Slate’s $24,950 EV truck aims to be anyone’s ride

Slate’s $24,950 – Slate, the Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup, unveiled a $24,950 starting price for a stripped-down electric pickup designed to be turned into everything from an SUV to a Wrangler-like open-air vehicle. The company says it drew more than 10,000 nonrefundable $300 p

A $24,950 electric truck may sound like a compromise—until you see the idea behind it: buy the bare minimum now, then turn it into whatever you want later.

Slate. the Jeff Bezos-backed auto startup. is pitching a stripped-down EV pickup it describes as a “blank slate.” This week. the company attached a price tag of $24. 950. It’s aiming straight at one of the thinnest slices of the U.S. auto market—new vehicles under $25,000. Edmunds data cited by Slate puts it at just 4.7% of new vehicles sold last year starting below that threshold. and the use of an electric powertrain makes the challenge even sharper.

The base truck is intentionally plain. It comes as a two-seat pickup with a small bed. steel wheels. and “almost no digital frills. ” including manual crank windows. Slate says it offers cruise control, tactile controls, and air conditioning, a feature executives initially debated during the design phase. What it doesn’t include at the starting point is an infotainment screen. interior speakers for music. and anything close to a full cabin experience out of the box. The estimate for range is 205 miles.

The company’s central promise is that buyers can add their preferred luxuries after purchase. Slate says it will offer more than 200 accessories and add-ons. That lineup includes vehicle wraps. seat covers. roof racks. light covers. a stereo. and interior tech—essentially turning the purchase into a platform rather than a finished product.

That approach is already attracting demand. Slate told Business Insider that more than 10,000 people placed nonrefundable $300 preorders in the first four hours after its website went live. The truck is expected to hit U.S. roads by the end of the year.

For buyers who want the “SUV” without starting from scratch, Slate is also selling body kits. The company offers two SUV options with a standard bench seat in the second row. Pricing starts at $29,950 for the squareback SUV and $31,950 for the sleeker Fastback. Slate says these kits turn the pickup’s open bed into interior space and lift capacity to five.

Beyond that, there’s an even more Jeep-like concept in the pipeline: an open-air kit “complete with a second-row roll bar.” Slate did not disclose pricing for this version.

If styling and decisions feel like work, Slate has tried to remove some of the friction with preconfigured builds. The company says it is offering starter packs: templates that shoppers can keep as-is or tweak using different colors. accessories. and features. Those starter options include “The Professional. ” described as an all-black Fastback. and the orange-accented “Hauler Back” pickup with a roof rack.

Customization isn’t limited to the cabin. Slate says it will support more than 100 wrap colors when the vehicle launches later this year. Buyers can choose from those 100+ wrap colors or create a custom color. Slate expects some full-vehicle wraps to cost less than $500. and says wrap installers trained by the company can change the truck’s color “in hours.”.

Because the $24,960 truck doesn’t come with painted body panels, Slate offers wrapping options directly from its website. Wrap kits start at $499.99 (not including installation) and go up to $1,599 for a custom color or design.

Nearly every surface is presented as a customization target. Slate says buyers can modify the headlights. taillights. truck bed. and rims. and can add roof racks. running boards. spare tires. tow hitches. bed organizers. light covers. decals. suspension lift kits. and other exterior accessories. In practice. the exterior parts business is designed to feel less like a traditional automaker’s lineup and more like a catalog.

Even inside, the same mix-and-match approach follows. Slate says buyers can customize with seat covers. storage add-ons. floor liners. pet accessories. tech mounts. and small comfort upgrades such as a door-mounted front armrest. Some pieces are described as snapping into the lifestyle-accessory bucket; others are “closer to mini DIY projects.” One example Slate gives is its $49.99 door-mounted armrest. rated “moderate” for installation difficulty.

With all these options, the headline price is just the first number. Slate’s own framing makes that clear: a truck that starts at $24,950 can be easy to push past $30,000.

Business Insider tested the company’s online building tool and found how quickly the total climbs. Its build was a pickup with 24 accessories, including a suspension lift, a custom wrap, and a Bluetooth speaker mount. Even with 10 of those accessories listed as “price coming soon,” the truck came closer to $31,000 than its $24,950 starting price.

Slate’s CEO, Peter Faricy, is also central to the story. The company says Faricy previously served as the former vice president of Amazon Marketplace.

The timeline is straightforward: Slate says the truck is expected to reach U.S. roads by the end of the year, with more than 100 wrap colors arriving when it launches later this year.

And if the early preorders are any signal, the market Slate is chasing isn’t just about owning an electric truck—it’s about building one, and doing it fast.

Slate EV truck $24 950 EV customization electric pickup Jeff Bezos-backed Peter Faricy preorders 205 miles range vehicle wraps SUV kits Fastback squareback Jeep-like open-air kit U.S. EV market under $25 000