The compact pickup deliberately abandons the range race, using a small battery to keep the base price near $25,000.
Slate Auto has launched a tiny two-door electric pickup that starts at less than $25,000. The base model packs a 65 kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery and delivers a quoted range of 205 miles. Hand-crank windows on the base model represent a deliberate trade-off to keep the price low.
The launch comes as EV sales in the US remain stuck under 10 percent of new-vehicle sales. Ford discontinued its F-150 Lightning in December 2025 amid slashed tax credits and price increases. Slate’s strategy directly challenges the industry’s focus on building ever-larger batteries for longer ranges.
For companies that build or operate electric fleets, the Slate offers a model for cutting upfront costs without oversized batteries. The average driver travels under 35 miles per day, and nearly 90 percent of trips are 20 miles or less. The data shows that right-sizing range can make EVs far more accessible.
The real test is whether US buyers will embrace a short-range, low-cost EV when the market is used to huge batteries. Slate offers optional add-ons like power windows and Bluetooth, which let customers customize without inflating the base price. Early sales numbers for the Slate will reveal if range anxiety is actually a dealbreaker in the mass market.
What matters
- Slate Auto launched a compact electric pickup with a 205-mile range and a base price under $25,000.
- For automakers, the small battery and low price challenge the assumption that buyers demand long range.
- Watch whether Slate’s sales figures push other automakers to rethink battery size and price.
Why it matters
Watch whether Slate’s sales figures push other automakers to rethink battery size and price.
This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by MIT Technology Review AI. Source reference: https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/27/1142953/electric-truck-slate-auto/.
Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.