When it comes to its affordable electric truck, Slate is betting that less is more.
Tisha Johnson, the head of design at the buzzy Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup, told Business Insider that the Slate truck is for drivers who have had enough of overstuffed cockpits and confusing digital controls.
“People recognize that they don’t use half of what is afforded in the vehicle. And then they ask, openly they ask, ‘So why am I paying for this?'” Johnson said.
The Slate truck generated significant buzz when it was unveiled in April. The two-seater base version, which the company says will be priced in the mid-$20,000s, will ship without many features that come as standard on most cars, including stereos, screens, and even power windows.
Buyers can pay extra to add screens, radios, and other features as part of Slate’s personalization system — but Johnson said the minimalist design would help Slate stand out against the rest of the industry.
She added that consumers have reached a “tipping point” as automakers continue to fill their cars with everything from gesture controls to G-force meters.
A blank Slate
Slate is taking the opposite approach with its much-hyped affordable electric truck, which is set to go into production in 2026.
Johnson said that while the minimalist approach was partly aimed at reducing the cost of the truck, it was also a bet that customers wanted a vehicle that is functional and uncomplicated, and are less concerned with the bells and whistles.
“We do not have a speaker system in the vehicle. We have just what you need to hear alerts and to interact with the vehicle in a mode that is good for driving, and from there you can add on if you want to,” she said.
“It’s as much what you have as what you don’t have when you get inside the cabin of the Slate. So it’s not corrupted with a bunch of screens that are useless to people,” Johnson added.
Software speedbumps
As automakers embrace Tesla-style “software-defined vehicles,” many are eliminating manual controls and building increasingly complex infotainment systems — to the chagrin of some customers.
In February, some Jeep owners complained they were being bombarded with full-screen pop-up ads over their vehicle’s central screens, in what the carmaker said was a “temporary software glitch.”
Tesla has also faced backlash over its electronically powered door handles, which have been adopted by many of its rivals. Multiple lawsuits and regulatory complaints against Tesla have argued that the handles can become inoperable when the car’s low-voltage battery fails, making it difficult for passengers to evacuate during an emergency.
Some automakers have acknowledged that the push to go digital may have gone too far.
In March, Andreas Mindt, VW’s design chief, said future models would replace the brand’s digital controls with manual buttons. Mindt said that placing key controls on a screen was a “mistake,” adding “it’s not a phone: it’s a car.”
The early signs suggest Slate’s bet on minimalism has paid off. The startup attracted huge interest after it came out of stealth in April, and in December, its CEO, Chris Barman, said the company had received more than 150,000 refundable reservations.
It’s not been an entirely smooth ride for the young company. Like other EV makers, Slate has had to contend with the removal of the federal $7,500 tax credit for new electric vehicles, and the startup removed language suggesting its truck would start at “under $20,000” after incentives from its website in July.
Unless there is a sharp turnaround, Slate will be launching into a tough market for electric vehicles.
EV sales have plummeted since the removal of the tax credit, and manufacturers are revising their strategies amid predictions that demand for EVs will grow more slowly than initially expected over the next few years.
Built to last
Johnson, who joined Slate in 2022, said the company was also focused on making the Slate truck as durable as possible. She pointed to the truck’s crank windows as part of Slate’s strategy of positioning the truck as a “collector’s item” that could be passed down and worked on by families.
“We want the vehicle to be very robust. We want people to be able to own it or pass it on for many years. So you have to have enough touch points that are mechanical, that are going to withstand years of interaction,” said Johnson.
The US auto industry is dominated by large, gas-guzzling pickups, and EVs have struggled to break that stranglehold. Tesla’s Cybertruck and Ford’s F-150 Lightning, the two most prominent electric trucks, have both been sales disappointments, selling just 16,000 and 23,000 units, respectively, in the first nine months of the year.
Slate broke the mould by betting on a small, affordable pickup, and other manufacturers are beginning to follow suit. Ford announced in August that it would launch its new EV platform with a “midsize” $30,000 electric truck in 2027, and Toyota is also reportedly considering launching a compact pickup in the US.
For Johnson, the shift is a validation of Slate’s approach and proof that smaller pickups are “missing from the landscape.”
“If we’re stimulating the industry to do things differently, then we’re doing the right thing, because the problem is an industry problem. There’s a void in the market,” she said.
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