Slate Auto’s electric truck starts at $24,950 with 205 miles of range
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- Slate Auto set the base price of its bare-bones electric truck at $24,950 and opened preorders, undercutting the Chevy Bolt (~$29,000) and Nissan Leaf (~$32,000) to become the cheapest new EV on sale in the US.
- The Blank Slate truck's estimated range was boosted from an initial 150 miles to ~205 miles using a single 65 kWh LFP battery pack (63 kWh usable) and a 181-hp rear motor — a switch from the two-pack SK On NMC setup Slate originally planned.
- Slate will sell directly to customers with no traditional dealerships, following Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid, and will skip a factory paint shop by offering customizable wraps instead of paint options on a single gray composite body.
- The Blank Slate is a two-seat pickup that owners convert into a five-seat SUV themselves; the SUV configuration starts at $29,950, and Slate launched "Slate University" how-to videos covering the conversion and accessory installation.
- Slate has raised roughly $1.4 billion across three funding rounds from backers including Jeff Bezos' family office, TWG Global, General Catalyst, and former Amazon executive Diego Piacentini.
- Carvana was granted a warrant to buy Slate shares, per a TechCrunch report earlier this month, hinting at a potential sales partnership between the used-car giant and the startup.
- Slate's original "under $20,000" pitch assumed the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, which was eliminated under Trump administration policy changes — several automakers shelved affordable EV plans for the same reason; first Slate deliveries are still expected by end of 2026.
Why it matters: At $24,950, the Slate undercuts every affordable EV currently on sale and roughly halves the ~$50,000 average new-car price in the US, but the $7,500 federal EV tax credit that would have brought the original "under $20,000" pitch to life has been eliminated under Trump administration policy — the same shift that prompted other automakers to shelve budget EVs. If Slate actually delivers at volume by end of 2026, it becomes the first US proof-of-concept that a stripped-down EV can clear the $25,000 mark without subsidy support.
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