback and the Fastback, with both priced starting at $29,950.
make it your own
According to Chris Berman, Slate’s head of product, the SUV conversion package will be one of approximately 170 accessories available on the Slate Marketplace at launch, 80 of them priced under $500. Can’t you take advantage of all the features you want? The truck is designed for DIYers to be able to “customize” it whenever they want so that it “becomes an extension of their personality,” he said in an exclusive interview.
Of those items? Everything from stereos, roof racks and zip-off seat covers to front and rear fascia mods. Slate is betting that its collection of more than 100 different colored body wraps will see particularly strong demand. To keep production costs low, the company’s Warsaw, Ind., plant has no paint shop, a major expense. So, off the line, all vehicles are finished in the appropriate slate grey.
Number
The slate is just starting to release specifications. It has not been revealed whether it will offer all-terrain tires, nor useful features like ride height, approach, or breakover and departure angles. We know that it has advanced capabilities compared to the original prototype. The truck can now tow up to 2,000 pounds – enough for a pair of jet skis – while payload has increased from 1,400 to 1,500 pounds.
All versions will feature a single electric motor driving the rear axle. It will produce 135 kilowatts (180 horsepower) and 264 Nm (195 pound-feet) of torque. The factory claims this will be enough to launch from 0 to 60 in 8.0 seconds, with a top speed of 90 mph.
As far as charging goes, once plugged into a Level 2 240V charger, Slate estimates that the 65kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack will need about 4 hours to go from 20% to 100% state-of-charge. It claims a DC quick charger should pack from 20% to 80% in half an hour. The numbers aren’t benchmark but reasonably competitive.
who would buy one
At this price, Slate planners think they’ll reach a diverse audience. These include those buying new vehicles on a budget as well as DIYers who like the idea of building a truly unique vehicle to suit their tastes and needs. Considering the steep cost of today’s new vehicles, the Slate could be something new.
In fact, the average used vehicle is now stretching the budget for many buyers, Berman said. “Our price point is lower than the cost of the average used vehicle,” and that opens up a potentially larger market for slates among people who would really like something new.
However, not everyone is convinced. “You can also buy a Nissan Sentra for $25,000 and get a lot more features than a 2-door pickup with that type of range,” said Sam Abuelsamid, principal auto analyst at Telemetry Research.
The second question is whether there is enough market for unknown EV brands at a time when even established manufacturers are struggling to meet their battery-electric model targets.
Competition
That includes Ford, which took a multibillion-dollar write-off last year after abandoning its previous EV strategy and, among other things, ending production of the full-size F-150 Lightning in December.
But it looks like Ford is keeping up with the slate, at least up to a point. It is getting ready to launch its “affordable” EV pickup early next year as part of its “universal vehicle” project. But the as-yet-unnamed model will offer two rows of seats and far more features – expect the base MSRP to reach around $30,000. Ford also plans to add one or more SUV packages after the pickup’s debut.
And several other manufacturers are working hard to develop their own entries priced under $30,000, which could start reaching showrooms before the end of the decade, Abuelsamid said.
Is there a market?
“More than 180,000 reservation holders have told us they are ready for a vehicle that is affordable, reliable, and tailored to their lives,” Slate CEO Peter Faricci said in a statement.
That said, refundable reservations are not always a reliable indicator of future demand. Tesla claims to have logged more than 1 million deposits in the months since the Cybertruck’s 2019 debut. The sale never came to a close. Tesla sold only 20,237 Cybertrucks last year, a 48% decline year-over-year. Ford also downplayed the initial surge in reservations for its Lightning pickup.
Despite the challenges, Slate officials don’t seem worried. This week, slate taking began Pre-order a new truck. Potential buyers can put down a non-refundable $300. Those who have already canceled a $50 refundable advance reservation can have it applied to their order.
The company will begin production in the fourth quarter of this year with a shift to its new assembly plant in Warsaw, India. The plan is to go into two shifts by the second quarter of 2027. A few months later, the factory will add a third shift, allowing it to produce 150,000 pickups and SUVs annually.
By this time next year, we should have a clear sense of whether the Slate is expected to succeed as a new player in the EV arena or short-circuit some of the other promising startups like Fisker, Canoo, and Lordstown Motors — all of which had included affordable battery-electric pickups in their plans.
