Slate Electric Truck Promised Budget Price Now Looks Higher

Slate kind of came out of nowhere last year with a very clear idea. A cheap electric truck, under $20k with incentives and no extra fluff. That alone was enough to get people paying attention fast. Since that first reveal, though, things have gone pretty quiet for the Slate electric truck.

The last real update came mid-April. They raised $650 million and say they’ve got over 160,000 reservations. Sounds big, but it’s a $50 fully refundable spot. We’ve seen numbers like this before that didn’t turn into real buyers.

What we do know hasn’t really changed. The base version runs a 52.7 kWh battery and a rear motor with about 200 hp. It does 0–60 in roughly 8 seconds and tops out at 90 mph. Nothing wild, but it’s not trying to be.

Range is the part that feels a bit tight. Around 241 km on the standard battery. There’s a bigger 84.3 kWh option that pushes it to 386 km, which sounds a lot more usable day to day. Charging looks fine. 20 to 80% in under 30 minutes on a 120 kW charger.

The whole truck is built around keeping things simple. Steel wheels. Crank windows. There's no built-in infotainment; you just use your phone. 

Safety basics are there. Emergency braking, forward collision warning, and up to eight airbags. So it’s stripped back, but not barebones in a bad way.

The interesting bit is how modular it is. They want you to treat it like a base platform. There’s a kit that turns it into an SUV with a rear seat and roll cage. Plus a ton of accessories and wraps. You can shape it into whatever you need, at least in theory.

Now the part that changes the mood: the price. With the tax credit gone, they’re now saying mid-$20k. That’s a big shift from the original pitch. Slate says June is when we’ll get the full picture. Final price, proper details, maybe something closer to production.