Prime Highlights:
- Slate Auto introduces a minimalist $25,000 electric pickup truck, focusing on simplicity and DIY customization.
- Supported by Jeff Bezos, the truck has a minimum 150-mile range and is DIY upgradable.
Key Facts:
- Slate Auto’s electric pickup costs $25,000 with a minimum 150-mile range from a 52.7 kWh battery pack.
- The car has a minimalist look, no center screen, and more than 100 accessories to customize.
Key Background
Slate Auto, a Troy, Michigan-based electric vehicle startup founded in 2022, came out of stealth mode in 2025 with the launch of its first product: an electric pickup truck. Backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the startup plans to disrupt the electric car market by providing an affordable and personalized alternative to the high-tech, high-price EVs that are already commanding the marketplace.
The Slate Truck, as practical as it is, consciously omits much of the high-tech gadgetry found in other electric cars. There is no mid-dash entertainment screen, no crank-up windows, and the car comes in only one color—gray. It is less expensive to manufacture this way, keeping the car within the reach of a broad base of consumers. Slate Auto’s emphasis on customization can be realized by the fact that it has more than 100 customizable accessories by which the owners are able to customize the truck based on their requirements. An interesting feature is that the two-seater truck can be made a five-passenger truck, so that the customers can customize their vehicle for various needs.
Performance-wise, the Slate Truck has a 52.7 kWh battery, 150-mile range, and the option to upgrade to an 84.3 kWh battery for 240-mile range. The base model has a 201-horsepower electric motor and rear-wheel drive, with 1,430 pounds payload capacity and 1,000 pounds towing capacity. Production will start in late 2026, followed by deliveries.
By emphasizing ease of affordability, ease of simplicity, and maximum customizability, Slate Auto aims to attract a younger, DIY crowd of buyers and shake the very roots of conventional EV producers such as Tesla and Rivian. It is a trend that goes on and on in the car industry toward more utilitarian, but customizable, cars.
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