At its launch event last week, Troy, MI-based startup Slate Auto at its Long Beach, CA, design studio came out of stealth and revealed its still-in-development low-cost electrified Truck.

Originally called Re:Car as a project within Re:Build Manufacturing, a manufacturing incubator co-founded by Jeff Wilke and Miles Arnone, Slate has a disruptive business model aimed at simplifying the manufacturing process and removing unnecessary content to reduce cost and increase reliability. Its first vehicle is a simplified electric truck produced in a single pickup configuration from the factory.

The idea for Slate Auto goes back to 2022, when its visionary leaders got together to look into building a “radically affordable” and simple vehicle. Then they took it a step further to build it in America and make it reliable, meet five-star crash safety standards, and be a life-changing purchase for consumers who were only considering used cars.

“We are building the affordable vehicle that has long been promised but never been delivered, but with a twist,” said Chris Barman, CEO of Slate Auto. “It’s a vehicle people are actually going to love and be proud to own.”

 

Making trucks more affordable

At the event, Jeremy Snyder, Chief Commercial Officer for Slate, said that the industry has abandoned the majority of Americans, 70% of whom make $100,000 or less per year.

“The math pencils out that, in a responsible budget, one should spend $400/month or less on their car payment,” he said. “In contrast, the average new car payment today is $742/month, and average used cars are about $525/month.”

He said that many believe that adding value to a vehicle is adding a whole bunch of content and options.

“The industry has been so focused on autonomy and technology in the vehicle, it’s driven prices to a place that most Americans simply can’t afford,” he said, and the increased complexity means that 70% of new cars have recurring warranty issues related to technology.

“As all of this is happening, being able to work on your own vehicle, being able to accessorize and customize your car, are things of the past,” he said. “But we’re here to change that.”

The expected price of the Slate Truck, excluding taxes and fees, is under $20,000 after federal incentives, making it among the most affordable new vehicles.

 

Simple, customizable design

With the Truck, Slate designers were aiming for a “beautifully simplified” pickup with a functional design. It measures 174.6 in (4435 mm) long, 69.3 in (1760 mm) tall, and 70.6 in (1793 mm) wide on a wheelbase of 108.9 in (2766 mm).

“When we started, our North Star was creating a vehicle that people would love,” said Tisha Johnson, Head of Design for Slate Auto. “The Slate Truck is simple and approachable. It is desirable and deliberately straightforward. Its design elements are both timeless and memorable.”

Designers wanted the truck to be easier to get into, drive, and load compared to anything else on the market.

“We made early decisions that influence how it feels when you see the truck for the first time and how it feels when you use it,” she said. “And that’s why you won’t struggle to lift your suitcases into its frunk and the reason you can easily load gear into its ultra-low bed. More than that, the Slate Truck is the first new vehicle that’s designed to be wrapped.”

The Truck’s exterior can be kept stock, with its unpainted Slate Gray composite panels, but is designed to be easily wrapped, unwrapped, and rewrapped by a customer or professional for changing looks, with three levels making personalization far more affordable.

“If you’ve ever had a car wrapped, you know that it can be an expensive process that takes days, not hours,” said Johnson. “Our approach is different.”

Slate vinyl wrap kits are cut to fit the shape of the truck, and coach lines allow the wrap to fit without removing any body trim.

“You can wrap it yourself or we’ll do it for you, and it’ll take hours, not days,” she added.

Slate’s truck platform is so customizable that it can transform from a pickup to an SUV. One of two flat-pack accessory kits—squareback or fastback—turns the two-seat pickup into a five-seat SUV, adding a roll cage, airbags, and rear bench seat.

That personalization, powered by DIY (do it yourself) or Slate Auto, is part of a program of over 100 accessories, available individually or bundled, to customize a “blank Slate” at the time of purchase or as customer needs change over time.

“We took out everything that wasn’t a car so customers could decide what they want to put back in as accessories in a time frame that makes sense for their wallet,” said Barman.

The interior of the truck is just as revolutionary, according to Johnson.

“Instead of spending time developing an operating system that would quickly become out of date and adding cost and complexity with another screen, we went the other direction,” she said. “Rather than learn a new interface, use the one you already love.”

Slate designers developed a universal phone mount with USB power, but customers can add a larger, dedicated tablet if they want.

Keeping it simple are manual crank windows and physical air conditioning knobs.

Carrying cargo is typically a primary purpose of a pickup, so the Slate has a large 7-ft³ (198-L) frunk with secured storage space that fits two roller bags, a couple of duffles, and a spacious 35.1-ft³ (994-L) cargo bed.

Interior passenger volume is 58 ft³ (1642 L).

 

Engineering cornerstones

In support of the back-to-basics, only-the-essentials approach, Slate developed what it calls its engineering cornerstones, according to Eric Keipper, Head of Engineering at Slate Auto.

The first was safety, with the Truck needing to be a U.S. NCAP five-star rated vehicle. Occupant safety is enhanced by active emergency braking, forward collision warning, a backup camera, and up to eight airbags. Reliability and durability were next.

“That’s why we developed highly dent-resistant composite body panels and wrap them around our high-strength steel Slate Board platform,” said Keipper. “We focused a lot on making sure that we got the right material in the right place.”

Slate engineers have been working for well over two years in engineering in virtual and physical worlds. They are currently building beta prototypes and conducting durability and crash testing.

“Early crash tests show that we’re meeting or exceeding our targets,” he said.

The Slate Board platform is designed to be versatile, allowing transformation from truck to SUV or Keipper’s favorite open-air configuration.

Additionally, truck buyers are looking for versatile cargo space. So, Slate product developers included lockable, sealable storage and maximized the proportions of the truck and developed a 5-ft truck bed that holds a full sheet of plywood. The lockable frunk (front trunk) has a drain plug for tailgating. The Truck has a targeted 1400-lb maximum payload and 1000-lb towing ratings.

The back-to-basics and optimization effort also applied to manufacturing. The composite exterior panels allowed Slate to eliminate the paint shop from the manufacturing facility, cutting down on investment and the ongoing environmental effects that a paint shop brings.

“Slate is revolutionizing the build process by simplifying it,” said Keipper. “The truck comes in a single configuration at the assembly plant with no trim options. This will allow us to get to high-quality volume production.”

The only choice is a standard or extended range battery pack. The standard 52.7-kW·h battery pack provides a targeted range of 150 mi (241 km) or an optional 84.3-kW·h pack with a range target of 240 mi (386 km). Projected range estimates are based on a U.S. EPA test cycle approximation.

Using the NACS (North American Charging Standard) port, owners can charge overnight on a Level 1 AC household outlet at a rate of 2-5 mi of range added per h, on a Level 2 AC charger for about 25-40 mi per h, or fast-charge from 20% to 80% at 120 kW in around 30 min.

A 150-kW motor in the rear-wheel-drive architecture accelerates the Truck from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) in about 8 s.

 

Going to market

The Truck is currently in pre-production and will be manufactured at a 1.4 million-ft² (130,000-m²) “reindustrialized” factory in Warsaw, IN, alongside a customer experience center.

Plans call for a direct-to-consumer sales model and a nationwide service network. Customers order their trucks online, take delivery near their homes, and will be able to service at 2500 locations throughout the U.S.

Refundable vehicle reservations are open now for a fully refundable $50 on https://www.slate.auto/en/reserve.