# 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:** 5
**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:** [April 28, 2025, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/81 "2025-04-28T20:51:37Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Unless it supports ultra-fast charging, and there’s one in Kayenta. There is! It should be able to use the Tesla supercharger network, and it looks like there is one on US 160 at Kayenta. However, it does not charge fast. They say 30 minutes from 20-80%. Assuming that applies to the small battery, then estimate a 30 minute stop for every 90 miles of driving. Probably manageable on the rare day you need to drive 200 miles (one long charging stop, get home near empty), but that would be pretty painful for a road trip. So, as mentioned in every thread about EVs, this cannot possibly be all things to all owners in all use cases. I can see this being a fantastic light duty work truck, second car, or daily commuter and weekend hauler. It will not pull your horse trailer, take you 600 miles without a break, or go rock crawling. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2025, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/82 "2025-04-28T21:17:45Z")
Jay Leno’s Garage review of the Telo MT1 (39 min) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw250Va1JFo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw250Va1JFo) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2025, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/83 "2025-04-28T21:23:27Z")
I think it’s kinda cute as a pickup. As an SUV, it’s too boxy-looking. ---
**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 28, 2025, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/84 "2025-04-28T22:20:48Z")
And that’s exactly why I won’t buy a vehicle w/o a radio. I’m not using up my data plan when I can get music for free via antenna. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2025, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/85 "2025-04-28T22:45:57Z")
Well, my first vehicle was a '65 Ford pickup with no radio. Someone had installed a “oh shit” grab handle in the dash. I just hung a radio off of that with a piece of wire. My fourth or fifth car was a '69 Cougar that had been relieved of its radio. I just sat a boom box in between the front seats. Radios are cheap! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2025, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/86 "2025-04-28T22:46:47Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Remember folks, wraps are not nearly as good as paint. Which leads me to question, how do those plastic body panels hold up when someone scrapes the side of your truck in a parking lot? Will they scratch? Will there be a gouge where a metal body panel could be fixed? ---
**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:** [April 28, 2025, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/87 "2025-04-28T22:48:58Z")
I’d hope they’d be flexible like the ones on a Saturn were. You could beat them with a bat, and they’d pop back into place. Scuffs? Ha! It’s a pickup. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/88 "2025-04-28T22:53:48Z")
I’d also like to know if there’s some reason you can’t just paint the sucker. 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2025, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/89 "2025-04-28T23:31:22Z")
I would think scratched plastic would at least be the same color underneath, unlike scratched paint on metal. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/90 "2025-04-28T23:36:52Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > how do those plastic body panels hold up when someone scrapes the side of your truck in a parking lot? Will they scratch? Will there be a gouge where a metal body panel could be fixed? They claim to be a dent resistant composite, so yeah, @scabpicker , probably like the Saturn. My hope, from looking at it, is that if there is a gouge or crack you unbolt the old panel and bolt a new one into place. If the panels are in the $250 range (who knows?) then that would make minor body repairs incredibly cheap. If you flip through the photos at [Motor Trend](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2027-slate-truck-electric-first-look-review/photos) (it won’t let me embed the pictures) the one showing the charge port is the best closeup of the bolt holding the panels in place, and there is a pictures of panels off the truck showing wrap colors. No need to paint match, and if removal is easy enough certain people with no understanding of right and wrong might just swap their damaged panel with a fresh one from an unattended vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/91 "2025-04-29T00:44:22Z")
You can put _ **weeks** _ of music on a USB flash drive. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/92 "2025-04-29T01:29:14Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > If you flip through the photos at [Motor Trend](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2027-slate-truck-electric-first-look-review/photos) Where are the cup holders??? Don’t tell me a cup holder is optional. This will not stand! ---
**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:** [April 29, 2025, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/93 "2025-04-29T01:44:59Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > You can get a new Maverick for $24k, that’s with 4 doors, room for 5, equal payload, power windows, A/C, and stereo standard. If the Slate was available it might make a difference to me, but since it’s not and I need utility vehicle now I’m probably buying a Maverick in the next couple of weeks. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/94 "2025-04-29T01:59:12Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > You can get a new Maverick for $24k, that’s with 4 doors, room for 5, equal payload, power windows, A/C, and stereo standard. Send me the dealer’s name and address. I can’t find one for less than $30k near me and that doesn’t include the title, tax, and bs charges. ---
**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:** [April 29, 2025, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/95 "2025-04-29T02:11:26Z")
> [@dougrb](#): > > Jay Leno’s Garage review of the Telo MT1 (39 min) > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw250Va1JFo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw250Va1JFo) Thanks for the link, very informative and a lot of clever stuff in it, but starting at over $40K, probably closer to $50K? Yeah, I can’t park in front of my favorite SF restaurant either, but I think walking a couple of blocks is better for me than paying twice as much for my vehicle. And it still won’t make an SUV. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/96 "2025-04-29T02:32:17Z")
We need a light truck like the old Ford Rangers but this would sell better as an EV hybrid. Do away with the transmission interface and use a 50 hp generator as the ICE engine for long distance traveling. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/97 "2025-04-29T11:48:52Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > You can put _ **weeks** _ of music on a USB flash drive. But then you need some radio interface in the car to plug that USB into. Sansa stopped making their MP3 players at least a year ago; does anyone else even sell new MP3 players anymore? ---
**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 29, 2025, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/98 "2025-04-29T11:57:09Z")
[https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mp3+player+with+bluetooth&crid=2Z7BGL4OJZ28A&sprefix=mp3%2Caps%2C228&ref=nb\_sb\_ss\_p13n-pd-dpltr-ranker\_2\_3](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mp3+player+with+bluetooth&crid=2Z7BGL4OJZ28A&sprefix=mp3%2Caps%2C228&ref=nb_sb_ss_p13n-pd-dpltr-ranker_2_3) Look like there are. I didn’t look at the specific configurations. ---
**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:** [April 29, 2025, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/99 "2025-04-29T11:58:02Z")
I could look for the little transistor radio I used to keep in a car with a broken radio. If I can find it you’re welcome to it. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563/100 "2025-04-29T13:08:54Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Look like there are. I didn’t look at the specific configurations. Are they new from a manufacturer/retailer or are they a third-party reseller selling NOS (new old stock) that they’ve been sitting on for some time? > [@TriPolar](#): > > I could look for the little transistor radio I used to keep in a car with a broken radio. If I can find it you’re welcome to it. - I’m not looking for a pickup - I’m not looking for a vehicle with such limited internal storage. Try going away for even a weekend with some rain in the forecast; you’re not going to want your overnight bag in the bed. Nope, they’re going to be on the seat, jammed between the two of you. I’ve been there & done that & will only do that for a small convertible which is at least fun to drive. - I’m not looking for a vehicle with such extremely limited range. Given this is the only (proposed) vehicle that doesn’t have a radio it’s not a concern for whatever new vehicle I may look at at some point. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-a-new-no-frills-electric-pickup-truck-for-20-000/1017563.md?page=6)