The first thing you notice about the Slate Truck is its size. It’s surprisingly small. In a country where trucks often come with their own zip code, the Slate pickup is refreshingly small, measuring 174.6 inches in length, 70.6 inches in width, and 69.3 inches in height, with a curb weight of about 3,602 pounds (1,634 kg). As a point of reference, it’s roughly the same size as Marty McFly’s 1985 Toyota SR5. back to the future.
But inside, that cramped feeling disappears, as I found myself with ample amount of head and leg room. As a relatively tall guy (over 6 feet) who often feels cramped in most vehicles, I couldn’t believe I had so much room in such a small truck.
According to Tisha Johnson, Slate’s head of design, this is no accident. While many vehicles are designed with a maximum height of around 6 feet 1 inch, Slate wanted to create an interior space that was more ample and comfortable. The emphasis on spatial comfort, she tells me, aligns with the startup’s broader design philosophy of usability and accessibility.
I’ll admit I was skeptical about the slate truck since it was first announced last year. A two-seat electric pickup with no paint, no radio, no power windows, not even a dreaded cell connection – who’s it for? In trying to create an electric truck that most people could buy, Slate left a lot on the cutting room floor. We’ve seen plenty of minimalist EVs before, but this was walking a very fine line between spartan and sterile. After all, there are plenty of non-electric vehicles priced under $20,000 that also come with radio and navigation systems. How much minimalism is too much minimalism?
However, after sitting in the truck for just a minute, I was impressed. It has a minimalism that feels almost hostile to the user, hiding important controls like gear shifting behind a digital interface that requires multiple taps and swipes before you get the desired response.
And then there’s Slate’s approach to minimalism, which focuses more on utility, affordability, and, most importantly, choice. As chief designer, Johnson brings with him decades of experience, including 10 years at a small company known for its special brand of Swedish minimalism called Volvo. Johnson told me that during the Slate Truck’s design process, the team would debate which features to keep and which to remove.
“When we recognize that we can remove something, and the cost of removal is low, we’re all about it,” she said. “Because we say that the dollars we save in making vehicles, those dollars are returned to our customers.”
The debates often became heated. At one point, Slate designers debated whether or not to include an HVAC system. With climate change and extreme heat seemingly a permanent fixture for the future, Johnson knew the truck couldn’t afford to lose air conditioning. So needless to say, the pro-HVAC side won.
“What I liked about it was that it was an honest debate,” Johnson said. “We had to pull and pull that theme. It wasn’t automatic.”
But other creature comforts were tossed aside, like the stereo and built-in speakers. The truck has a small speaker for legally required audio notifications, but that’s it. Customers can install their own Bluetooth speakers, designed to accommodate the vehicle. But otherwise, Slate’s philosophy is this: Why should everyone pay for something that only a few people want?
Of course, most people would probably prefer to have a built-in stereo system. But the Slate thinks it can lure people in with a strong list of accessories and aftermarket kit. Wraps, decals, chunky wheels, suspension lifts and lowering, even a kit that turns a two-seater pickup into a five-seater compact SUV. Slate wants to let its customers do the customizing.
The truck I saw was what the company calls a blank slate – no paint, no cover, nothing but dull gray body panels with a few dings and scratches. (Slate built 20 prototypes that have been doing a lot of traveling to auto shows and other promotional events over the past year.) But all I’ve seen are images of Slate trucks in various colors, one of which mimics the iconic NYC “We’re happy to serve you” coffee cup design. There will also be a bunch of 3D-printed parts like grilles and rear light casings that owners can swap in and out. Johnson said the idea is to let customers define their own truck rather than choosing from a predetermined list of trims.
“Do they want to start with a truck, get the SUV kit later? What works for them? That’s an important story for us,” he said. “Some people will say, ‘Well, these are the dollars I have right now. Let me get that truck.’ And then two years later they’ll say, ‘Okay, I’m in a different situation now.’
This commitment to minimalism and affordability will lead to some important tradeoffs. For example, the upright design of the truck will create more air resistance making it harder to maximize the aerodynamic range. This is why many EVs these days are shaped like drops or teardrops. Right now, Slate is offering the truck in two battery configurations: a 53kWh that offers an EPA-estimated range of 150 miles, and an 84kWh pack with a range of up to 240 miles.
Neither of these numbers are very impressive. Even the Chevy Bolt can get up to 260 miles of range, and it starts at the same price as a slate truck. And the Bolt comes with power windows, radio, in-car navigation… you know, everything we expect when we buy a new car.
Johnson said these tradeoffs come from “real clarity” about how people are most likely to use a slate truck, which is an urban vehicle for daily driving or commuting. “Whenever we got a chance, we questioned the traditional approach to things,” he said. “So error is error. Yes, you have to work with it in a particular way to optimize performance.”
In other words, the Slate Truck shouldn’t be a “bullet in space,” as Johnson described it. It could be much more. And thanks to the abundance of add-ons, each one can look different from the other without any hassle.
Will Slate’s gamble succeed? This is unquestionably the worst time to launch a brand-new EV. Or maybe it’s the best of times, when both car prices and gas prices are rising. Maybe an endlessly configurable, breathlessly minimalist, small two-seat truck is just what the doctor ordered.
We won’t have to wait long to find out. Slate says the first trucks will reach customers in late 2026.
Photography by Owen Grove
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