Summary
- The Slate Truck promised to be an affordable, customizable, and basic electric pickup for under $20,000, but the EV tax incentive expires in September.
- Despite being bare-bones, the Slate comes with essential safety features and the option to customize with add-ons such as a larger battery or SUV kit.
- The Slate faces competition from the Ford Maverick, which offers a small hybrid truck with more features, capacities, and practicality for a similar price.
There was some excitement in April when the Slate Truck was announced. This bare-bones electric pickup truck would come in under $20,000 after the EV tax incentive was taken into account. This would have made it not only the cheapest EV by far, but one of the cheapest vehicles in the US.
The name Slate referred to the blank slate you will get at that price. The blank Slate meant you got an unpainted two-seater pickup, with roll-up windows, no sound system, no screen, no radio. You could drive it as is, which appealed to many, or modify it as you want — even turn it into a five-seat SUV should you choose. You weren’t forced to pay for features you did not particularly need, but if you added just this and that, could have a cool electric truck for, say, $23K. A lot of people like that idea very much.
But now the tax break will fall away at the end of September, leaving this pickup as a much more expensive blank Slate. At $27,000, the Slate will start butting heads with the $28,145 Ford Maverick, also a small pickup, but with a very efficient hybrid engine, five seats, and all the features you did not want to pay for in the Slate thrown in.
Related
Meet Slate’s $20,000 electric truck that can morph into an SUV
Slate, a new American EV startup, has revealed its affordable compact electric pickup truck.
Slate overview
Some facts, a lot of conjecture
It’s difficult to compare the Slate and the Ford Maverick. They are both small pickups with similar entry-level pricing. That is the sum total of what they have in common. The Slate is only due to launch in 2027, although you can reserve one now for $50.
The basic Slate
This is a very basic two-seat pickup with a 47 kWh battery and a 201 hp motor driving the rear wheels. The battery range is estimated at 150 miles. It comes with NACS and DC fast charging.
Even though the Slate Truck is seriously basic, it does come with pretty decent safety features, including:
- Traction control
- Electronic stability control
- Automatic emergency braking
- Good front and side airbags
- Backup camera
- Pedestrian ID
- Forward collision warning
- Auto high beam
Instead of an infotainment screen and speakers, the Slate has a mount that can hold a phone or tablet and space to fit a Bluetooth speaker. Apparently, heating and air conditioning are standard though.
Add-ons
One of the main selling points of the Slate is that you buy the basic truck and then add what you want. You can wrap it in any color you want, turn it into an SUV with seats in the back, add fancy rims, a bigger battery for a longer range, and so on.
The bigger battery is a practical option, and the SUV conversion will be a popular choice, but these will add to the price that’s already under pressure. The only option with a preliminary price is the wrapping, starting at $500.
The bigger 75 kWh battery will give you a range of 240 miles, but will add about 300 lbs to the weight of the truck, making it slower. But the biggest cost in an EV is the battery, and this and the cost of the SUV kit could push the Slate into pricing territory where it will compete head-on with quite serious EVs like the Chevy Equinox.
Related
This budget pickup hauls, hustles, and is actually affordable
US drivers love pickup trucks, but they tend to be expensive. If you need a truck for work or play, on a budget, here is your best bet.
Maverick overview
The only small hybrid truck
The Ford Maverick is a small pickup with a crew cab that seats five. It’s available in a range of trims, with engine options of FWD or AWD. The XL is the basic model that competes with the Slate in price and comes standard with a hybrid powertrain and FWD. The only other small pickup on the market is the Hyundai Santa Cruz, but that is only available with an ICE.
Maverick XL
The Maverick XL is a basic work truck compared to the more expensive trims. It has a 2.5L inline four and an electric motor that makes a combined 191 hp. The transmission is a CVT and drives the front wheels. It will get 42 MPG in the city and a range of 520 miles, compared to 22 MPG and a 412-mile range for the more powerful turbo-gas Maverick option, making the hybrid a no-brainer for everyday driving. The Slate does not yet give MPEe estimates, but it would be way beyond the ballpark of any hybrid vehicle.
XL Features
Despite being more of a work truck, the XL trim has a telescopic and height-adjustable steering wheel with audio controls, keyless entry like the Slate, and adjustable lumbar support for the front seats. The crew cab has a back seat and rear doors, although the space in the back is a bit snug.
The XL comes standard with a 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an onboard Wi-Fi hotspot. Optional extras include SiriusXM radio and a B&O Play sound system. The Maverick has all the standard safety features, as well as good driver assist features that include:
- Automated emergency braking
- Lane departure warning and lane keeping
- Adaptive cruise control
Pickup abilities
We buy trucks for work or lifestyle, or a bit of both. When you choose a pickup, rather than a crossover, there are a few truck-specific things to consider.
Slate | Maverick | |
Load bed length | 5 feet | 4.5 feet |
Payload | 1,400 lbs | 1,500 lbs |
Towing capacity | 1,000 lbs | 2000 lbs/4,000 lbs with kit |
The Slate has a 7-cu-ft frunk, which the Maverick does not. The Maverick can always carry five people and cargo in the load bed, while the Slate can carry two plus load bed, or five with no load bed.
Related
Why Ford’s CEO drove a Chinese EV for six months
Ford’s CEO loves driving a Chinese EV. Here is a look at why these EVs are not in the US, why they should be, and how this can happen.
Choosing a truck in a time of change
A lot can happen in a couple of years
Slate
The Slate was planned to launch at the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027. When it was conceived, the designers deliberately chose the more expensive nickel manganese cobalt batteries (NMC), instead of the more affordable LIthium Iron Phosphate (LFP) type becoming the norm with EVs. The reason was that NMC batteries were made in the US and were essential in qualifying for the tax rebate.
Now freed from that constraint, Slate could rejig their design to cut costs there. Both LG and Samsung are planning to produce LFP batteries in the US, and there are reports of other major players producing LFP batteries under license using Chinese battery leader CATL’s technology.
By the time Slate hits the market, these local suppliers and the general global fall in battery prices could well make this pickup more competitively priced. Another factor is that the Maverick is made in Mexico, and nobody knows if or how tariffs will affect its price. But if cheap EV batteries become readily available, there will be nothing stopping Ford from making an EV Maverick either.
