The Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Automotive says it tin merchantability an American-made electrical conveyance pickup motortruck for astir fractional of the mean transaction terms successful the U.S.
Slate's transportation is support the conveyance arsenic elemental arsenic imaginable to prevention connected manufacturing costs, and past fto owners adhd connected and customize the motortruck nevertheless they want.
The Slate Truck is compact — 2 doors and 2 seats successful its astir basal form. It is spare — if you privation an infotainment system, you person to adhd that yourself. And, you can. The conveyance is astir endlessly customizable.
Slate plans to merchantability much than 100 accessories for its truck, including a kit that volition person it to a 5-seat SUV. But Slate besides wants to marque the motortruck "open source," meaning anyone could marque accessories for the pickup.
So far, much than 100,000 radical person made reservations for Slate's tiny barebones truck.
Price has been Slate's large selling point. Nearly fractional of American car shoppers accidental the apical drawback to EVs is sticker price, according to a May 2025 survey by J.D. Power. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has been levying tariffs connected overseas automakers and slashed federal incentives for EVs, making it much hard for consumers to bargain EVs.
Earlier successful 2025, the institution advertised that its motortruck would commencement beneath $20,000 with the $7,500 national EV taxation credit. It past wiped that connection from its website astir the clip the Trump Administration issued an enforcement bid successful July that began the rollback of EV incentives.
The institution says the lawsuit for its inexpensive motortruck volition stay beardown aft national EV taxation credits expire successful September.
The question for Slate is whether the conveyance is inactive compelling astatine astir $27,000 oregon $28,000 arsenic it would beryllium astir $20,000. There is lone 1 conveyance successful the United States transacting beneath $20,000 — the Mitsubishi Mirage. But beneath $30,000 determination are astir 20 models, according to Cox Automotive. One of those is the Ford Maverick, which comes with either a consecutive interior combustion motor oregon a hybrid powertrain, and has galore of the features the Slate lacks.
"All of a sudden, that terms constituent conscionable doesn't look precise competitory anymore," said Market Research Telemetry Vice President Sam Abuelsamid, adding that Slate could little its terms to entreaty to consumers. "But present you commencement to devour into that nett margin."
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