The electric truck market is increasingly tilting toward smaller and cheaper vehicles. Ford is preparing to reveal a cheaper skunkworks EV truck that is considerably smaller than its F-150 Lightning. Telo has its mini MT1 electric truck arriving later this year. And then there is the all-gray Slate, which is not only fully electric but wants to be America's most affordable truck.
With average new car prices in the US now starting above $50,000, Slate has made good on its promise and brought this electric truck to market for less than $25,000. It starts at $24,950, and you can preorder a Slate today for $300. For anyone who is an existing reservation holder and previously put down $50, the figure drops to $250.
More Bookings Than the Cybertruck?
The company says first deliveries are expected by the end of the year. Around 180,000 people have apparently already placed reservations, and if even half of them follow through, Slate will immediately outsell the Tesla Cybertruck in sheer volume.
What the Base Model Offers
The base trim is called the Blank Slate. It is a rear-wheel-drive, single-motor electric truck with a 65-kWh battery pack. Its range now stands at 205 miles, better than first stated and a welcome 37 percent bump. It carries a 2,000-pound tow rating, and payload has also nudged up to 1,550 pounds. Zero to 60 mph takes an unhurried 8 seconds, and top speed is a modest 90 mph. These are not class-leading numbers, but they should work for most people who actually use a truck as a truck.
The fastest the Slate can charge is DC 120 kW, which takes the battery from 20 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes. Plugging in at home, however, could take as long as 17 hours.
Frills Stripped Out to Hit the Price
To reach this rock-bottom price, the company has cut out everything non-essential. Started in 2022, it is partially backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. There is no touchscreen, just a clip to hold your smartphone. There is only one color, a gray tone molded straight into its composite body panels. Even the windows are wound by hand.
From Pickup to SUV
The truck can change its shape, though. Buyers can order it as a pickup or as one of two SUV body styles starting at $29,950: the Squareback or the Fastback. If you cannot decide at the outset, you can buy the pickup and convert it later.
Slate will sell more than 200 accessories for the truck, many of them apparently priced under $500, such as roof racks, stereos, and seat and light covers. A full vehicle color wrap also starts at under $500 and supposedly takes mere hours to apply. At launch, you will be able to pick from more than 100 hues to banish that gray.
Warranty and Repairs
The Slate's lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and powertrain come with a 10-year or 110,000-mile warranty. The parts count is apparently less than half that of a typical pickup, which should mean there is less to go wrong. If something does, owners can turn to Slate U, a DIY repair guide. The company has also partnered with more than 3,000 RepairPal shops nationwide.
While lifting the pickup's range from 150 to 205 miles makes it far more usable, that figure is based on Slate's own approximation of the EPA test cycle, not an official rating. The vehicle is still in preproduction, so these specifications could change.
Size and Space
Visually, the Slate stays true to the upright, square-edged look of classic two-seat American pickups. At 175 inches long, 71 inches wide, and 69 inches tall, it is smaller than a Ford Maverick. Yet it has a full 60-inch bed against the Maverick's 54 inches. Interior space is tight for a pickup, though, with 41.5 inches of front legroom and 40.4 inches of headroom. The SUV variants add a second row but leave rear passengers just 30.8 inches of legroom.
Where It Will Be Built
Clearly confident in the appeal of its bargain EV, the company will build the Slate at a reindustrialized factory in Warsaw, Indiana, where it plans to invest nearly $400 million in facilities.
Is There Still a Market for Cheap Cars?
New research from Edmunds, however, says less than 5 percent of new vehicles sold in 2025 cost $25,000 or less, and that figure is trending down. It was nearly 21 percent in 2019, though this may be because rising prices have simply reduced the number of vehicles available in this bracket.
Commenting on the Slate's pricing, Ivan Drury, Edmunds' director of insights, said: "Slate is making a $25,000 bet that drivers still want something simple. Our data shows the market walked away from that price years ago, so this is a real test of how much affordability still matters."
He added: "The base pricing is the headline, but the entry-level price point is paired with an unconventional build and a powertrain that is proven harder to sell today. The real question is whether the enticing price alone can overcome that."
