Slate Unveils $24,950 All-Electric Pickup, Touts It as America's Cheapest

U.S. electric vehicle startup Slate unveiled pricing for its compact all-electric pickup truck on the evening of June 24 Beijing time. The base two-seater model starts at $24,950, while the two-door SUV variant with a second-row seat starts at $29,950. The company claims the base model is currently the cheapest pickup truck available in the U.S. market, with initial deliveries scheduled by the end of 2026. Early investors in Slate include Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, and Mark Walter, CEO of Guggenheim Partners. Positioned as an affordable, no-frills vehicle, the truck aims to fill a gap in this segment of the U.S. market. To keep costs down, the base version features manual windows and physical buttons, and omits a touchscreen infotainment system and audio speakers. Buyers can later choose from over 200 accessories—including a second-row seat, audio system, seat covers, roof racks, and light covers—and select from more than 100 vinyl wrap colors for the body. The vehicle measures approximately 4.43 meters in length, classifying it as a compact pickup by U.S. standards. It offers an estimated range of about 330 kilometers (205 miles), a payload capacity of roughly 703 kilograms (1,550 pounds), and a maximum towing capacity of around 907 kilograms (2,000 pounds). Slate first unveiled the vehicle in April 2025, when buyers of U.S.-made EVs were eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit. At that time, the company claimed the post-subsidy starting price would fall below $20,000. However, that tax incentive expired in September 2025, coinciding with a notable decline in U.S. all-electric vehicle sales. According to Edmunds, only 4.7% of new vehicles sold in 2025 were priced below $24,950. Ivan Drury, Edmunds’ Director of Insights, noted that the market had largely exited the sub-$25,000 price segment years ago, and Slate’s offering will test whether affordability alone can attract today’s consumers.