- Slate’s website code seemingly revealed entry-level truck pricing before launch.
- Lineup apparently starts at $24,950 for an entry-level, no-frills, “Blank Slate” pickup.
- Rival electric pickup currently being teased by Ford is expected to cost around $30k.
Slate Auto is promising to deliver America’s most bare-bones electric pickup while so far keeping one crucial detail under wraps. Now it looks like the internet may have done what the company wouldn’t and uncovered the price ahead of the production truck’s official June 24 debut.
According to a report from The Autopian, eagle-eyed readers digging through the source code of Slate’s preorder website discovered text apparently referencing a starting price of $24,950.
Related: Slate’s EV Pickup Is So Cheap It’ll Make You Wrap It At Home
The figure wasn’t displayed publicly on the page itself, but was reportedly buried within metadata connected to site content, and read: “The Slate Truck has all the essentials for the CONFIDENTIAL price of $24,950 (reminder: we’re all still under NDA and prohibited from sharing this).”
Whether this counts as a genuine leak, an accidental oversight, or a carefully planted breadcrumb is up for debate. But it is backed up by a second leak spotted by an Autopian reader, this one more visible – if only temporarily – on Slate’s retail site that mentioned the same price.
If accurate, a $24,950 starting price would make the Slate Truck one of the cheapest new vehicles available in America, as well as one of the most basic. The standard model is designed around simplicity, featuring a regular cab layout, manually operated windows, and a stripped-back interior intended to keep costs under control.
Buyers wanting more creature comforts, a bigger battery or an SUV top can add them later. Slate’s entire business model revolves around offering a basic platform that owners can customize with accessories and upgrades over time.
Slate Playing David To Ford’s Goliath
This Slate news lands just as Ford begins teasing its own affordable electric pickup. Ford’s compact truck is expected to arrive around 2027 with a starting price near $30,000. Unlike the Slate, it appears to feature a proper second row as standard, a large touchscreen, and all the modern conveniences buyers now expect. Wind-up windows almost certainly won’t be among them.
That leaves the two trucks chasing value-focused customers from very different directions. Ford seems to be pursuing affordability through manufacturing efficiencies and a highly optimized platform. Slate is taking the opposite approach by deleting as much equipment as possible and trying to build cult appeal.
Unfortunately, neither electric truck is likely to achieve the low-$20,000 (or even sub-$20k) transaction price many shoppers hoped for. The disappearance of federal EV tax credits following policy changes last fall means the sticker prices will only head one way, and that’s up. Would a $25k price be low enough to tempt you into a Slate Truck, or would you be happy to shell out more for Ford’s equivalent?
