Slate Truck: leaked starting price of $24,950 may give the EV pickup its main edge over Ford

Slate Auto hasn’t officially announced the price of its electric pickup yet, but the company’s own website appears to have done it for them, ahead of the official reveal. The source code of one page contained the figure $24,950, and for the US market that’s almost provocative: brand-new vehicles under $25,000 have become a rarity there.

According to Carscoops, the hidden line described the Slate Truck as a vehicle with “all the essentials” for the confidential price of $24,950. A similar number briefly surfaced on the brand’s retail site as well. There’s no official confirmation, but the figure fits Slate’s concept: a basic pickup with no extra electronics, a single cab, a simple interior and manual windows.

The real point isn’t that the Slate is cheap on its own. It’s that the company is trying to make it cheap differently than Ford. Ford’s upcoming electric pickup is expected to land at around $30,000, but it should be more conventional: a second row of seats, a screen and a normal set of comforts. Slate is going the opposite way — stripping out everything it can, then selling accessories, a bigger battery and even an SUV kit separately.

For the buyer, it’s almost a kit car: take a bare truck and add what you want later. But the value depends on how much those options actually cost. If a base Truck at $24,950 quickly turns into a $35,000 pickup once you add the battery, the roof and the comforts, the magic of the low price disappears.

Slate’s bet is risky but understandable: next to expensive trucks like the Silverado EV and Rivian R1T, it doesn’t come across as “poor” but as honestly pared down. Now it’s a matter of waiting until June 24 — that’s when we’ll find out whether this was a leak or a clever marketing hook.