With a Range Bump, the $25K Slate Is the Most Affordable EV Truck in the US
It almost seems like another lifetime when Ford announced its all-electric F-150 Lightning just over five years ago in May of 2021. The entry-level Pro
It almost seems like another lifetime when Ford announced its all-electric F-150 Lightning just over five years ago in May of 2021. The entry-level Pro trim launched just shy of $40,000, but the fully stacked Platinum crossed over $90,000. By December 2025, Ford pulled the plug. But far from giving up on electric trucks, now the automotive world looks like it's focusing on downsizing EV pickups. Ford is set to unveil its cheaper skunkworks EV truck, which is considerably smaller than the F-150 Lightning. Telo has its mini MT1 electric truck coming later this year. And then there is the all-gray Slate, which, as well as being all-electric, wants to be America's most affordable truck.
As average new car prices in the US now start at more than $50,000, Slate has—unlike some other US auto pledges—managed to make good on its promise and bring this electric truck to market for less than $25,000. With a starting price of $24,950, you can preorder a Slate today for $300 (or $250 if you're an existing reservation holder who previously put down $50). Courtesy of Slate First deliveries, Slate claims, are expected at the end of the year, and if only half of the 180,000 people who have apparently already placed reservations follow through, it will immediately be considerably more successful in volume than the ill-fated Tesla Cybertruck.
The base “Blank Slate” model is a rear-wheel-drive, single-motor electric truck with a 65-kWh battery pack, a better-than-initially-stated 205-mile range (a welcome 37 percent bump), and a 2,000-pound tow rating. Payload is also up a touch to 1,550 pounds. Zero to 60 mph is an unhurried 8 seconds, and top speed a modest 90 mph. No, these are not class-leading numbers, but they should work for most who actually use a truck as a truck. The fastest the Slate truck can charge is DC 120 kW, and that will see you go from 20 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes.
Plugging in at home could take as long as 17 hours. To hit that rock-bottom price, the company, started in 2022 and partially backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has decided to cut all frills: no touchscreen, just a clip for your smartphone; one color, a gray tone that’s molded into its composite body panels; manual window winders.
The BriefWire