By Dan Neil

And now for something completely different: an affordable American pickup.

At a media event in Long Beach, Calif., last week, EV startup Slate Auto unveiled an exquisitely disruptive, radically simple mini-pickup, to be made in the U.S.A. and targeting a price under $27,500 -- that is, under $20,000 with the current federal EV tax credit. Put a pin in that.

Based in Troy, Michigan, and backed by billionaire investors including Jeff Bezos, Slate will take an unorthodox approach to the American market. Rather than starting with a high-profit luxury model to bootstrap company finances -- the Tesla Way -- Slate will address the mass market with a "radically simple, radically affordable" product, aggregating razor-thin profits into a business case.

In his presentation, Jeremy Snyder, Slate's chief commercial officer, put kitchen-table economics front and center. More than 70% of American households earn $100,000 or less, he noted, while the average new-car payment has ballooned to $742 a month. The auto industry has been so focused on "autonomy and technology," Snyder said, "it's driven prices to a place that most Americans can't afford."

Expected to go into production late next year, Slate's truck is radically small: a single cab, two-seat configuration, 14.5 feet from nose to tailgate, about the size of a Toyota pickup from the mid-1980s. Even so, the cargo bed measures 5 feet long and 50 inches wide, able to carry 4×8 stock on top of the wheel arches.

With a claimed 1,000 pounds towing and 1,400 pounds payload rating, the wee trucklet offers a fraction of the capacity of the typical full-size pickup. And yet, in the real world, many private-use owners are obliged to pay for more capacity than they will likely ever use, with no alternative.

Initially available with a choice of two battery packs, offering 150 or 240 miles of estimated range, the truck will also be equipped with a North American Charging Standard (NACS) port, compatible with Tesla's Supercharger network. While the initial offering will be rear-drive only (201 hp), it's worth noting the extra-deep frunk (front trunk) conserves space for a second power unit, should the company want to offer all-wheel drive.

The exterior design is naive, almost primitive, a child's boxy ideograph of what a truck should look like: big round wheels, straight lines, a pancake-flat face. To avoid the cost of painting, the body panels are made of gray injection-molded polypropylene. Owners can select from an assortment of colored wraps and graphics packages, either applied at the factory or available as DIY kits. With the addition of an optional cargo top and a three-seat rear bench, America's most adorable pickup will become its most winsome SUV.

Inside, the Slate's minimalism makes the average Tesla seem lavish. The side windows are hand-cranked. The dashboard is open storage, lacking even a vestigial touch screen or audio system. Instead of an audio system, Slate will offer a universal mount for your mobile device with nearby USB connection. You can opt for built-in speakers or an under-dash mount for a bluetooth speaker.

Buyers will be able to select from a catalog of more than 100 accessories, either a la carte, or in bundles, from roof racks to wheel caps. The CAD files for many accessories are open-source, allowing owners to tweak designs and 3D-print parts that they can install without special tools or skills.

Should you think the Slate is still too big, stay tuned for the Telo MT1, a yet-even-snubbier pickup billed as combining a Toyota Tacoma-like capacity with a Mini Cooper-sized footprint. Among the figures of merit: an estimated 260-350 miles of range; 0-60 mph acceleration in as little as 3.5 seconds; up to 500 hp. Looking a bit like a toad in a corset, the single-motor MT1 starts at $41,520.

Thanks to its domestically supplied batteries (from SK On) and its point-of-assembly, the Slate would qualify for the current $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. However, it's an open question whether the EV credit can survive the current Administration's antipathy toward vehicle electrification.

Slate plans to set up manufacturing at a brownfield site in the town of Warsaw, Indiana. It's perhaps worth noting that the state has two Republican senators and seven Republican Congressmen out of a delegation of nine. Ending the federal tax credit would likely kneecap the Slate truck and threaten the 2,000 jobs the factory is expected to create.

All politics is local.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 30, 2025 17:00 ET (21:00 GMT)

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