What is the Slate electric truck, and what does its prototype teach about cheaper EVs?

Slate's electric pickup deletes almost everything — crank windows, no radio, one trim, one color — to hit about $24,950. Ars Technica drove the prototype. Here is what the back-to-basics design teaches about EV prices, plus a buying checklist.

Most electric trucks keep getting bigger, heavier and more expensive. One startup is going the other way. Short answer: the Slate truck is a radically simple electric pickup — about $24,950 before destination charges, roughly $26,400 delivered — with one trim, one color, crank windows, no built-in radio, and your phone in a mount instead of a center screen.

Every deleted feature is cost, weight and wiring removed, and Ars Technica has now driven the prototype.Why it matters: EVs got pricey partly by piling on equipment. Slate's bet is that a small truck doing truck jobs — a 5-foot bed, a front trunk, a single 181-horsepower rear motor and a roughly 65 kWh LFP battery — can undercut everything else on price while owners bolt on accessories later, even an SUV conversion kit. First customer deliveries are expected in December 2026, built in Warsaw, Indiana.What the prototype teaches, plus a buying checklist:1.

Simplicity is the discount. Crank windows, manual seats and three physical climate dials are not nostalgia — they are hundreds of dollars, and dozens of failure points, deleted.2. Check the real price.

Add destination, the accessories you truly need (speakers, a screen mount) and home charging before comparing it with a discounted rival truck.3. Be honest about range. Slate claims about 205 miles, not yet EPA-rated.

That is plenty for local work and commuting, tight for regular road trips, and towing will cut it further.4. Use the modularity. The bolt-on accessory path means you can buy the cheap truck now and add the SUV kit or cargo gear only if your life actually changes.5.

Weigh startup risk. Slate is a brand-new company. Ask hard questions about warranty coverage, parts availability and where the truck gets serviced before putting money down.Pro tip: the LFP battery chemistry is part of how Slate hits its price — it is cheaper and longer-lived than nickel-based packs, and it tolerates being charged to 100 percent daily, which suits a work truck's routine.Ad’s take: I love the honesty of this thing — it does not pretend to be a luxury car.

If the reliability holds up, simple might be the smartest spec of all.