EVwire brief: Slate Auto has opened preorders for its bare-bones electric pickup and revealed the starting price the startup had kept under wraps: $24,950 for the base truck, which it calls the Blank Slate.
Two SUV body styles start higher, the Squareback starts at $29,950 and the Fastback starts at $31,950. First deliveries are due in Q4 2026, and the prices exclude taxes, fees, and any options.
At $24,950, the Blank Slate is the cheapest new EV, and the cheapest new pickup, on sale in the U.S., landing at roughly half the country's average new-car price. The trade-off is what is left out: no paint options, no touchscreen, and hand-crank windows.
“More than 180,000 reservation holders have told us they're ready for a vehicle that's affordable, reliable, and built around their lives.”
The stripped-down nature of the truck is the setup. Slate is betting buyers will spend on personalization, and it has built a marketplace of more than 200 accessories, over 80% of them under $500, including roof racks, speakers, zip-off seat covers, and light covers.
Paint options are replaced by wraps in over 100 launch colors, or any custom shade, with full wraps starting under $500 and premium "Signature" wraps running higher.
The Blank Slate ships in slate gray paint and stripped down, by design. Personalizing it is the whole business model.
Details:
The full spec sheet, per Slate. All figures are manufacturer estimates.
Powertrain and performance
Motor: single rear motor, rear-wheel drive
Battery: 65 kWh pack, 63 kWh usable, LFP
Output: 135 kW (181 hp), 264 Nm (195 lb-ft)
0-60 mph: 8.0 seconds (est.); top speed: 90 mph (145 km/h)
Range, pickup: 205 miles (330 km)
Charging
Onboard charger: 11 kW, NACS
Level 2 AC (11 kW): 20-100% in 4 hours
Level 3 DC (120 kW): 20-80% in 30 minutes
Capability and weights
Max towing: 2,000 lbs (pickup) / 1,824 lbs (SUV)
Max payload: 1,550 lbs (pickup) / 1,263 lbs (SUV)
Curb weight: 4,048 lbs (pickup) / 4,335 lbs (SUV)
GVWR: 5,689 lbs
Dimensions and volumes
Length: 174.6 in; wheelbase: 108.9 in
Ground clearance: 7.8 in (pickup) / 7.6 in (SUV)
Bed length: 60.5 in, or 80.7 in with the tailgate down
Interior volume: 49.8 cu ft (pickup) / 80.5 cu ft (SUV)
Frunk: 7.0 cu ft; SUV cargo: 34.0 cu ft behind the seats, 58.4 cu ft with seats folded
Chassis
Front suspension: MacPherson strut; rear: De Dion axle with coil springs
Wheels and tires: 17 x 7-inch steel, 245/65R17
Turning circle: 37 ft
Warranty and availability
Warranty: 10 years / 110,000 miles, battery and powertrain
First deliveries: Q4 2026
Here's Sawyer Merritt's full breakdown on X:
Context:
Slate Auto is a U.S. EV startup backed by Jeff Bezos, founded in 2022 and selling straight to customers with no dealerships. More than 180,000 people have put down reservations, and preorders now run on a $300 non-refundable deposit, or $250 for those who already paid the earlier $50 reservation fee.
The price tells its own story about the past year. Slate first pitched the truck at under $20,000 after the federal EV tax credit, but the Trump administration scrapped the $7,500 credit in 2025. Rather than pass that gap to buyers, Slate held its price in the mid-twenties and raised the base range from 150 to 205 miles, keeping the value case intact.
Slate’s Fastback SUV build starts at $31,950.
The positioning is sharp. The Blank Slate undercuts Ford's planned electric pickup, expected near $30,000 in 2027, by about $5,000, and the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt are just about the only other EVs anywhere near this price. The question, of course, is whether a no-frills, crank-window truck is too spare for buyers who now expect power windows and a screen as standard.
Details: Slate Auto
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