Slate Auto unveils sub-$25,000 electric pickup for US market
The compact two-door truck prioritises affordability over range, featuring a 205-mile battery and hand-crank windows in a bid to revive stalled US EV sales.
Slate Auto has introduced a compact, two-door electric pickup truck designed to address the affordability crisis in the United States. The vehicle is significantly smaller than conventional models, measuring shorter than a Honda Civic, and is positioned as a no-frills alternative to the fully loaded vehicles typically sold in the US market.
The base model is priced under US$25,000, a figure that sits well below the national average of approximately US$50,000 for new vehicles. To achieve this price point, the truck prioritises simplicity, with base configurations including hand-crank windows. Optional upgrades such as power windows, a Bluetooth stereo system, and vinyl wraps are available for customers seeking additional features.
Powering the vehicle is a 65 kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery with a quoted top range of 205 miles. This is notably shorter than competitors; for comparison, the most basic Tesla Model 3 offers a range of over 320 miles. However, Slate Auto argues that the shorter range is sufficient for most drivers, noting that the average US driver covers under 35 miles per day and that nearly 90 per cent of personal vehicle trips are 20 miles or less.
The launch comes at a challenging time for the electric vehicle sector in the US, where EVs account for under 10 per cent of total new-vehicle sales and numbers are currently declining. The introduction follows the discontinuation of the Ford F-150 Lightning in December 2025, a model that was plagued by price increases and reduced government tax credits.
Slate Auto aims to begin delivering preorders in late 2026. The company has raised nearly US$1.4 billion in funding over three major rounds, including investment from Jeff Bezos. Its factory is set to have a capacity of 100,000 vehicles in the first year, scaling to 150,000 soon after, with thousands of customers having already placed preorders.
Ford is also preparing to re-enter this segment with its own small electric truck, expected to debut in 2027 at a retail price of around US$30,000. As the US transportation sector remains the single biggest source of greenhouse-gas emissions, the success of Slate’s approach will depend on whether drivers accept a smaller, short-range vehicle in exchange for a significantly lower price tag.
