Slate’s $24,950 Electric Pickup Drives Credibly, but Prototype Faults Remain
Slate’s base electric pickup delivered composed handling, useful regenerative braking and unexpectedly roomy packaging during a roughly 45-minute public-road drive on Tuesday in Newport, Rhode Island, according to a firsthand Business Insider assessment. The proposed $24,950 truck nevertheless rolled backward before its hill-hold system engaged, produced rattles over larger bumps and had a range display that was not fully functional important qualifications for a prototype expected to reach customers later this year.
The drive offers an early indication that Slate’s aggressive cost-cutting has not necessarily stripped away acceptable road behavior. Immediate electric-motor response reportedly made the truck feel adequate in traffic despite Slate’s claim that acceleration from zero to 60 mph takes more than eight seconds. The underfloor battery also contributed to a balanced, composed feel while accelerating through corners.
That battery location is standard practice in purpose-built electric vehicles, but it is particularly valuable in a small pickup. Concentrating a heavy pack low in the structure can reduce the center of gravity and help limit body movement, while eliminating an engine creates space elsewhere. In Slate’s case, the long hood covers a seven-cubic-foot front trunk that provides lockable storage separate from the cargo bed.
The two-person cabin also felt more spacious than the truck’s compact exterior suggested. The 5-foot-9-inch driver reported ample headroom. Slate says one of its 6-foot-8 engineers fits comfortably, although that company claim was not independently tested during the drive.
Braking behavior still requires refinement
Slate uses strong regenerative braking to support mostly one-pedal driving. The response initially made smooth inputs difficult, but reportedly became natural with practice. This matters because regenerative-brake calibration affects more than energy recovery: It determines how predictable the vehicle feels when drivers lift off the accelerator and transition between propulsion, electrical deceleration and the conventional friction brakes.
The hill-hold behavior was less convincing. On an incline, the prototype rolled backward before the system engaged. Slate said it was refining that operation. A separate MotorTrend prototype assessment noted that hill hold requires a tap of the physical brake pedal to activate, which suggests driver expectations and control logic will need to be communicated clearly if that arrangement reaches production.
Rollback during a prototype evaluation does not establish a production defect, but it identifies a human-factors issue worth resolving. Drivers accustomed to automatic hold behavior may expect the truck to remain stationary as they move from the brake to the accelerator. The engineering task is therefore not simply making the feature function; it is ensuring activation is consistent, intuitive and apparent to the driver.
The cabin rattles and incomplete range display are also unresolved. Slate attributed both to prototype status. Rattles can arise from temporary trim, fasteners or nonproduction assembly, while an unfinished display may reflect software or calibration work. One vehicle and one drive cannot show whether either issue will persist, so production-specification trucks will provide the meaningful test.
The advertised price needs context
Slate’s $24,950 figure is the base price before a mandatory destination charge. A published pricing update puts that charge at $1,450, bringing the starting total to $26,400 before other fees or accessories. That distinction does not erase the truck’s affordability argument, but it is the more useful number for shoppers comparing vehicles.
The same update describes a 63-kilowatt-hour battery and a company-estimated 205 miles of range. Those figures create a clearer operating boundary: The Slate is positioned as a compact, relatively short-range utility vehicle rather than a long-distance electric truck. Actual range, charging performance and energy consumption will still require standardized testing and production-vehicle verification.
Slate plans to sell physical upgrades including speakers, upholstery, storage products, wraps and hardware that converts the pickup into an SUV. Rear passengers in that configuration would enter through the front doors. This modular strategy helps hold down the entry price, but buyers who add equipment will need to judge the final configured cost rather than the stripped base figure.
The company says its factory will eventually be capable of producing 150,000 trucks annually, though capacity is not the same as demonstrated output or customer demand. Slate must still convert a credible prototype into repeatable production, validate its controls and displays, manage accessory installation and support delivered vehicles at scale.
The Newport drive clears one early hurdle: Slate’s minimalist pickup can feel like a usable vehicle rather than merely a low-price exercise. The more consequential engineering test now moves from vehicle dynamics to production discipline whether hill-hold behavior, cabin refinement and driver information are fully resolved without undermining the cost structure that makes the truck noteworthy.
By Thomas Caldwell — AMI’s senior editor for mechanical and mobility engineering, covering vehicle electronics, systems integration, electrification, chassis systems, propulsion, and safety policy.
