5 ms·

https://www.slate.auto/ https://www.slate.auto/ With rebates a 20,000 truck. Who knows what it will cost when it actually comes out. But I love the concept.

blacksmith_tb 1y ago
Also, not a gigantic truck, and no infotainment (or even powered windows!) It'd be a manual transmission if it wasn't an EV.
- BLKNSLVR 1y ago
  > or even powered windows! An exclamation mark for lacking powered windows? Oh the humanity! I'm starting to see the problem.
  - Dylan16807 1y ago
    An exclamation mark because the feature is cheap and omnipresent, not because of... impact, or whatever you're reading into it. It's surprising. An exclamation mark makes sense.
    - BLKNSLVR 1y ago
      Fair cop. I'll take that.
    - CalRobert 1y ago
      It’s one more thing I’d have to spend an afternoon fixing eventually.
      - Dylan16807 1y ago
        Is it that much less reliable than a crank going into similar mechanisms? And a fixed window is just dire.
mlsu 1y ago
A car like this in China would cost $12k No rebates US automakers are so ridiculously far behind
fwip 1y ago
Note that those rebates would be entirely killed under the current Trump budget bill [1], so we'll see what happens. I also love the concept, it's a bunch of things I've been looking for but unable to find in the US market. The final price/availability as well as repairability are going to be the dealmakers. [1] https://electrek.co/2025/06/28/republicans-are-trying-kill-7500-ev-tax-credit-3-months-early/ https://electrek.co/2025/06/28/republicans-are-trying-kill-7...
QuadmasterXLII 1y ago
it’s a shame that they’re spending so much of their capital on manufacturer side customizability. An electric vehicle is a firmware update away from being a stick welder already; make the truck one way and ship it with a pair of jumper cables, a box of 6011, and a pallet of tube steel.
- snuxoll 1y ago
  Outside of having what amounts to a couple of shells and removable seats that can be mounted to the box (and a removable rear panel from the cab to join them to create a single 'interior' when using them), the majority of their BTO options are really basic module swaps where most of the complexity comes from managing inventory of the various SKUs than anything else. As somebody with a '99 Ford Ranger, the Slate is incredibly appealing as nearly every other manufacturer has completely abandoned the compact pickup market; although it has the same issue that the Ford Maverick and Honda Ridgeline do, it's a unibody design. If they actually launch I may end up getting one if they release some BTO options to slot a double-din mount and door-mounted speakers in to handle runs to the hardware store and towing lighter loads on paved roads, but I really wish somebody would do a compact frame-on-body pickup again for those of us that drive poorly maintained dirt roads in forested/mountainous terrain where some body damage (and thus, the cheaper repair costs associated with body-on-frame designs are nice to have) is always lurking around the corner. [Seriously, I understand the difficulties of batteries and such with EV's and that's likely part of why the Slate is designed this way. But, for people like me who actually need a pickup to do pickup things, not haul groceries, it's frustrating when you're accustomed to being able to replace a side-panel on the box for less than your insurance deductible if something falls on it. And that's without even bringing up the obvious disadvantages when it comes to towing and payload capacity.]
  - toast0 1y ago
    > Seriously, I understand the difficulties of batteries and such with EV's and that's likely part of why the Slate is designed this way. In 2000, Ford had an EV Ranger, and Chevy had an EV S-10. Neither with great range, of course. It should be easier to do with modern batteries. Attach the batteries to the frame under the bed, put the bed on top, all engineering problems solved.
jccalhoun 1y ago
I may be cynical but I think this is all marketing. From what I've seen there is so much upselling built into the concept that if this ever comes out that I don't think many people will be driving around the 20K model.

blacksmith_tb 1y ago

Also, not a gigantic truck, and no infotainment (or even powered windows!) It'd be a manual transmission if it wasn't an EV.

BLKNSLVR 1y ago
> or even powered windows! An exclamation mark for lacking powered windows? Oh the humanity! I'm starting to see the problem.
- Dylan16807 1y ago
  An exclamation mark because the feature is cheap and omnipresent, not because of... impact, or whatever you're reading into it. It's surprising. An exclamation mark makes sense.
  - BLKNSLVR 1y ago
    Fair cop. I'll take that.
  - CalRobert 1y ago
    It’s one more thing I’d have to spend an afternoon fixing eventually.
    - Dylan16807 1y ago
      Is it that much less reliable than a crank going into similar mechanisms? And a fixed window is just dire.

mlsu 1y ago

A car like this in China would cost $12k No rebates US automakers are so ridiculously far behind

fwip 1y ago

Note that those rebates would be entirely killed under the current Trump budget bill [1], so we'll see what happens. I also love the concept, it's a bunch of things I've been looking for but unable to find in the US market. The final price/availability as well as repairability are going to be the dealmakers. [1] https://electrek.co/2025/06/28/republicans-are-trying-kill-7500-ev-tax-credit-3-months-early/ https://electrek.co/2025/06/28/republicans-are-trying-kill-7...

QuadmasterXLII 1y ago

it’s a shame that they’re spending so much of their capital on manufacturer side customizability. An electric vehicle is a firmware update away from being a stick welder already; make the truck one way and ship it with a pair of jumper cables, a box of 6011, and a pallet of tube steel.

snuxoll 1y ago
Outside of having what amounts to a couple of shells and removable seats that can be mounted to the box (and a removable rear panel from the cab to join them to create a single 'interior' when using them), the majority of their BTO options are really basic module swaps where most of the complexity comes from managing inventory of the various SKUs than anything else. As somebody with a '99 Ford Ranger, the Slate is incredibly appealing as nearly every other manufacturer has completely abandoned the compact pickup market; although it has the same issue that the Ford Maverick and Honda Ridgeline do, it's a unibody design. If they actually launch I may end up getting one if they release some BTO options to slot a double-din mount and door-mounted speakers in to handle runs to the hardware store and towing lighter loads on paved roads, but I really wish somebody would do a compact frame-on-body pickup again for those of us that drive poorly maintained dirt roads in forested/mountainous terrain where some body damage (and thus, the cheaper repair costs associated with body-on-frame designs are nice to have) is always lurking around the corner. [Seriously, I understand the difficulties of batteries and such with EV's and that's likely part of why the Slate is designed this way. But, for people like me who actually need a pickup to do pickup things, not haul groceries, it's frustrating when you're accustomed to being able to replace a side-panel on the box for less than your insurance deductible if something falls on it. And that's without even bringing up the obvious disadvantages when it comes to towing and payload capacity.]
- toast0 1y ago
  > Seriously, I understand the difficulties of batteries and such with EV's and that's likely part of why the Slate is designed this way. In 2000, Ford had an EV Ranger, and Chevy had an EV S-10. Neither with great range, of course. It should be easier to do with modern batteries. Attach the batteries to the frame under the bed, put the bed on top, all engineering problems solved.

jccalhoun 1y ago

I may be cynical but I think this is all marketing. From what I've seen there is so much upselling built into the concept that if this ever comes out that I don't think many people will be driving around the 20K model.