The Slate EV Truck is an electric truck that the hosts are talking about. They’re questioning whether the advertised price of $24,950 is real and whether it’s a good deal.
“Developer tools” are built-in tools in a web browser that let someone inspect what’s going on behind the scenes on a website. Here, it’s how the tipster found hidden pricing info.
An NDA is a legal agreement that says you can’t share certain information. The hosts are pointing out that the leaked price would normally be protected by that kind of agreement.
Two-factor authorization is a security method that requires two different proofs to log in. Here, the hosts are using it as a metaphor: they think there are two separate clues supporting the same price rumor.
Spy shots are pictures people take of cars while they’re being tested before the company officially reveals them. In this discussion, they’re using those photos to talk about what the competition might cost.
Rear-seat access is how easy it is to get into and out of the back seats, including whether you can do it quickly and safely. The host argues that Slate’s two-door approach makes rear entry harder than a four-door truck, which can shrink the buyer audience.
The Ford Edge is a mid-size SUV made by Ford. It’s designed for regular driving with extra space compared to a sedan. The podcast is likely pointing out something about how it looks from the outside.
They’re talking about how hard it is to use a car seat in a two-door vehicle. If it’s annoying to load kids in and out, fewer families will want the car.
Crank windows are windows you open and close by turning a handle by hand. They don’t use power, but if the mechanism is set up well, they can be easy to operate.
Manual locks mean you lock and unlock the doors using a physical mechanism (like a lever or switch), not by power. The hosts mention them as part of the truck’s more basic setup.
“Entry level batteries” refers to the base battery pack option offered in the EV lineup, typically with the smallest capacity. The host compares expected range from the Slate’s entry pack (~150 miles) to a Ford’s entry pack (~300 miles) to question whether the price difference is justified.
“Cool factor” is the idea that buyers don’t always choose cars purely on rational metrics like range, features, or cost. The host argues that some people will value the truck’s styling/identity and simplified approach even if it’s not the most efficient or feature-rich option.
Livery is the design or branding you put on a vehicle, like a company logo and colors. The host is saying this truck’s shape makes it easy to add that kind of branding.
The Chevrolet Bolt is an electric car that’s often used as an example of a relatively affordable EV. Here, the hosts are using it to compare what the Slate EV truck costs.
“500 miles” is how far the vehicle can drive on one full charge. The hosts are saying the EVs they’re comparing can go a long way before you need to plug in.
Infotainment systems are the car’s built-in screen and electronics for things like music, maps, and phone connections. The hosts are saying these EVs come with that kind of tech.
MSRP is the official “sticker price” the manufacturer lists for a car. It’s not always the final price you pay, but it’s a common starting point for comparing deals.
A loss leader is when a company prices something very low at first to get people interested. The host is asking whether the truck could be cheap initially and then cost more later.
The Tesla Cybertruck is an electric pickup truck. It runs on batteries instead of gasoline. The podcast is mentioning that the price changed after the first wave of sales or interest.
A hatchback is a car where the back opens like a door that swings upward, letting you reach the cargo area. The host is saying one Slate configuration looks more like that kind of practical, fun shape.
A fastback is a car shape where the roof smoothly slopes down toward the back in one continuous line. The host is saying the Slate could have been made that way, but they chose not to.
The G-Class is a luxury SUV that’s also built to handle rough roads. It’s known for its very recognizable, boxy shape. The podcast is talking about why people would pay a lot of money for it.
In this context, “branding” means the emotional and identity value a vehicle carries—how it signals who you are—rather than purely its engineering specs. The host argues that buyers often choose cars for uniqueness, style, and “flavor,” even when the spreadsheet case isn’t strong.
The host is talking about cars that charge you monthly or yearly to use certain features. They’re saying the Slate is appealing to people who don’t want their car to feel like it’s locked behind subscriptions.
They’re talking about the Slate electric truck and why its simple, stripped-down interior is supposed to be part of the appeal. The host says that if it feels too much like a normal, boring vehicle inside, people won’t want it—even if it’s aerodynamic or priced well.
A “wrap” is a vinyl (or similar) exterior covering applied over the vehicle’s paint to change its color, graphics, or finish. In this discussion, the speaker treats the wrap as part of the truck’s visual identity—one of the reasons it feels “cool” rather than generic.
That phrase means the windows and door locks are operated with buttons/electric controls instead of hand-cranking or manual locks. The host is contrasting that kind of convenience with the Slate’s stripped-down interior.
They mention the Ford Escape as the “normal” baseline. The idea is: if the Slate truck’s interior feels like a typical everyday Ford, it won’t have the distinctive appeal that makes people want the Slate.
A “leak” is when information comes out before the company officially says it. They’re wondering if the price number was shared intentionally as a way to get people talking and set expectations.
Suspension is what helps the truck absorb bumps and keep the tires planted. When the hosts say it “rocks” as it moves, they’re talking about how the ride and handling feel over uneven surfaces.
Range is how far an electric vehicle can drive on one charge. “Double the range” means the Ford might be able to travel about twice as far before it needs charging.
Game theory is about how people or companies make choices based on what they think others will do. The hosts are using it to explain how EV pricing and marketing might play out between companies and buyers.
Oldsmobile is a classic American car brand. The hosts are saying the name “REO” might be connected to Ransom Eli Olds, the person behind the Oldsmobile name.
The Oldsmobile Curved Dash is an early car model made by Oldsmobile. It’s called “Curved Dash” because the dashboard shape is curved. The podcast is mentioning it as a specific historical detail they hope to cover.
The Ford Model T is a very old car made by Ford. It’s famous for being one of the first cars that many people could afford. The podcast is comparing it to earlier cars and talking about how mass production changed things.
This describes the truck’s cargo area: a flatbed made of steel, with sides that can drop down to help load things. The host thinks it would be a great feature if the truck really has it.
“Federalize” here means getting a vehicle approved to meet U.S. safety/emissions rules so it can be sold legally. The host is suggesting that imported trucks might need this step.
Rebadging means taking a car or truck made by another company and selling it under a different brand name. The host is basically asking if that’s what’s happening here.
They’re wondering if the truck is being brought in from China. That can affect how easy it is to get parts, and whether the vehicle needs extra work to be legal and supported in the U.S.
Miles range per tank tells you roughly how far a gas car can go before you have to fill up again. Real-world results can be different depending on how you drive.
A four-cylinder engine is an engine with four pistons doing the work. It’s often used in smaller vehicles because it can be more efficient than bigger engines.
Average transaction price is basically the average “what people actually pay” for a car. The hosts are saying buyers don’t want to pay around $50k anymore, so cheaper options may do better.
LIVE
Welcome to we're going to start this again with all we called we're called the car garbage
time. We're called garbage time. Okay. It's garbage time or garbage time by the utopian
or something. All right. Welcome to garbage time by the utopian. It's our podcast in which
we spew flaming hot takes about cars. Today we have breaking news. This is actually an
emergency podcast. Yeah, which has become quite prevalent in the world emergency podcast. They're
a big deal. And today's emergency has nothing to do with our sold out track drive that we're doing
up in New York. Yes, right. We do events to the utopian great ones with members. This could be
Lime Rock track, by the way, Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. Great. Okay, folks, we got to get
to the breaking news slate. We have the pricing on the slate. It's officially not official. We
found this out thanks to a tipster an utopian out there in the world who was nosy and poking
through the source code of the website. He went to the developer tools thing said look at source,
which is honestly a good thing to do every now and then. And in the develop in the source code,
he found something that says and I'm just going to read you this is right from the metadata. So
it's the part that doesn't get shown on the site. This is crazy. It is crazy because it's okay. So
there's a quote in here. I'll skip all the computer code says the slate truck has all the
essentials for the confidential all caps price of $24,950. And then here's the best part,
there's a parent parenthetical that says reminder, we're all still under NDA and prohibited from
sharing this. This is crazy to me. This cannot be an actual blunder. This seems like such a bad
mistake. How could you get this part of me is like maybe this is some like silly slate marketing.
Because yeah, it's like a plan because why why would you put this in the code? It's crazy. Well,
let me remind you this. Okay, I got to remind you all before the slate debuted about a year ago,
whatever that was, I received an email from a tipster saying, Hey, just letting you know,
there's this mysterious car in Venice Beach, you might want to check it out. And I go to Venice
Beach, right? And sure enough, the slate truck is sitting on the side of the road and I get the
first picture up in the whole world. And so then I go to the slate event and Slate's team comes up
to me and they're like, man, we love everyone loved your story. And I was like, and they were
talking about it as if like, it was their plan. And it was they admitted they sent me an email
as a tipster. Now, this I think is this is first off this isn't the same account. So I don't know.
And this was too different. We got we got two different tip. I don't know this this could either
be we should clarify David because not only did we get the tip about the stuff embedded in the
source code, but we also got another tip from another reader who saw there was briefly up
part of Slate's website, where you could I think the part where you could plan or it was their
fact like how much is this thing where there it is it says the blank slate, which is what they
call their their entry level vehicle is the same price 24,950. So that happened that got taken down.
And then this other person found what was embedded in the source code. A few other outlets saw the
site that was taken down. I don't know that anyone else saw the source code.
But right. This is basically two factor authorization right here. We've got two things
we're good to go. And it is I am suspicious too, David, like I feel like it doesn't hurt them
because they get two news bumps this way. If it gets leaked out, and we all get excited and look
what we found here's the price, then they get to come out with the actual price. And, you know,
they get an extra little little no, but here's the thing. If you say this is some kind of
play some marketing play. Sure. How can you win here really if this this is either the price
in which case, yeah, okay, fine, whatever, or it's higher than the price, but how much higher
can it really be really? I mean, that's the other way. If it comes in lower, then they get a second
news bump. There's no way it can go higher because they're screwed. If this is a mistake,
and this thing was actually supposed to be like 28 grand, their bones like there's no way it's
going to be 28 grand. Yeah, okay, we got to talk about the price itself 24 950 the alleged price.
Yeah. That is the number that I wrote on my article this week. I wrote an article saying how
cheap does the slate truck have to be to be competitive. And basically this was kind of in
the wake of our spy shots of the $30,000 Ford EV pickup truck, which by the way,
is expected to have electric windows and, you know, features. And most importantly,
the Ford truck is expected to have four doors. Okay. Yeah, it's a double cab. So there's a four
truck, the slate truck, okay, single cab. Yeah, manual windows, manual locks, no radio, and
the biggest problem is has been highlighted by a recent ad that I found from slate.
It is an ad showing how to get into the backseat. Okay, this I think is the biggest risk for slate
as a company. If the Ford is 30 grand and the slate is 25. Okay, first, okay, what we're looking
at here is a screenshot of how to get into the backseat. You have to pull a lever at the front.
This is just step one. That's only step one. Why is that not all the steps right there?
And then yeah, see, so he's pulling a lever to move the seat forward and then a second lever
to tilt it back. Now, I've had I've had two door cars for years. I've definitely had cars where
one lever slides the seat forward and tilts it at the same time. Of course. That's been around for
decades. Why I know it's silly. And then if you look closely, what is going on there behind the
Yeah, it's like, it looks like there's just a ragged edge. There's something that looks a little
bit unrefined, so to speak. And here's a bigger issue. The bigger issue is this, if it's 25 grand
and the Ford is 30, and we don't know if Ford is actually going to hit 30. Okay, they have the economies
of scale to possibly do it. But five grand is not nothing, right? That's I think really right on the
edge of this making sense. But here's the thing. Getting into a two door car is a pain in the butt.
Getting a child seat into a two door car is a huge pain in the butt. This limits the audience.
And this this commercial that they shot, they actually used a parkour guy, a parkour, what do
you call parkour or parkourist or Korean? By the way, I'm not like in marketing or advertising.
But if I'm trying to show how easy it is to get into a backseat, I'm 85 year old from the old
home. Don't hire a gymnast, basically. Look at this. This is a gymnast. And does that look easy
to get into? No, you don't want a gymnast for this. No, I don't get this commercial. If anything,
it highlights the biggest risk for sleep. And that is having only two doors in a market that has at
least a recent history. This was not like two doors. This should have had someone putting
aside a walker to get in the back of the car, not a parkour guy. Like, yeah, this is the wrong
thing here. I don't know. And the thing is, even in my little so I have a little that little niece
on pal I have. So this seat has a lever to move it forward. And then it also has for the person in
the back a little, a little thing you could push with your foot and it flips the seat forward
also. Well, maybe there's something like that on this that we're not seeing, but maybe we don't
they're not making their own seats, though, like they can't be like they have to come from some
supplier, right? The point is like the fact that it's a two step process to get in the backseat
that they require the parkour person to get in there. Unfortunately, what it's doing is it's
shining the spotlight on the weakest element of this product. Look, the crank windows charming
in a way manual locks. It's honestly not that hard to crank. Oh, no. And if the window is designed
to be cranked from the get go, it's actually pretty easy. Like yeah, crank windows are easy.
If this were a four door truck, and it just had manual windows and locks and no radio,
five grand over 30. You know, that's like a significant percentage, right? Like that's
that's not nothing. So the range is the other concern. The rate ranges the other concern,
by the way, the entry level batteries expected to go about 150 miles. The Ford's entry level
batteries expected to go 300. How does that make sense for a five grand delta? Anyway,
the point is a lot of people are concerned, but there's one thing you shouldn't be concerned
about. And that is the cool factor. Look at these slate trucks. They are so cool. And car buying
is not purely rational. It's never maybe maybe this will work out in a weird way.
I think there's people who want no screen on their dash and who want
an aggressively simplified vehicle. Also, fleets. This is ideal for a fleet vehicle.
Like the flat sides are ideal for putting livery on for making you know, for like
putting graphics on like this could be a great fleet vehicle thing. And they could compensate,
you know, for sales that way too. You know what I also like this thing comes out of 25.
In a couple years, people are buying these for like 16, 17, and it's like basically brand new,
you know, theoretically, that's phenomenal. I mean, this is the ultimate high schoolers'
first car. It's supposed to be safe. It's efficient. It's practical. It's very cool.
Anyway, that also just for reference, the cheapest EV you can buy period, I believe is the Bolt,
which is about 20 just under 29,000. So this should be the cheapest EV on the market period.
Yeah, I know. But here's the other issue. Yeah, it's the cheapest EV. It's not the cheapest car
not by a long shot. No, and is the cheapest car not by a long shot. I don't want to say not by a
long shot. There are cars you can buy in the low 20s. I think the Kia Seltos is probably under 25.
You can get a tracks for around 25 and these cars all have the ability to drive 500 miles
without having to charge. And they also have the ability to roll up windows using electricity
and they have infotainment systems. The venue is right at about 20. The tracks is about 22.
Yeah, so they're there, but they're also a lot less cool than this is, which is a fact.
Okay, here's the question. How much should this cost?
Oh, has it gone? That's what I said. Okay, I said 25.
The track. We were just told by our publisher that the tracks is up to 25,
which is exactly the number I said. But so I think we're okay. Anyway,
how inexpensive does the slate need to be? You know, if it's not 25, this is the question we
asked our audience. This is the Fort Maverick. This now it used to be under 30. You used to be
able to buy this. Oh, really? It was under 20. I think it started under 20. And I think that's
yeah, that's what the slate would have to be like for guaranteed success. If the slate came in
1950 guaranteed success, 24, 950. I don't know as much. I feel like for under 20, there's like a
mental switch there. I think people would be willing to forgive a lot of things, even the
single cabotude of it. By the way, one of the first stories I wrote about the slate was that
it should be a gasoline vehicle that costs like 17,000. That would have been a huge win. If they
had a little inline four turbo and sold it for, yeah, 17th Dear God, that would have been. Oh,
wow. You can buy a Maverick for Thurs. The cheapest Maverick is 31. So it really has gone up quite
a bit. It has gone quite up a bit. Delivered. Okay. Yeah. So that's 31. Yeah. So the MSRP is 20.
So that's only $3,145 more expensive. And if I'm choosing between, oh, is this a hybrid? Is the
base car the, the base used to be, I remember the original under 21 was a hybrid. That was the
base model, which was great. That was a cool car. I thought they changed, changed the
base to the not, I cannot remember. But if this is the hybrid, then it's kind of tricky to me.
The slate's just going to have to win on cool factor because on paper, it may not really
make a ton of sense. Do you think, anyway, do you think this is going to, this price is going to
stay? Or do you think they're going to do a loss leader kind of thing and kind of do like what
Tesla did with the Cybertruck and then jack the price up after the first few months?
I don't know. Because look, here's what I want to kind of emphasize here. Like, obviously,
it sounds like we're being critical. It's got two doors. It doesn't have a ton of range. You can get
a Maverick for not that much more and you can do a whole lot more with it. But can you do a whole
lot more with it? See, this is the cool thing about the slate. It's just modular and it's got this
charm to it. And I love it. You know, I would, I love a little, like, look at this version that
makes it like a little hatchback. Like, that's just fun. They did not have to make a fastback
version of it. Can you go to the next slide? I think they make a, do they make a squared off
version of it? They do. They make a squared off one. Or I'm pretty sure that, yeah. Look,
they did not have to do that. Isn't that great? It's like extra complexity just for a little
triangular section. But they know it's, it's a cool factor. And so if you look at the auto industry,
we would be such hypocrites if we said, well, on paper, this doesn't make sense.
Look, most cars, a lot of cars, like people buy G wagons for a hundred grand. Why would you spend
that much more than a process? Zero cents. But it's about branding. It's about uniqueness. It's
about style. It's about, you know, flavor. I mean, it's a statement to be made. Like people who are
driving this are making a statement about themselves. They're a little sick of technology.
This is a car about a blowback to everything being a subscription and the car following all your
motions and data everywhere you go. This is a reaction against that. And I think there's a
lot of people who feel that way and who would like it. I love the bareness of it. I think,
I think it's extremely appealing. And, you know, it's like, look at this with just a phone holder,
no center screen that does that. I've heard so many people just complain like, this is all they
want. Here you go. Now's your chance. Well, here's a question. Okay. Let's just say
you're sitting in your slate. It's this cool truck. You got a cool wrap on it. You've got that wacky
interior with no features. And then your friend rolls up and they're in this Ford and it's got,
you know, power windows and locks and it's like more of a normal vehicle. I don't think you're
going to really, unless this thing, you know, unless this Ford has, it's going to have to be
cool. This is the thing about it. Cool factor matters. So this car, it can't just be a super
aerodynamic truck. That's like a Ford escape inside. It can't be that way. It cannot, you cannot
feel like you're driving a Ford escape on the inside and it's just an aerodynamic truck. It's
got to have something, a cool, because cool factor matters. Otherwise, people are going to get the
slate. You'll roll up and you're 30 grand forward and you're going to say, look at all this I got
for only five grand more. You're going to say, I don't care. Look at this. This thing is cool.
You're not buying a slate if that stuff ever mattered to you either. You know that going in.
If that was what you wanted, you, you're not even looking at a slate. So I think slate is
is banking on the fact that there's a group of people who have made a decision not to get
a dog.
Anyway, 24 950 is the leaked on purpose or not. Who knows price of the slate pickup.
That long last after a long time, we finally have what we think is the figure. And I think it's
right on the, right on the border in terms of what I would personally by the way, one quick thing.
Notice. So this, this slate is into some of the fake library they did and it says much ado about
nothing. And it's a landscaping truck. I feel like they missed a thing. This could have been much
ado about mulching. And I think that would have been no, it says mulch ado about nothing. It's
even better mulch ado. Oh, I got to get better glasses. Oh, it does seem they nailed it. I
apologize slate that there is a major apology required. Yeah, well, look, I'm glad we caught it.
Thank you. Wow. Joy straight. I mean, they're killing it with the punch. It's good. Yeah,
no, they're doing a good job. Oh, wait, you know, what else is a nice detail? Matt, scroll again,
sideways. The trucks kind of rock and their suspension when they go back and forth. Oh,
it's nice. That's nice. It's like a forward edge vibe. This one is lower and with lower
wheels and I mean, that's the thing, you know, I want them to succeed. We need to step back
for a second. And instead of just comparing it to things, we need to say this is a legitimately
cool car that you can buy for 25 grand. That alone is a triumph, especially for us car enthusiasts.
And I don't think it's going to eat into the Ford small EV sales too much because I think
the Ford is going to have some advantages. If you want all the extra modern features,
it's got them and it may have double the range. I don't think those are the same markets. I think
Slate's going to have its own market and the Ford one is going to have its own market. And the good
news is there's going to be more choices for cool cheap trucks for everybody. And that's a win for
no matter what. So we need to talk about the game theory of all this. Like
we did mention this before, but really the thing that keeps coming to mind and the thing that readers
are bringing up is this seems like a boneheaded mistake for Slate to make to have the pricing
in the metadata is one thing. But to have a note like that, don't tell anyone. And then
you also have it apparently show up on the site and then be deleted. And then we reached out to
Slate and we've basically gotten crickets. Something about the guy turned off his notifications,
the PR rep we talked to, which suggests a lot of people are reaching out to him. But Slate seems
so intentional about what they do. Like the way that they sort of gorilla marketed the car when
it came out, the way that they're making, I don't know. But then again, we just saw that
two door advertisement, which was a bad advertisement. So maybe there are mistakes being
made. I don't know. They're just humans also. And maybe also. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So okay.
The Slate thing we're going to find out in a couple of days. Slate is inviting journalists
to an event in which they're going to announce the pricing formally and they're going to let us
ride in the vehicle. So we'll see if it's 24950 is it. I think it probably is. Either way, I'm
excited. I think it's one thing I'm not excited isn't the right word for. But one
thing I'm intrigued by is we just got a hit with a Twitter mention from a company called REO,
Rio, probably named after the Rio Oldsmobile or whatever. Ransom Eli, that was the initials,
Ransom Eli Oldsmobile. Olds, Olds, not Oldsmobile. Ransom Eli Olds. Yeah, yeah. Ransom Eli Olds.
There's an amazing museum in Lansing, Michigan, by the way. Anyway, hoping this has a curved dash,
because that would be a super deep cut if they did that. No, I mean, like, well, you know,
the curved dash Oldsmobile from 1901, it was yeah, the whole front of the car was like a
roll thing. We wouldn't really even call it a dashboard by modern standards. But their first
production car from like 1901 was called the curved dash Olds. And it was arguably the first
mass produced car even before the Model T, but the numbers were a lot smaller. But if they had a
reference to it here. Yeah, it would be cool. First off, what do we even I don't even know,
because if you Google Rio car, you get nothing. There's like nothing out there about this company.
What even is this? Is this just someone made an AI site and they're
alleging to have a company? Is there an actual company? I mean, I don't know.
I don't know. But it's supposedly a cheap gasoline powered truck. And apparently,
there are SUV variants starting at like under 22 grand. I don't know anything about this.
We're gonna have to do some did you see it says a steel drop side flatbed?
I wish that'd be amazing. That's what it's that's what it says. It reminds me, you know,
there was the only that there was that Toyota truck that was about this price that had a
steel drop side flatbed. But I doubt they're buying and rebadging and federalize those.
But all right, hold on. Is there any about section? It just says that they're based in Texas.
Is there any about section here at all? Maybe they're importing something from China,
federalizing something? Where's the money?
Here's the tier of the specs 215 600 miles range per tank, whatever it's a gas car, who cares about
that? How big is the comparison here? There's a Ford Maverick and Slade on the right side.
And they did it in line for some kind. Yeah, it's a gas four cylinder,
44 pound towing capacity. Again, don't know if this is real. Who's I want to know if
someone's backing because let's be real when we went to the Slade event and they said that Bezos
was somehow involved and they had some big dog investors. That's when we started taking them
seriously. We get enough emails from people who are not real. Who is throwing money into this?
And why are they not talking about themselves? Who's who's investing in them, etc.
Anyway, I just wanted to flag this. You know, we just wanted to flag this because it
kind of dig into that a little bit. It does seem like the world is clamoring for small trucks
and cars. Period. I think everyone's sick of paying average transaction price is close to 50
grand. I think everybody's broke. Nobody wants to pay 50 grand for a new car. And I think maybe
it's finally catching up. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, that that was our emergency podcast here at the
Utopian's Carbage Time. Check out our safe for more info on the Slade EV and come back next week for
a lot more info because I, unless they're going to boot me from the event, which I hope they don't
we didn't we didn't report anything that was embargoed. It was just no something we didn't
super amped about it. I mean, that's that should be the big thing is people are excited.
So hopefully, you know, I'll get a chance to sit in the car and shoot some content and get a lot
more info on the slate. The Utopian has been crushing it when it comes to scoops. We scoop those
for $30,000 universally EV photos, prototype photos. We scoop this price from the slate,
assuming it's real. If you have any tips about upcoming cars or just Google automotive stuff,
send those to tips at the Utopian.com. Thank you all for watching and listening.
About this episode
Hosts dig into a leaked/possibly intentional $24,950 price claim for the Slate EV truck and debate whether it’s real—or just metadata from a questionable site. They compare the number to a rumored ~$30k Ford EV pickup and even the Maverick’s rising price, arguing the Slate only makes sense if it stays near that threshold. The discussion also highlights practical tradeoffs like two-step backseat access, plus credibility questions about who’s funding the company and what details are missing.
As gearheads, I think we all appreciate the concept of looking under the hood. One of our readers does, too, except he likes looking under the hood of websites. Websites for, say, small EV pickup trucks that everyone desperately wants to know the price of . Yes, I’m talking about Slate, and yes, if you look under the hood of the company’s website, it appears that the price of the entry-level truck has been leaked.
I’m not entirely sure if “leaked” is the right word here; it’s in the source code to the web page on Slate Auto’s site titled How To Preorder, and the pricing information in the source code was spotted by a pleasingly nosy Autopian named Dave.
Is this real? is it a good price? David Tracy and Jason Torchinsky talk about it.
