# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/21 "2025-04-27T17:57:55Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > 150 miles battery range seems low. It’s comparable to the range for the lowest-priced EV currently sold in the U.S., the Nissan Leaf. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/22 "2025-04-27T18:00:26Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > It’s comparable to the range for the lowest-priced EV currently sold in the U.S Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/23 "2025-04-27T18:02:06Z")
BTW am I the only one who initially thought the OP was about a story on the Slate magazine website? ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/24 "2025-04-27T18:22:20Z")
No radio? Eff that. I’d go mad driving around without something to listen to. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/25 "2025-04-27T18:24:00Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > No radio? You can get one, just not for that price. (It might well mean that there’s a spot on the dash for a radio, but you’d have to go to a car audio shop to buy one and have it installed.) ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/26 "2025-04-27T18:39:37Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > It’s comparable to the range for the lowest-priced EV currently sold in the U.S., the Nissan Leaf. For reference, according to The Google, > The base price for the 2025 Nissan Leaf in the USA is $29,280 for the S trim. This price does not include the federal EV tax credit of $3,750, which would reduce the price to $25,530. The amount of tax credit depends on various component requirements and can be $3,750 or $7,500. The range of the Leaf is 149 or 212 miles depending on the battery option. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/27 "2025-04-27T18:42:53Z")
> [@susan](#): > > If I can go back to hauling my own rocks, soil, and mulch rather than buying bags or having them dumped, I’ll be a happy cat. I miss my tiny Tacoma (whose only amenity was the radio), but it got low mileage compared to the 2008 Versa hatchback with which I replaced it (still low mileage, but better). Still driving the Versa, dinged up but functioning well. A U-Haul isn’t far from me. I’ve slapped a tow hitch onto my cars for the last 25 years, and anytime I need to haul something I get one of their trailers. Renting them is cheap, less than $20 a day, and of course there’s no mileage charge on a trailer. Even a 2008 Versa can tow a small trailer, as long as you’re very careful and have a healthy respect for the mass in the load. My first car was not rated to tow anything but I ended up towing a lot of things with it. In the internet they sell tow hitches for just about every vehicle. You are almost always in control of how fast you need to accelerate, but less so in how fast you might need to brake. Drive accordingly, and defensively, and you should be fine. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/28 "2025-04-27T18:44:08Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > No radio? Eff that. I’d go mad driving around without something to listen to. Just bring your phone. And maybe also a cheap Bluetooth rechargeable speaker. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/29 "2025-04-27T18:51:54Z")
I wish this were a more common business model. But it almost always seems to be the opposite - sell to high-end customers first and then the prices come down. Hoping this is successful and catches on. I’d much rather buy a bare bones vehicle and add only the options I want. And I can live just fine without power windows. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/30 "2025-04-27T18:52:03Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > > > No radio? > > You can get one, just not for that price. How retro! I dimly recall a time when the base model of a typical car would have a space in the dash for an optional radio that was covered by a pop-out piece of plastic. This was long before I was old enough to own a car and don’t recall seeing such a thing since. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/31 "2025-04-27T18:55:27Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Still I believe the starting price is $20,000. Just to be clear on this, it appears that the starting price is $20K **after** the $7,500 federal tax credit. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/32 "2025-04-27T19:03:22Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Just bring your phone. And maybe also a cheap Bluetooth rechargeable speaker. Yeah, it comes with a mount for your phone with an optional mount for a soundbar. Or you could just set a bluetooth speaker somewhere in the truck. You could go as simple or high-end as you’d like for your sound system. I think over-the-air radio will eventually go the way of the do-do in vehicles. My kids never listen to it. They’ve grown up on either Sirius or streaming apps in the car. As they come of age to drive, I imagine they’ll stick with those options. They’ll hook their phone up and listen to what they want (I as do). I’ve come to hate over-the-air radio myself, rarely listen to it (except for listening to sporting events). ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/33 "2025-04-27T19:12:43Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I think over-the-air radio will eventually go the way of the do-do in vehicles. My kids never listen to it. They’ve grown up on either Sirius or streaming apps in the car. As they come of age to drive, I imagine they’ll stick with those options. They’ll hook their phone up and listen to what they want (I as do). I’ve come to hate over-the-air radio myself, rarely listen to it (except for listening to sporting events). Depends where you live. I’m in Canada and totally devoted to over-the-air commercial-free CBC Radio, not for the music but for the conversations and documentaries. CBC Radio provides coast-to-coast national coverage and it’s a national treasure. When I rented a fancy-pants car recently with one of those gigantic newfangled touch screens, I had to sit there poking at the stupid newfangled touch screen until I could figure out how to tune CBC Radio One on the stupid thing. Can’t drive without my CBC! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/34 "2025-04-27T19:14:55Z")
I assume CBC Radio has a smartphone app through which you could listen? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/35 "2025-04-27T19:19:47Z")
I hate to break it to you: Someday you (and our generation that grew up attached to car radios) will die. 🙂 Future generations may not care as much and will have grown up listening to their phones in the car. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2025, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/36 "2025-04-27T19:22:29Z")
I’m pretty sure they do. But don’t get me started about fucking “apps”! I’ve ranted about them enough in another thread. “Apps” are fundamentally anti-consumer. The elimination of car radios is anti-consumer. There’s nothing wrong with having a goddam radio with knobs and buttons in a car! > [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I hate to break it to you: Someday you (and our generation that grew up attached to car radios) will die. My current plan is to be immortal, and continuing indefinitely to condemn newfangled crap! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/37 "2025-04-27T19:23:12Z")
In theory, the 149-mile range Nissan Leaf is better equipped for not-too-much more. I said “in theory” because the cheapest Leaf in stock at my local Nissan dealer is about $38,000. No idea if you can actually pay only $25,000 for a Leaf even with the federal tax credits. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/38 "2025-04-27T19:23:55Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > My current plan is to be immortal, and continuing indefinitely to condemn newfangled crap! I do wish you the best of luck! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/39 "2025-04-27T20:54:30Z")
It’s a good idea. There’s no way I could get a car with a trailer where I need it to unload. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/40 "2025-04-27T21:24:32Z")
I’ve seen rental trucks outside Home Depot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563.md?page=3)