The Slate truck’s glow-up is actual — ...

There was some pleasure in April when the Slate Truck was announced. This bare-bones electrical pickup truck would are available beneath $20,000 after the EV tax incentive was taken into consideration. This might have made it not solely the most affordable EV by far, however one of many least expensive automobiles within the US.

The identify Slate referred to the clean slate you’ll get at that value. The clean Slate meant you bought an unpainted two-seater pickup, with roll-up home windows, no sound system, no display screen, no radio. You might drive it as is, which appealed to many, or modify it as you need — even flip it right into a five-seat SUV must you select. You were not compelled to pay for features you did not particularly need, however when you added simply this and that, may have a cool electrical truck for, say, $23K. Lots of people like that concept very a lot.

However now the tax break will fall away at the end of September, leaving this pickup as a way more costly clean Slate. At $27,000, the Slate will begin butting heads with the $28,145 Ford Maverick, additionally a small pickup, however with a really environment friendly hybrid engine, 5 seats, and all of the options you didn’t need to pay for within the Slate thrown in.

Slate overview

Some information, a whole lot of conjecture

The essential Slate

It is a very primary two-seat pickup with a 47 kWh battery and a 201 hp motor driving the rear wheels. The battery vary is estimated at 150 miles. It comes with NACS and DC quick charging.

Regardless that the Slate Truck is critically primary, it does include fairly first rate security options, together with:

• Traction management
• Digital stability management
• Computerized emergency braking
• Good entrance and facet airbags
• Backup digicam
• Pedestrian ID
• Ahead collision warning
• Auto excessive beam

As an alternative of an infotainment display screen and audio system, the Slate has a mount that may maintain a cellphone or pill and house to suit a Bluetooth speaker. Apparently, heating and air-con are customary although.

Add-ons

One of many primary promoting factors of the Slate is that you just purchase the fundamental truck after which add what you need. You possibly can wrap it in any shade you need, flip it into an SUV with seats within the again, add fancy rims, a much bigger battery for an extended vary, and so forth.

The larger battery is a sensible possibility, and the SUV conversion will likely be a preferred alternative, however these will add to the value that is already beneath strain. The one possibility with a preliminary value is the wrapping, beginning at $500.

The larger 75 kWh battery offers you a variety of 240 miles, however will add about 300 lbs to the burden of the truck, making it slower. However the greatest price in an EV is the battery, and this and the price of the SUV package may push the Slate into pricing territory the place it would compete head-on with fairly critical EVs just like the Chevy Equinox.

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Maverick overview

The one small hybrid truck

The Ford Maverick is a small pickup with a crew cab that seats 5. It is out there in a variety of trims, with engine choices of FWD or AWD. The XL is the fundamental mannequin that competes with the Slate in value and comes customary with a hybrid powertrain and FWD. The one different small pickup in the marketplace is the Hyundai Santa Cruz, however that’s solely out there with an ICE.

Maverick XL

The Maverick XL is a primary work truck in comparison with the costlier trims. It has a 2.5L inline 4 and an electrical motor that makes a mixed 191 hp. The transmission is a CVT and drives the entrance wheels. It’ll get 42 MPG within the metropolis and a variety of 520 miles, in comparison with 22 MPG and a 412-mile vary for the extra highly effective turbo-gas Maverick possibility, making the hybrid a no brainer for on a regular basis driving. The Slate doesn’t but give MPEe estimates, however it might be manner past the ballpark of any hybrid automobile.

XL Options

Regardless of being extra of a piece truck, the XL trim has a telescopic and height-adjustable steering wheel with audio controls, keyless entry just like the Slate, and adjustable lumbar assist for the entrance seats. The crew cab has a again seat and rear doorways, though the house within the again is a bit cosy.

The XL comes customary with a 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an onboard Wi-Fi hotspot. Non-compulsory extras embrace SiriusXM radio and a B&O Play sound system. The Maverick has all the usual security options, in addition to good driver help options that embrace:

• Automated emergency braking
• Lane departure warning and lane protecting
• Adaptive cruise management

Pickup talents

We purchase vans for work or life-style, or a little bit of each. While you select a pickup, relatively than a crossover, there are a number of truck-specific issues to contemplate.

The Slate has a 7-cu-ft frunk, which the Maverick doesn’t. The Maverick can at all times carry 5 folks and cargo within the load mattress, whereas the Slate can carry two plus load mattress, or 5 with no load mattress.

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Selecting a truck in a time of change

Rather a lot can occur in a few years

Slate

The Slate was deliberate to launch on the finish of 2026 or starting of 2027. When it was conceived, the designers intentionally selected the costlier nickel manganese cobalt batteries (NMC), as an alternative of the extra reasonably priced LIthium Iron Phosphate (LFP) kind turning into the norm with EVs. The rationale was that NMC batteries had been made within the US and had been important in qualifying for the tax rebate.

Now free of that constraint, Slate may rejig their design to chop prices there. Each LG and Samsung are planning to supply LFP batteries within the US, and there are reviews of different main gamers producing LFP batteries beneath license utilizing Chinese battery leader CATL‘s know-how.

By the point Slate hits the market, these native suppliers and the final world fall in battery costs may nicely make this pickup extra competitively priced. One other issue is that the Maverick is made in Mexico, and no person is aware of if or how tariffs will have an effect on its value. But when low-cost EV batteries grow to be available, there will likely be nothing stopping Ford from making an EV Maverick both.