Slate Auto Prices Electric Pickup Truck Starting at $24,950

Slate Auto Prices Electric Pickup Truck Starting at $24,950 Slate Auto is testing whether U.S. drivers will trade high-tech comforts for rock-bottom pricing with a no-frills electric pickup that undercuts the entire EV market.

Early concept: radical simplicity and a price promise

Slate first drew attention with its pledge to build an American-made electric pickup in the “mid-$20,000 price range,” stripped of paint, stereo, and touchscreen in favor of a radically simple spec. The idea ran against decades of “more features, bigger screens, more software” across the auto industry, betting that some buyers would prefer affordability over gadgets.

June 24: Price reveal and product details

On June 24, Slate formally announced that its electric pickup will start at $24,950, making it both the cheapest pickup truck and the cheapest EV on the U.S. market. The company also revealed an SUV variant starting at $29,950.

To hit that price, the truck omits a touchscreen, stereo, and speakers, ships with manual hand-crank windows, and relies on a simple dash mount for the driver’s phone instead of an infotainment system. A recent test drive described it as “a genuinely basic new vehicle that doesn’t look that way,” pitched at shoppers being priced out of a market where the average new vehicle now costs about $49,000 and average new EVs exceed $54,000.

Behind the scenes: a quiet battery pivot

Alongside the price reveal, Slate disclosed a major shift in its battery strategy. The company dropped its planned 240‑mile option and increased the standard range from 150 to 205 miles by switching from nickel‑manganese‑cobalt (NMC) cells to cheaper lithium‑iron‑phosphate (LFP) batteries. LFP packs are roughly 40% cheaper but historically offered lower range; recent advances in cell‑to‑pack design and changing U.S. tax-credit rules made the move viable.

Slate will source LFP cells from China-based Gotion, which plans to produce them at a factory in Illinois, reflecting how global supply chains and U.S. policy shifts enabled the truck’s aggressive price point.

1. I drove the Slate Truck — Overview of Slate’s pricing, minimalist feature set, and market positioning.

2. Here’s why Slate changed the battery in its cheap EV truck — Explains the switch from NMC to LFP cells, range changes, and policy context.

3. Slate Auto’s Radically Simple Electric Truck Starts at $24,950 — Confirms base pricing for the truck and SUV variants and frames Slate’s broader launch.

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