Alright, we get it. Y’all are enthusiastic about Slate. We thought the little Slate Truck was cool, however based mostly on the variety of clicks and feedback on our Slate Auto articles to date, you’d wish to know extra. A lot of you wrote in with questions and various folks raised some doubts.
So, we wished to handle as lots of these as we may. Right here’s your one-stop store for Slate solutions based mostly in your questions — plus a couple of of our personal.
What are the Slate’s full specs, and the way does it examine to a Ford Maverick or F-150?
The Slate is clearly a car constructed for on a regular basis utility, and whereas it’ll make for a helpful machine for hauling plenty of issues, large towing and heavy cargo have been clearly not a high precedence. Listed here are the important thing specs, in contrast in opposition to 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 |
| Mattress size (ft) | 5 | 4.5 | 5.5, 6.5, or 8 |
| Mattress 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 fluctuate extensively based mostly on configuration. For instance, you may get a “4K Tow Package deal” on the Maverick that enhances towing to 4,000 lbs, and the F-150 has tons of of variations relying on want. Max towing on an F-150 is 13,500 lbs. The numbers above signify the figures quoted by Ford for a base, option-free car.
And one last notice: towing considerably reduces the effectivity of the tow car, as a result of weight of the trailer and its further aerodynamic drag. For an electrical car just like the Slate, that can certainly end in decreased vary, maybe by as a lot as half relying on the trailer.
The place will the car 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 ultimately make use of 2,000 employees, with an annual manufacturing quantity of 150,000 autos. And the corporate is seeking tax abatements on the factory site from the county authorities to start building. Full particulars on that right here.
That home manufacturing ought to imply that autos produced by Slate are eligible for the total $7,500 federal rebate — if the credit score nonetheless exists late subsequent yr 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 knowledge.
For the previous, o-the-air updates will nonetheless be attainable by way of the Slate smartphone app. Updates might 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 knowledge?
Not your driving knowledge, no, however you’ll be able to add knowledge in regards to the well being of your car. Jeff Jablansky, Slate Auto’s head of public relations and communications, gave us this instance:
“A ‘verify engine’ mild comes on: if the motive force has their cellphone plugged in and has opted in to knowledge 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 knowledge might be bought to 3rd events.
Can I precondition my Slate Truck?
One of many joys of proudly owning a contemporary EV is simple preconditioning. No matter the place your automobile is parked, you may get the inside warmed up or cooled down from just some faucets in your smartphone, all with out having to fret about filling your storage with carbon monoxide.
Are you able to try this within the Slate Truck? Possibly. The dearth of mobile connection means you gained’t have the ability to wirelessly hook up with your Truck from anyplace, however Jablansky didn’t rule it out completely, saying, “That is one thing we’re engaged on by way of the app.”
Will Slate make fashions out there for designing 3D-printed equipment?
Able to obtain some STL/3MF recordsdata in the present day and begin designing your final cupholder? Us, too, however we’ll have to be affected person for just a little bit. “The Maker neighborhood is extremely vital 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 can even embody particulars on third-party accent suppliers and licensing.
Why didn’t Slate use customary DIN slots for ease of putting in audio?
The DIN slot, also called 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 wished to permit the client to select and select their equipment with out forcing combos of choices collectively in packages. This involves life in our audio technique to permit clients 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 definately’ll have to DIY an enclosure for it. The excellent news is should you simply wish to mount a Bluetooth sound bar, then you definately gained’t have to fret about filling any gaping rectangular holes within the dashboard.
Picture: Slate Auto
Is a extra superior energetic driver help system within the works?
No. “According to our broader method, we targeted our engineering to make a Slate a terrific truck to drive,” Jablansky says.
Hold these palms on the wheel, people.
Why select a Truck to begin as a substitute of a sedan or compact SUV?
Price and ease, it seems. Jablansky says that “a two-door kind issue meant much less materials, much less complexity, decrease price.” He provides that the lockable frunk means there’s sedan-like safe storage on your stuff, with the additional advantage of a giant mattress out again. And, after all, you’ll be able to add on the SUV equipment should you want extra seating or extra coated storage.
Will any particular instruments be required for any of the DIY upgrades and add-ons?
Per Jablansky, particular instruments aren’t 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 business on the market proper now, however Slate isn’t backing down. “We’re dedicated to our anticipated value level of $20,000 after federal incentives,” Jablansky says, which means an MSRP of roughly $27,500. “If incentives go away, Slate will stay well-positioned within the U.S. with a robust proposition of worth, security, and customization.”
Will these attributes be sufficient to woo folks away from a Ford Maverick, which begins at simply over $28,000? We’ll have to attend and see.
Jablansky says that Slate can also be dedicated to US manufacturing, which ought to fend off a lot of the tariff fears, and that the corporate continues to be on observe to begin manufacturing in 2026.