The $20,000 American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, and no touchscreen

The Verge ^ | 26th April 2025 | Tim Stevens

[Cronos]

Meet the Slate Truck, a sub-$20,000 (after federal incentives) electric vehicle that enters production next year. It only seats two yet has a bed big enough to hold a sheet of plywood. It only does 150 miles on a charge, only comes in gray, and the only way to listen to music while driving is if you bring along your phone and a Bluetooth speaker. It is the bare minimum of what a modern car can be, and yet it’s taken three years of development to get to this point.

But this is more than bargain-basement motoring. Slate is presenting its truck as minimalist design with DIY purpose, an attempt to not just go cheap but to create a new category of vehicle with a huge focus on personalization. That design also enables a low-cost approach to manufacturing that has caught the eye of major investors, reportedly including Jeff Bezos. It’s been engineered and will be manufactured in America, but is this extreme simplification too much for American consumers?

[Omnivore-Dan]

We have a 2012 Chevy Sonic with a 1.4 turbocharged 4 banger. It has 196k miles on the odometer and still runs strong. We also have a ‘23 Buick Encore with the same engine + 10 more hp. I am also amazed at how much power these engines can put out. A 1.4 litre engine is around 90 cubic inches. There are motor cycles with larger engines! A 90 ci. engine putting out 160 hp is proportionately more than a 1970 426 ci. Hemi, rated at 435 hp. at the time, but putting out about an honest 500 hp.

[Tell It Right]

Have you gone to https://tsi.tyconsystems.com/html/nrel_lookup.htm or a similar tool to see how many peak solar hours you get per day, and how that changes each month? That tool was spot on for my area of Alabama. I was able to use those peak solar hour numbers for calculating how much solar kW I'd need to meet my goals.

[Tell It Right]

Kudos on the geothermal heating and cooling. If I may ask, how much did it cost?

[unread]

At twenty grand it’s a rip-off..!

[Omnivore-Dan]

We get less solar exposure than you being farther north, but I’m mainly interested in powering the house for a few days, maybe a bit longer during power outages.

[RckyRaCoCo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMkCAfc_bT4

[jagusafr]

Exactly. This is what pick up trucks used to be before they all got so pimped out and fancy that their owners wouldn’t think of actually putting bricks or lumber in the back.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Perfect for Sheryl Crow to haul her sheet of TP around in the back.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

America wants an S10 or a Ranger with a 2.5 liter engine, no "infotainment",
manual roll up windows, no electronics, bench seat. NO CREW CAB.

[Islander7]

I’ve been saying for years that a minimalist pickup with gas engine built for WORK would sell well. Electric is no sale for me. But with a small V6 and moderate towing capacity I’d buy one. The price of trucks is insanely high.

[Mlheureux]

Make it gas powered and it might sell.

[ro_dreaming]

There was an Isuzu Amigo in the 90’s, and it was a cool little 4x4.

Does this thing have AC? I live in SE Texas, and no AC is a non-starter.

[central_va]

It has 260 A/C.

[dadgum]

How very Soviet of them.

[ro_dreaming]

On Houston freeways, you aren’t doing 60 MPH unless it’s 5 AM or 10 PM.

Seriously, with the humidity and heat, AC is a MUST.

[CodeToad]

ICE would be much cheaper.

[central_va]

I lived there. I get it.

[central_va]

My 1989 Ford Ranger 4 cyl with AC was the perfect second vehicle. It was great until a Jeep Wagoneer creamed it.

[RetiredTexasVet]

And it comes with two illegals to push it when the charge runs out. Optional ... illegals speak some English.

[hoosierham]

Many things are expensive due t o government regulations .

It for your own good. /s