- Slate announced that it has processed more than 150,000 orders, all of which are fully refundable but non-transferable.
- The company plans to start production in late 2026 and reach full production by the end of 2027, when it hopes to build 150,000 trucks.
- Slate remains optimistic despite declining demand for electric vehicles and a strong contender in the 2027 Ford electric car.
Slate Auto is set to launch its affordable electric truck next year, and if all orders placed so far come true, it will actually be sold out for the entire year.
The company recently revealed this The truck is said to be worth $25,000 Orders have exceeded 150,000, which is exactly the number of vehicles it plans to manufacture annually once production ramps up to full capacity.
Production is scheduled to begin at the end of next year and will continue to ramp up through 2027. The plan is to reach peak annual production targets by the end of 2027, although it remains to be seen how many of these early orders will eventually translate into purchases.
Slate posted a video earlier this week in which CEO Chris Barman answered questions from potential buyers. She selected a selection of inquiries from the more than 4,000 she said she received, and the video sounds upbeat, although… Electric vehicle sales in the United States Elsewhere, they declined after incentives were cut or reduced.
But during a year in which self-driving vehicles, robo-taxis and automated driver-assistance systems have all seen a big showing, Barman answered a burning question from a customer: Will the Slate Truck have any self-driving technology?
“No,” Barman said simply, before moving on.
This certainly makes sense. The big draw of the Slate Truck has always been its price. The Amazon-backed company’s goal was to sell the car for about $20,000, but that took into account the $7,500 federal electric vehicle tax credit, which It ended on September 30 of this year. She now expects the pickup to sell for somewhere in the mid-$20,000 range, likely around $26,000 or $27,000. Adding any kind of advanced autonomy features would undoubtedly raise its price even further.
On the plus side, the end of the tax break doesn’t seem to have affected demand for the Slate Truck, and the company still cited “huge demand” in a recent video. However, overall demand for electric vehicles has slowed in the United States, and larger, more expensive vehicles such as electric pickup trucks have been particularly hard hit.
Ford announced that it was Pulling the plug on the F-150 Lightninga ram It canceled its all-electric 1500 Tesla is finding it difficult to sell Cybertrucks. Scout also revealed earlier this year that the majority of bookings are for its upcoming electric trucks It was for the extended range Harvester versionnot pure BEV variants.
Ford hasn’t completely given up on the idea of selling an electric pickup in America, but it is banking on a smaller, cheaper model built on a new dedicated EV architecture. Ford’s upcoming electric pickup It will become Slate Truck’s main competitor, even if it hits the market about one year later.
But it won’t be much more expensive, should start at around $30,000, and it will certainly come better equipped as standard. Introducing a car with manual windows in 2026-2027 seems a bit mean, and people have been mocking this equipment-free approach ever since the Slate Truck was revealed. Someone even made it Electric window winder Complete with a 3D printed hand that attaches to the handle on the Slate EV, reminding everyone how ridiculous it is.
There’s a severe shortage of affordable electric vehicles in the U.S., and even with the tax break expiring, the sheer shock value of the Slate Truck’s low price will entice buyers. But once Ford’s electric truck enters production in 2027, although it will be more expensive, it will also offer more in terms of equipment, performance and outright capability. Ford really needs it to sell.
Interestingly, although the two trucks are similar on paper, Slate doesn’t see the upcoming Ford as a direct competitor. According to one Slate executive, his company’s truck will attract buyers with a wide range of customization options and the promise of easy and cheap repairs. The company is also relying on government electric vehicle incentives to lower the price of the vehicle and help more people afford it.
While these numerous orders are undoubtedly an impressive accomplishment for a brand-new company with no prior track record, the loss of the tax credit and a new Ford truck will make things even more difficult for Slate. At least the company has promised that there will be no markings on any of its vehicles, reassuring potential buyers.
