- Slate Auto will begin taking orders for its budget-focused EV on June 24.
- Startup still hasn’t revealed final pricing after losing the federal EV tax credit.
- More than 160,000 people have already placed refundable reservations.
For Slate Auto, it’s been a wild ride since its inception four years ago. Initially, it planned to bring an EV to market for less than $20,000. Then Donald Trump cancelled the $7,500 tax credit that made such a price feasible. Now, the company is about to open up order books on June 24, but there’s still something missing… the price buyers will have to actually pay.
Today, the electric vehicle startup backed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos sent an email to prospective buyers saying that preorders will begin in June. Specifically, they’ll open on June 24, and those who jump on board early will evidently get a “delivery window before non-reservers.”
More: Slate Auto Replaces CEO Just Months Before Launching $25K–$30K EV
That date is about a month away as of this writing, and there’s still no official base price for the small electric pickup truck. The number is apparently dropping the same day orders open. For now, Slate only says the truck will start somewhere in the “mid-$20,000” range.
If not knowing the price was one hurdle for hand-raisers, the preordering and reservation process might be another. According to a post on Slateforums, on June 24, those with an existing reservation will have an assigned delivery window and a link to finish their preorder.
Customers will need to pay a $300 non-refundable deposit (minus their $50 reservation fee if they have one already). Those with a reservation have 30 days starting on the 24th to submit their deposit. Slate evidently has over 160,000 reservation holders.
Photos Slate
If those 30 days pass, they can still preorder, but their delivery window will shift further back in the queue. Importantly, the deposit will go toward the final price of the vehicle. The email to customers claims that in the fall of this year, they’ll have the option to pick their wrap and accessories, select financing, finalize the purchase, and then choose how they’d like to take delivery of their Slate.
Read: Slate’s New Electric Truck Is So Basic Even The Repair Network Is DIY
Keep in mind that even for those who do make a reservation and follow through on the preorder, they’ll have to wait to get delivery until mid-2027. Between now and then, Slate says it’ll offer customers the chance to see the vehicle up close, but there’s no word on exactly how that’ll take place or where those locations will be. Hopefully, the preorder rollout answers the bevvy of questions piling up.
