Bezos-backed Slate Auto reveals its new customizable $20,000 EV [Truck]

Fast Company ^ | April 24, 2025 | Kristin Toussaint

[piasa]

I like the concept ...if it wasn’t electric.

[heartwood]

Crank windows. Yes.

[Secret Agent Man]

I am not at the moment enamored by its looks or size.

Plus, only 2-door? Nowadays?

Its like the smaller Bronco II, but even smaller than that.

[cpdiii]

My wife’s Nissan Rouge will give me about 35 miles per gallon efficiency and is not electric. My Ram 1500 will go 500 miles at 19.5 miles per gallon and is not electric. That is both combined city and open road. I would never consider an electric vehicle for long trips due to recharge times and costs. Oddly if I had a daily commute to work of less than fifty miles and a vehicle that could fully recharge on my home 220 voltage it might be logical.

[SmokingJoe]

Bezos has gone after Musk in Space and in EVs and lost every time.
Blue Origin has yet to put any human or satellite in orbit, even as Musk's SpaceX has put over 7,000 sateites into orbit and regularly puts astronauts into the Space station in orbit.
Bezos has Kuiper which is supposed to take on Musk's Starlink. That is not even going to be a real fight. Musk will crush them with one hand tied behind his back.
In EV’s Bezos backed Rivian by putting $700 million into Rivian in 2019.
Needless to say Tesla is crushing Rivian too in sales, profis, market cap etc. This new Bezos EV company will get nowhere. EVs have too much competition.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

In five years, it will still be making suborbital flights to the end of the street and back. Another five years and it will make orbital flights around the block.

[Nachoman]

It looks like offspring of Yugo and a Cyber Truck.

[stylin19a]

can’t tell us the real price ? gutless...

[Mogger]

The first EV I might buy.

Composite panels so won't rust and in the winter. I seldom drive over 50 miles round trip in the winter anyway.

I hope it can tow my 1800 pound snowmobile trailer and snowmobile 20 to 100 miles round trip.

That will save my Excursion and Jeep with less rust to drive in the non salt months.

I already don't drive my Unimogs in the salt.

[O6ret]

$20K? I doubt it.
How many waivers will it need to meet safety standards?
With gas below $2 by ‘26 who will buy it?

[digger48]

Still might be a market for something that size

[Ciaphas Cain]

Looks like a transformed toy Autobot.

[EnderWiggin1970]

Trump/Congress need to cut the subsidies, this is ridiculous. Paging DOGE...

[aquila48]

“Oddly if I had a daily commute to work of less than fifty miles and a vehicle that could fully recharge on my home 220 voltage it might be logical.”

That’s the definition of a plug-in hybrid.

Check them out - you’ll like it.

[lefty-lie-spy]

Hmmmm….
“Slate Auto will build a factory somewhere…”

[fella]

If it works as good as his space ships last flight . . .

[Bullish]

A truck bed that short and small is almost useless, why even call it a truck when it won’t be ‘trucking’ much of anything?

[UnwashedPeasant]

Also available in SUV configuration.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

#3: "Crank windows. Yes."

I hear you! 👍