- Slate’s electric pickup starts at $24,950 before fees and taxes.
- Projected range has increased to 205 miles on the standard battery.
- First customer deliveries are scheduled to begin in late 2026.
For months, Slate has been promising an affordable new truck. Now, the Jeff Bezos-backed startup has finally put real numbers behind that promise. The company announced today that its all-electric pickup will start at $24,950 before taxes, fees, destination charges, or optional equipment, while also revealing better-than-expected range figures. The order books are now open, and we’re all going to find out just how much of an appetite America has for a stripped-down EV.
According to Slate, customers can now place a preorder with a $300 non-refundable deposit to secure a delivery window. The startup says buyers don’t need to choose accessories or configurations immediately. A key part of its strategy is to sell a basic vehicle first and upsell customization later.
The biggest surprise might be the range. Slate originally projected lower figures, but now says the standard battery pack should deliver 205 miles (330 km) of range. That’s not class-leading by any stretch, but it’s more than many expected from a vehicle targeting such a low price point. Beyond that, the formula sounds as though it’s unchanged from its original debut.
More: Carvana May Have A Foot In Bezos’s Slate Auto Already
The truck itself remains intentionally simple. It’s a two-seat electric pickup with a projected towing capacity of up to 2,000 pounds (907 kg). Power windows, a conventional infotainment system, and plenty of the equipment buyers now treat as standard, a key fob among them, appear to be missing from all three body styles on the official configurator: the Blank State pickup, the Squareback SUV, and the Fastback SUV.
Instead, Slate is betting that customers would rather buy a basic truck and add features over time than finance a vehicle loaded with equipment they may never use.
That philosophy extends beyond the pickup itself. Slate also confirmed that both of its SUV conversion variants, known as the Squareback and Fastback, will start at $29,950 and $31,950 respectively. The timing here is key because when Slate first announced its plans, the federal EV tax credit would’ve offered up to $7,500 off. When that ended, pricing was the big question. Now, with the pricing announced, the real challenge begins.
The company reportedly has around 180,000 reservations, but converting inexpensive reservation holders into actual buyers is a very different test. If Slate succeeds, it could prove that affordability matters more than horsepower, touchscreen size, or even battery range. If it fails, it’ll be another reminder that building a cheap vehicle is often harder than building an expensive one.
