Truck guys have been clamoring for the last few years for a basic, affordable truck. We’ve even heard the cry to bring back crank windows and get rid of all the new-fangled tech. Well, Slate Auto, a new automotive company backed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, has heard you, and last night it introduced the Slate Truck, which is completely customizable and should have a starting price less than $20k.
The catch: It’s electric.
But it just might be cool enough (and basic enough) that die-hard, I-want-a-V8 truck guys might want it anyway. Here are the five most important things to know about the Slate Truck.
Slate Truck is smaller than Ford Maverick
The Slate Truck will be a regular cab pickup, which means it will only have two seats. Without a backseat, that makes the new pickup about 2 feet shorter than the Ford Maverick. However, the truck bed is going to be bigger than Maverick’s. Slate Auto’s preliminary specs state that it will have a 60-inch bed with the tailgate up, and it’ll be 81.6 inches with the tailgate down.
The smaller size, however, does bring some limitations. While the Slate Truck payload is on par with Maverick’s at 1,433 pounds, max towing will just be 1,000 pounds. Maverick, has base towing capability of 2,000 pounds and max towing (with the 4K Tow Package) of 4,000 pounds. As this is still early days, this is subject to change.
It will charge with NACS or wall jack
As most automakers have jumped onto the Tesla-backed North American Charging Standard (NACS), it should come as no surprise that the Slate Truck will have a NACS port. What we found interesting, however, is that it can charge from 20% to 100% in 11 hours using your wall outlet. For someone who doesn’t want to rewire their home or install a Level 2 charger, that’s a BFD*. Using a Tesla Supercharger, it will fast-charge to 80% at 120-kW in less than 30 minutes.
The base power pack is a 52.7-kWh battery with a 150 kW motor mounted to the rear wheels. It has a target range of 150 miles. A 84.3-kWh battery pack will be available with a targeted range of 240 miles.
Slate makes it, you build it
One of the most interesting things about the Slate Truck has to be the customizability. In fact, Slate Auto calls it a “Blank Slate.” It comes with steel wheels, crank windows and actual HVAC knobs. There will be more than 100 accessories available, and you can have it customized at the time of purchase or customize it yourself DIY-style along the way. The press release also states that the Slate Truck is designed to be wrapped, which will be ideal for businesses.
You can even turn the truck into a 5-passenger SUV with Slate Auto’s SUV Kit. It adds a roll cage, airbags and rear seat. And again, you can do it yourself or have it done for you.
As Slate CEO Chris Barman says in a press release: “Slate exists to put the power back in the hands of customers who have been ignored by the auto industry.”
BYOT
Don’t like big screens or lack of physical controls? Slate Auto has your back. This speaks directly to the heart of truck guys who think there’s too much tech in their trucks, as Slate Auto will let you “Bring Your Own Tech.” Instead of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, the Slate Truck will include a universal phone mount and USB power. However, if you want the tablet-like info screen, you can opt for that as well.
Made in America
As tariffs have taken the automotive world by storm, Slate Auto intends for the Slate Truck to be home grown, built at a reindustrialized factory in the U.S. While there won’t be dealerships, it will be direct-to-consumer like Tesla and Rivian, Slate Auto has said rather vaguely that you can take delivery “near” your home and “find service locations in your neighborhood.”
Production is slated (no pun intended) to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, which would likely make this a 2027 model with deliveries occurring in early 2027.
Our take on the Slate Truck
Color us intrigued. The Slate Truck is like a modern-day kit car. While some truck guys might be put off by the electric powertrain, we think the DIY nature and overall lack of tech might be appealing to those who want a second truck to use a kick-around vehicle. What do you think? For less than $20k, is this a yay or a nay? Reservations are open now for a refundable $50, is this something you’d consider?
*BFD = Big f*cking deal
Slate Truck photo gallery
Editor’s note: All photos on this page are courtesy of Slate Auto.
