Alright, we get it. Y’all are enthusiastic about Slate. We thought the little Slate Truck was cool, however primarily based on the variety of clicks and feedback on our Slate Auto articles to this point, you’d prefer to know extra. Many of you wrote in with questions and various individuals raised some doubts.
So, we needed to deal with as lots of these as we may. Here’s your one-stop store for Slate solutions primarily based in your questions — plus a number of of our personal.
What are the Slate’s full specs, and the way does it evaluate to a Ford Maverick or F-150?
The Slate is clearly a automobile constructed for on a regular basis utility, and whereas it’ll make for a helpful machine for hauling lots of issues, large towing and heavy cargo have been clearly not a prime precedence. Here are the important thing specs, in contrast towards the four-wheel drive hybrid Ford Maverick with the two.5-liter engine and a Ford F-150 4×2 with a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6.
| Slate Truck | Ford Maverick | Ford F-150 | |
| Horsepower (hp) | 201 | 191 | 325 |
| Curb weight (lbs) | 3,602 | 3,674 | 4,171 |
| Max payload (lbs) | 1,433 | 1,500 | 1,775 |
| Max towing (lbs) | 1,000 | 2,000 | 8,400 |
| Bed size (ft) | 5 | 4.5 | 5.5, 6.5, or 8 |
| Bed width (max / min, in) | 50 / 54.9 | 42.6 / 53.3 | 50.6 / 66.9 |
| Seats | 2 | 5 | 5 |
It’s value noting that these Ford numbers differ broadly primarily based on configuration. For instance, you will get a “4K Tow Package” on the Maverick that reinforces towing to 4,000 lbs, and the F-150 has a whole bunch of variations relying on want. Max towing on an F-150 is 13,500 lbs. The numbers above symbolize the figures quoted by Ford for a base, option-free automobile.
And one last notice: towing considerably reduces the effectivity of the tow automobile, because of the weight of the trailer and its extra aerodynamic drag. For an electrical automobile just like the Slate, that may absolutely end in decreased vary, maybe by as a lot as half relying on the trailer.
Where will the automobile be manufactured?
Slate has confirmed manufacturing will happen in a former catalog printing facility in Warsaw, Indiana, which closed in 2023. Slate hopes to renovate the ability and finally make use of 2,000 employees, with an annual manufacturing quantity of 150,000 automobiles. And the corporate is searching for tax abatements on the manufacturing facility website from the county authorities to start building. Full particulars on that right here.
That home manufacturing ought to imply that automobiles produced by Slate are eligible for the complete $7,500 federal rebate — if the credit score nonetheless exists late subsequent 12 months when the Truck enters manufacturing.
Does the Slate Truck have a mobile connection?
No, the Slate Truck doesn’t have built-in mobile connectivity. LTE is an more and more frequent characteristic in new vehicles, enabling auto producers to do all kinds of stuff, together with good issues like software program updates and a few maybe not so good issues like promoting your driving information.
For the previous, o-the-air updates will nonetheless be potential by way of the Slate smartphone app. Updates will likely be downloaded to the cellphone after which pushed to the Slate Truck by way of USB cable. As for the latter, that leads us to our subsequent query.
Will Slate harvest and promote my driving information?
Not your driving information, no, however you may add information in regards to the well being of your automobile. Jeff Jablansky, Slate Auto’s head of public relations and communications, gave us this instance:
“A ‘examine engine’ mild comes on: if the driving force has their cellphone plugged in and has opted in to information motion, the corporate will ship a notification to the Slate app to allow them to pay attention to potential service wants.”
Jablansky confirmed that no information will likely be bought to 3rd events.
Can I precondition my Slate Truck?
One of the fun of proudly owning a contemporary EV is straightforward preconditioning. Regardless of the place your automobile is parked, you will get the inside warmed up or cooled down from only a few faucets in your smartphone, all with out having to fret about filling your storage with carbon monoxide.
Can you try this within the Slate Truck? Maybe. The lack of mobile connection means you received’t be capable to wirelessly connect with your Truck from wherever, however Jablansky didn’t rule it out completely, saying, “This is one thing we’re engaged on by means of the app.”
Will Slate make fashions out there for designing 3D-printed equipment?
Ready to obtain some STL/3MF recordsdata at present and begin designing your final cupholder? Us, too, however we’ll must be affected person for a bit of bit. “The Maker neighborhood is extremely necessary to Slate, and we’re on observe towards delivering on this dedication nearer to launch,” Jablansky says.
So keep tuned on that entrance. Jablansky says this will even embrace particulars on third-party accent suppliers and licensing.
Why didn’t Slate use normal DIN slots for ease of putting in audio?
The DIN slot, also referred to as the ISO 7736 or Deutsches Institut für Normung 75490 slot, has lengthy been the usual for in-dash audio. Why, then, are there no DIN slots on the Slate Truck? Slate says it was to supply higher flexibility. “We needed to permit the shopper to select and select their equipment with out forcing mixtures of choices collectively in packages. This involves life in our audio technique to permit prospects to decide on to put in something from a Bluetooth speaker to a full audio system,” Jablansky says.
So the dangerous information is if you wish to use a typical DIN receiver, then you definitely’ll must DIY an enclosure for it. The excellent news is in the event you simply need to mount a Bluetooth sound bar, then you definitely received’t have to fret about filling any gaping rectangular holes within the dashboard.
Image: Slate Auto
Is a extra superior energetic driver help system within the works?
No. “Consistent with our broader strategy, we targeted our engineering to make a Slate an important truck to drive,” Jablansky says.
Keep these arms on the wheel, of us.
Why select a Truck to begin as an alternative of a sedan or compact SUV?
Cost and ease, it seems. Jablansky says that “a two-door kind issue meant much less materials, much less complexity, decrease value.” He provides that the lockable frunk means there’s sedan-like safe storage on your stuff, with the additional benefit of an enormous mattress out again. And, after all, you may add on the SUV equipment in the event you want extra seating or extra lined storage.
Will any particular instruments be required for any of the DIY upgrades and add-ons?
Per Jablansky, particular instruments should not anticipated to be required.
Will this factor actually promote for $20,000? What about tariffs? What if the EV incentives go away?
It’s a dynamic world and dynamic trade on the market proper now, however Slate isn’t backing down. “We are dedicated to our anticipated worth level of $20,000 after federal incentives,” Jablansky says, which suggests an MSRP of roughly $27,500. “If incentives go away, Slate will stay well-positioned within the U.S. with a powerful proposition of worth, security, and customization.”
Will these attributes be sufficient to woo individuals away from a Ford Maverick, which begins at simply over $28,000? We’ll have to attend and see.
Jablansky says that Slate can be dedicated to US manufacturing, which ought to fend off many of the tariff fears, and that the corporate continues to be on observe to begin manufacturing in 2026.
