Is the Slate Truck too slim for its own good?

The first thing you notice about the Slate Truck is its size. It’s small, which is amazing. In a country where trucks often come with their own zip code, the Slate’s truck is refreshingly compact, measuring 174.6 inches long, 70.6 inches wide and 69.3 inches high, and weighing in at about 3,602 pounds (1,634 kg). As a point of reference, it’s roughly the same size as the 1985 Toyota SR5 that Marty McFly owned from Back to the future.

But inside, that small feeling disappears, as I found myself with a generous amount of head and legroom. As a relatively tall man (over 6 feet) who often feels cramped in most vehicles, I couldn’t believe how much space I had in such a small truck.

According to Tisha Johnson, head of design at Slate, this is no coincidence. While many vehicles are designed with a maximum height of around 6 feet 1 inch, Slate wanted to create a more spacious and comfortable interior. She told me that the focus on spatial comfort aligns with the startup’s broader design philosophy of ease of use and accessibility.

I’ll admit that I’ve been skeptical about the Slate Truck since it was first announced last year. A two-seat electric pickup truck with no paint, no radio, no power windows, not even a dang cell connection – who is this for? In its attempt to build an electric truck that most people can afford, Slate left a lot on the cutting room floor. We’ve seen plenty of simple EVs before, but this one walked a very fine line between neat and sterile. After all, there are plenty of non-electric cars priced at an average price of $20,000 that also come with radios and navigation systems. How simple is too simple?

After sitting in the truck for just a minute, I was impressed. There’s a simplicity that feels almost hostile to the user, hiding important controls like gear shifting behind a digital interface that requires several taps and swipes before you get the desired response.

Then there’s Slate’s approach to simplicity, which focuses more on utility, affordability, and, most importantly, choice. As chief designer, Johnson brings with her several decades of experience, including 10 years at a small company known for its own brand of Swedish minimalism called Volvo. Johnson told me that during the Slate Truck design process, the team will discuss which features to keep and which features to get rid of.

“When we realize that we can delete something, and the cost of deleting is less, then we take care of the whole thing,” she said. “Because we say that the dollars we save making the car are dollars that go back to our customers.”

Often arguments get heated. At one point, Slate’s designers debated whether an HVAC system should be included. With climate change and extreme heat seemingly a permanent fixture of the future, Johnson knew the truck couldn’t afford to lose its air conditioning. So needless to say, the pro-HVAC side won.

“What I love about it is that it was an honest discussion,” Johnson said. “We had to grab the subject and pull it in. It wasn’t spontaneous.”

But other amenities, such as a stereo and built-in speakers, have been given up. The truck has a small speaker for legally required audio notifications, but that’s about it. Customers can install their own Bluetooth speakers, which the car is designed to accommodate. But otherwise, Slate’s philosophy is: Why make everyone pay for something that only a few people might want?

Of course, most people would probably prefer to have a built-in stereo system. But Slate believes it can attract people with a strong list of accessories and aftermarket equipment. Wraps, decals, chunky wheels, a raise-and-lower suspension system, and even a kit that turns the two-seat truck into a five-seat compact SUV. Slate wants to let its customers do customization.

The truck I saw was what the company calls a “blank slate” — no paint, no wraps, and nothing but faded gray body panels that had more than a few nicks and dents. (Slate made 20 prototypes that made plenty of hard trips to car shows and other promotional events over the past year.) But I’ve seen all the photos of Slate’s trucks in a variety of colors, including one that mimics the design of New York City’s famous “We’re Happy to Serve You” coffee cup. There will also be a range of 3D printed parts, such as grilles and taillight housings, that owners can swap in and out of the car. The idea is to let customers specify their truck, rather than choosing from a pre-determined list of trims, Johnson said.

“Do they want to start with a truck, and get an SUV package later? What works for them? That’s an important story for us,” she said. “Some people will say, ‘Well, these are my dollars now. Let me get that truck.’ And two years later they’ll say, ‘Well, I’m in a different situation now.’”

This commitment to simplicity and affordability will lead to some important trade-offs. For example, the upright design of the truck will create more wind resistance making it difficult to maximize aerodynamic range. That’s why many electric vehicles these days take the form of blobs or tears. Currently, Slate offers the truck in two battery configurations: a 53-kWh battery that offers an EPA-estimated range of 150 miles and an 84-kWh pack with a range of up to 240 miles.

None of these numbers are impressive. Even the Chevy Bolt can get up to 260 miles of range, and starts at about the same price as the Slate Truck. The Bolt comes with power windows, a radio, and in-car navigation…you know, everything we expect when we buy a new car.

Johnson said those trade-offs come from “real clarity” about how people are likely to use the Slate Truck, which is an urban vehicle for daily driving or commuting. “Every chance we got, we questioned the conventional approach to things,” she said. “So a mistake is a mistake. Yes, you have to deal with it in a very special way to improve performance.”

In other words, the Slate Truck doesn’t have to be a “bullet in space,” as Johnson described it. It could be much more than that. Thanks to the array of plugins, each one can look different from the other, without much hassle.

Will Slate’s bet pay off? This is without a doubt one of the worst times to launch a brand new electric vehicle. Or maybe this is the best time, with car prices and gas prices rising. This endlessly configurable two-seat minivan is probably just what the doctor ordered.

We won’t have to wait long to find out. Slate says the first trucks will reach customers at the end of 2026.

Photography by Owen Grove