# Slate: a new no-frills electric pickup truck for $20,000 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 27, 2025, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563 "2025-04-27T14:39:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/201 "2025-05-08T22:39:13Z")
A basic hybrid should only cost $2k-$3k more than the gas only version. Basic models for either are hard to find, people want all the extras. Seems this is more of a passenger vehicle for a lot of buyers. The Lariat model is described as ‘street vehicle’, though I don’t know what that means for any model that doesn’t include the off road package. Maybe just means the luxury trim package is standard. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2025, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/202 "2025-05-09T03:03:14Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I put a deposit on a Ford Maverick XLT that should arrive next week. Total expenditure, for the vehicle, taxes, and registration fees is about $33,500. Seems like a great price to me for that truck. (snip) I have my doubts about the Slate ever being produced much less coming in for the current predicted price of $28,000. That truck is about 26" (i,e. more than two feet) longer than the Slate. I think people (like me) who are looking seriously at the Slate (or Telo) are mainly looking for an electric truck or SUV that is actually relatively small. I would also look at a hybrid that was actually relatively small. Of course, if they are never produced then it will be yet another disappointment for me. I still wouldn’t buy a 2’ longer truck or SUV, at any price. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2025, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/203 "2025-05-09T03:14:20Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I have my doubts about the Slate ever being produced much less coming in for the current predicted price of $28,000. That’s a valid observation, and same for Telo. In the video I posted, the CEO of Telo said that they hope to start making production models in 2026 “if all goes well”. If and when this even happens, they have the additional problem of producing a limited number of hand-built models that have to compete on cost with mass-produced pickups made on assembly lines. I wish both Slate and Telo success, but it’s gonna be a real uphill battle. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/204 "2025-05-09T17:00:24Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > That truck is about 26" (i,e. more than two feet) longer than the Slate. I think people (like me) who are looking seriously at the Slate (or Telo) are mainly looking for an electric truck or SUV that is actually relatively small. I would also look at a hybrid that was actually relatively small. Of course, if they are never produced then it will be yet another disappointment for me. I still wouldn’t buy a 2’ longer truck or SUV, at any price. I have long wondered why there is no electric vehicle with the dimensions of a classic Jeep like the [CJ-5](https://www.google.com/imgres?q=jeep%20cj-5&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.motortrend.com%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2021%2F08%2F013-CJ-5-Buyers-guide-late-cj-5.jpg%3Fw%3D768%26width%3D768%26q%3D75%26format%3Dwebp&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.motortrend.com%2Fhow-to%2Fjeep-cj5-buyers-guide-history&docid=TuuQlBisvQN60M&tbnid=iRO53-dT50Qx2M&vet=12ahUKEwikktip7ZaNAxWBEVkFHZ6JNU4QM3oECGYQAA..i&w=1080&h=607&hcb=2&ved=2ahUKEwikktip7ZaNAxWBEVkFHZ6JNU4QM3oECGYQAA) The bed could easily be a foot longer and still slightly less then the length of the Telo. I’m surprised the earliest modern electrics weren’t based on the Jeep design. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/205 "2025-05-15T20:09:52Z")
Closing off this end of the discussion, I have the truck now. An XLT model, pretty basic really but after looking at many alternatives new and used I’m fine with I got for the money. I think the Slate will have a hard time competing with hybrid Mavericks because I expect the price to be similar if it is ever available. Will take a while to find out about that though. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/206 "2025-05-16T03:55:20Z")
I thought of you today because in a parking lot I spotted a very nice Maverick extended cab truck and it looked sharp. Enjoy your truck! ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/207 "2025-05-16T04:10:10Z")
In the first two weeks Slate has received 100,000 refundable reservations at $50 each. That does not represent 100,000 future sales; the Cybertruck had like 30 million reservations and about 12 were sold. I don’t think they make it anymore. It does show there is some interest, and 100,000 reservations is better than 1500 reservations. Probably the most important thing is that it will help to convince future investors to put money into the company. I wouldn’t want one as my family’s only car, but I’d rather have a Slate as a second commuter car, than say a Fiat 500e. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2025, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/208 "2025-05-18T09:33:34Z")
You know how there is a classic red-carpet / beauty pageant pose, with one food slightly ahead, to twist the hips slightly and optimize the body profile? And clocks and watches used to always be depicted at 8 or 9 past 10? I was looking for straight side-on pictures of pick-up trucks, to compare where the driving position is w.r.t. the wheels, and d-d if I can find any. No doubt they exit, but every picture I can find of anything is in exactly the same pose, taken from, and of, a front corner (and 80% the drivers side front corner). ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/209 "2025-05-18T19:23:46Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > I was looking for straight side-on pictures of pick-up trucks, to compare where the driving position is w.r.t. the wheels, and d-d if I can find any. You can find them on dedicated car comparison websites where you can overlay two cars over each other to compare dimensions. eg: > **[Opel Corsa 1990-1993 vs. BMW i5 2023-present](https://www.carsized.com/en/)** > > Opel Corsa Hatchback 1990-1993 vs. BMW i5 Sedan M 2023-present. Compare car dimensions (length, width and height) vs. street perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2025, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/210 "2025-05-19T05:27:05Z")
That is a cool site, thanks. It doesn’t have the Slate yet, but it does have Telo. The Telo is actually 12.4 cm shorter than my Subaru Impreza (but wider and taller; in that view it looks oddly tank-like). ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2026, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/211 "2026-05-30T03:16:34Z")
Developments in the Slate world: in the last couple of days, those who have made the $50 reservation received an email telling them exactly when pricing will be revealed, and how to order and receive their vehicle. Pricing will be revealed on June 24th, 2026. If you want to be in the first group of truck buyers\*, you must: - Pay another $250 (or if you have no $50 reservation, pay $300) non-refundable - On June 24th, you must reserve your vehicle with options and sign a contract to purchase (note: you will not have seen or sat in or driven a production model at that point) - Wait until some time in the 4th quarter to be notified that your truck is ready. So they have lost me; I am no longer excited or even very interested. If I buy one of their trucks, I will wait until they are available to be seen and driven before purchase. \*I’m not sure exactly how limited this first group will be, but I suspect that they are requiring these conditions so they aren’t overwhelmed by demand before they are ready to fulfill it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2026, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/212 "2026-05-30T13:12:59Z")
All this is typical pre-production hyping of a new product. And pre-prod “hyping” need not be fake and exaggerated; a certain amount of those kinds of claims and publicity and deposits is just normal honest business. I agree with you in that I have no interest in putting blind deposits on non-existent products of any kind; “first!” just doesn’t resonate w me. But that doesn’t put me off the product itself. This is just one more step in the long, slooow, and winding process of an idea turning into something sold somewhere in town. And my buying interest starts when [whatever] is available for sale here in town. Kinda fun to follow along meanwhile, but in a detached “that’s nice” sort of way. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/213 "2026-06-25T17:28:59Z")
Update: the price announcements were yesterday, for the basic stuff and most of the accessories and add-ons. Base price (“Blank Slate”) is $24,950, one color (gray). $5,000 additional to turn it into a 2-door squared-back SUV with rear seat. Or $7,000 additional to turn it into a 2-door slanted-back SUV with a rear seat and a roll bar (I’m told the rear seat is optional, so it should be less without it, which is what I would want; I don’t know if the roll bar is optional). $500 to $700 for the simplest sort of full wrap, maybe a dozen colors?; wrap options look like they go up to $2,000 or more. (eta: battery goes something over 200 miles on a charge, I don’t know details except that instead of providing an upgrade option, they upgraded all the batteries but not as much as the upgrade option they were talking about.) I’m still a little tempted, but I can’t see buying one of these without being able to see it and sit in it first. So if this is successful and they keep going, I think it will be at least a couple of years before I might actually get one. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/214 "2026-06-25T17:44:12Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I’m still a little tempted, but I can’t see buying one of these without being able to see it and sit in it first. So if this is successful and they keep going, I think it will be at least a couple of years before I might actually get one. I’m not an early adopter of technology. I won’t need a new car for a few years, so I’m hoping any kinks can be worked out by the time I’m back in the market. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/215 "2026-06-25T19:34:45Z")
Yeah, my car is a 2014 Subaru Impreza hatchback, still runs fine, only has 42K miles on it, but I’m hoping for something that is easier for me to get in and out of. Whatever I buy next will probably be my last car. By the way, for those who are wondering about the headline for this thread, $20K was going to be the price including federal subsidies, which have since gone away. I think they’ve done a pretty good job of keeping the base price down, and I really like the idea that I can outfit it with only what I want rather than ordering packages, but it does pay to remember that à la carte is always more expensive than the fixed menu. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/216 "2026-06-25T20:39:09Z")
It also looks like they made modularity a design goal right from the start with this. And the blank slate is still a reasonable option, if you’re just going for cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/217 "2026-06-26T15:03:24Z")
My objections keep coming back to: it seems a bit _too_ minimalist. But then I recall my $7,000 1990 Nissan Hardbody had no radio, crank windows, manual transmission, RWD … Guess I’m spoiled in my dotage. Also, it could go 300+ miles before needing to refuel. So this is something of a step backward from 36 years ago. Still, I rarely traveled more than 50 miles from home (this has changed, now it’s more like 6), and the convenience of being able to rest a 4 feet wide piece of building material flat is not to be understated. After all, what’s the use of a truck that can’t truck properly? All in all I think it’s a good entry level vehicle that will be adequate for nearly everything a truck actually gets used for. Plastic panels? I can hardly wait to see what the kids get up to when they decide to start personalizing it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/218 "2026-06-26T15:26:57Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > I can hardly wait to see what the kids get up to when they decide to start personalizing it. 🙂 Yeah, the same inherent modularity that makes it easy for them to upsell will also mean that it’ll be easy for owners to come up with their own aftermarket mods. I hope they’re not basing their entire profit margin on the upsells, because a lot of folks are going to go that route. EDIT: The one thing that seems a bit too minimalist, to me, is rear-wheel drive. What vehicle of any sort has that, nowadays? Especially a truck? I could understand if it was a gasoline engine, because putting the drive on the same wheels as the steering requires some complicated linkages between the engine and the wheels, but one of the big advantages of electric is that you can just put a motor on each wheel and avoid most of that complication. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/219 "2026-06-26T15:37:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I could understand if it was a gasoline engine, because putting the drive on the same wheels as the steering requires some complicated linkages between the engine and the wheels, but one of the big advantages of electric is that you can just put a motor on each wheel and avoid most of that complication. Ehh, if you’re meaning putting hub motors on it, that’s not really advantageous because you increase unsprung weight, which makes the ride harsh and the handling poor. If you’re meaning putting a motor on each end, you’ve still got the same problem with half shafts. RWD isn’t bad, most trucks still have it as the default configuration. Though, I am a bit surprised that the Slate doesn’t even have AWD as an option. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/220 "2026-06-26T15:38:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I hope they’re not basing their entire profit margin on the upsells, because a lot of folks are going to go that route. Are you missing a word here? Or did you mean (ref your prior paragraph) that lots of people will buy aftermarket or homebrew mods and therefore not the factory mods? For most mainstream cars & trucks there’s a decent mix of aftermarket and factory options. For sure with a new model, or especially make, it takes time for the aftermarket to develop; the first couple of years are all factory. Which gives them a decent head start if they’re inclined to press their advantage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563.md?page=12)