This electric truck could be the cheapest EV in America
There’s a brand new electric car in the American market
and it’s changing things where it counts most: price. Startup Slate is launching the Slate Truck for $25,000, an electric vehicle that’s built to be customized and used in real life. Forget premium gimmicks – this truck offers hand-cranked windows, a barebones dash, and a modular platform so adaptable that you can even transform it into an SUV with a DIY accessory kit.Michigan-based EV startup Slate has been operating in secret for a few years now, attracting funding from Amazon
chief Jeff Bezos and many other wealthy investors. Amazon, which Bezos founded, was instrumental in the launch Rivian by investing $700 million in the fledgling automaker. Slate’s low-cost, bottom-up approach to launching the brand is a novel idea, especially in a world of expensive flagship models that are then scaled down to more affordable versions.
The Slate truck could be the cheapest EV next year
The Slate Truck, a small pickup truck, is quite surprising. The little EV measures 174.6 inches bumper-to-bumper with a 108.9 inch wheelbase. It is 21 inches shorter from bumper-to bumper than the Hyundai Santa Cruz or 25 inches smaller than Ford Maverick – the smallest pickup truck you can currently buy in the US. State’s pickup (at least its standard configuration) is a two-seater single-cab, unlike the four-door crew-cab trucks.
Despite the Slate’s smaller size, its standard 4-foot bed compares favorably with Ford’s 4.5-footer and Hyundai’s 4-footer. The EV also has a “frunk”, a storage area of 7 cubic feet, under the hood. The little Truck’s 1,433-pound payload is comparable to other compact pickups, and it should be a good runabout if you have errands involving small hauling. However, its 1,000-pound towing capacity is significantly lower than its combustion-powered competitors.
Minimal, customizable
The small size is part of how Slate expects to keep the Truck’s price “under $20,000 after federal incentives,” but the brand’s minimal approach to features, bells and whistles is the bulk of how it keeps costs low. The EV appears to only come in one color, flat gray. Customers are encouraged wrap the Slate Truck with any color or livery that tickles their fancy. The Truck has basic 17-inch steel wheel arches and exposed body panels.
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The spartan interior uses your phone for infotainment and your muscle power to hand-crank the windows.SlateInside, rather than the massive touchscreens found in most modern cars, the Slate Truck features a basic digital instrument cluster and a universal phone mount with USB power. Why spend money on a large screen when most drivers use their phone for navigation, media and calls anyway? It’s not completely low-tech. When it launches, the Slate Truck is expected to have driver assistance and safety features such as active emergency braking, forward collision warning, and hand-cranked window. Slate’s electric truck is designed to be a basic, bare-bones vehicle. It also keeps the price low. DIY SUV kitPerhaps, the most intriguing accessory is the SUV kit which allows owners to convert the two-seater pickup into a 5-seat SUV. The SUV kit is flat-packed, like Ikea furniture. It can be installed by a Slate service centre, a mechanic or even in your own driveway. It includes a rear occupant roll cage and airbags, as well as rear seats. If it’s quick, being able to flip between the two configurations depending on the week’s needs — a pickup truck for weekend yardwork and an SUV for hitting the town with family — sounds very intriguing.Modest performance
The modestly sized pickup will be outfitted with an equally modest electric powertrain, sporting numbers that aren’t super impressive on paper, but which should be more than adequate for many drivers’ basic needs.
A 150-kilowatt (201 horsepower) motor twists the rear wheels with 195 pound-feet of torque. Its estimated 0-to-60-mph sprint time of 8 seconds and top speed of 90 mph means it will not be a neck-snapper but still provide decent performance when commuting or running errands. The EV is powered by a standard battery of 52.7 kilowatt hours that can go up to 150 miles without recharging. Slate will offer a 84.3-kWh battery accessory that targets 240 mile range. Slate’s description of the larger battery as “accessory”, however, seems to suggest that it could be upgraded or swapped after purchase. This is an interesting proposition, if accurate.
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I’m still tempted to put down $50 for one.
Slate
When it comes time to recharge, users will plug into the Slate Truck’s
NACS charging port
Slate
When it’s time to recharge, users will plug into the Slate Truck’s
NACS charging port
for around five hours with an 11kW Level 2 home charger. The EV can be charged from 20% to 80% in “under 30 mins” at a Tesla Supercharger or other DC fast charger via an adapter. The cheapest EV for America
Slate claims to build the Slate Truck in America at a reindustrialized plant likely near Indianapolis. The price has not been finalized but Slate expects it to be in the ballpark of $25,000 before federal tax incentives up to $7500. If true, this would make the Slate Truck the most affordable new EV available in America
