Automotive
There’s a new player in the EV game, and it’s coming in hot — or more accurately, cheap. Just two weeks after unveiling its ultra-affordable electric pickup, a little-known company named Slate has announced a staggering 100,000 reservations for the vehicle. That’s right, a truck that was virtually unheard of a month ago now has more hands raised for it than many legacy automakers see in a year.
So what’s all the fuss about? Slate’s electric truck is built on a very different idea of what an EV should be. It’s small, modular, and stripped down to the basics — with a starting price under $20,000 after federal incentives. In an era where most electric pickups easily cross the $50K line, that kind of sticker shock (in a good way) has people paying attention.
The truck is a refreshingly bare-bones machine. You can think of it as a spiritual successor to the kind of practical vehicles we used to admire for being just enough to get the job done. Plastic body panels, minimalist construction, no costly gigacast components, and a hyper-modular design where almost everything is optional. That includes, incredibly, the speakers.
This radical affordability-first approach is earning both praise and raised eyebrows. Critics argue that stripping away too much undermines the appeal, while others say this is exactly what the EV market needs — a back-to-basics workhorse that’s actually attainable. The Ford Maverick Hybrid originally launched with a similar budget-friendly ethos, and while it was a hit, its price has steadily crept upward. Now, the Slate pickup slots in not only as one of the cheapest pickups available, but also among the lowest-priced EVs of any kind.
The $50 reservation fee helped Slate net about $5 million in early interest, though the deposits are fully refundable. So it’s fair to question how many of these will convert into actual sales. Just look at Tesla’s Cybertruck — more than two million reservations were claimed at its peak, but many are now sitting unsold as inventory builds up. Slate isn’t immune to that reality, but 100,000 potential buyers is still a powerful message to investors and rivals alike.
Adding intrigue is the fact that Slate is backed by some serious capital, including a private firm tied to Jeff Bezos. Combine that with a lean manufacturing plan and a targeted production capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year by 2027 at a facility in Indiana, and this startup is clearly aiming to scale — not just hype.
Beyond the buzz, Slate’s truck may also help spark a broader conversation about where EVs are headed. The focus for years has been on premium features and long ranges, but many consumers just want something simple, affordable, and electric. As battery technology becomes more energy-dense, more durable, and potentially cheaper thanks to innovations like solid-state chemistry and simplified vehicle platforms, companies like Slate might have the timing just right.
Of course, execution will be everything. The EV world has seen plenty of upstarts flame out before delivering a single vehicle. But Slate seems to understand the assignment — and for now, it’s doing something few others are: offering a no-nonsense, sub-$20K electric truck that enough people clearly want.
If Slate can convert those 100,000 reservations into real production and prove its concept at scale, this may be the beginning of a new chapter in the EV story — one that doesn’t start at fifty grand.
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