JTL2017 Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 Simply too high. I like the concept of the slate truck but, honestly, it should start at $15,000. There’s no possible way a small two-door truck with crank windows, a cheap interior, no screens, poor range, and no AWD should start at the current price. Now that the Ford EV truck is coming, it just doesn’t make sense to own this unless you are infatuated with the idea of the two-door truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan20 Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 On 6/20/2026 at 11:38 AM, T-dubz said: I think you are right, fleet will probably be its biggest success, but its limited range could affect what kind of businesses can use it. Range is more than enough for many kinds of businesses that have fleets of light duty pickup trucks used primarily for local and regional operations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-dubz Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 50 minutes ago, morgan20 said: Range is more than enough for many kinds of businesses that have fleets of light duty pickup trucks used primarily for local and regional operations. 205 is higher than the originally announced 150 range. It really depends on your service area. If you only service a small area, it would probably be fine. If you service large cities and their surrounding suburbs, you’d be cutting it close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-dubz Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 This would have been perfect for a kids first vehicle if it came in around 15k. Enough range to get them to school, their job, or a friends house. With limited funds, they don’t have to pay for gas. Not a lot of distractions in the vehicle. Too bad it’s 10k too expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 24 Author Share Posted June 24 I'm skeptical of this product and how it will do.... After seeing the official pricepoint and option costs, I can see the appeal of a cheap "who cares" type truck, and it seems like a great concept.....however, given its lack of features I feel it will struggle to find buyers even at the $25k starting price point. I think most of today's buyers are conditioned for a certain level of standard features (i.e. auto transmissions, power windows are two quick examples of previously "cheap" items that wouldn't be standard that have now become standard in nearly everything), and that once most buyers see that, they'll start checking option boxes and quickly realize how many things they'll have to add where you start getting into the price brackets of other vehicles. I think there'll be a market, I'm just not sure how strong/deep of a market. I added some features, and the total quickly ballooned to $29k not including an unknown destination charge. Sure there were some options that could be nixed, but still... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-dubz Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 9 minutes ago, rmc523 said: I'm skeptical of this product and how it will do.... After seeing the official pricepoint and option costs, I can see the appeal of a cheap "who cares" type truck, and it seems like a great concept.....however, given its lack of features I feel it will struggle to find buyers even at the $25k starting price point. I think most of today's buyers are conditioned for a certain level of standard features (i.e. auto transmissions, power windows are two quick examples of previously "cheap" items that wouldn't be standard that have now become standard in nearly everything), and that once most buyers see that, they'll start checking option boxes and quickly realize how many things they'll have to add where you start getting into the price brackets of other vehicles. I think there'll be a market, I'm just not sure how strong/deep of a market. I added some features, and the total quickly ballooned to $29k not including an unknown destination charge. Sure there were some options that could be nixed, but still... Yeah, I built one. With a wrap, upgraded head and tail lights, fog lights, upgraded bumpers, center console, speakers, and a few other small items, I was already at 29k. And that’s still without most of the creature comforts most people are used to. im guessing the battery pack costs slate maybe 5-7k? Even in the blank slate, I can’t see how everything else besides the battery costs 18-20k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan20 Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 16 minutes ago, T-dubz said: Yeah, I built one. With a wrap, upgraded head and tail lights, fog lights, upgraded bumpers, center console, speakers, and a few other small items, I was already at 29k. Slate also has some pre-configured designs in the Need Some Inspiration? section of the site. The High Visibility design is about $29k before taxes and fees. Not bad for folks who appreciate the minimalist, DIY approach to cars and trucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 Keep in mind you have to install the accessories yourself. I definitely wouldn't want to be in charge of putting the wrap on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 24 Author Share Posted June 24 47 minutes ago, T-dubz said: Yeah, I built one. With a wrap, upgraded head and tail lights, fog lights, upgraded bumpers, center console, speakers, and a few other small items, I was already at 29k. And that’s still without most of the creature comforts most people are used to. im guessing the battery pack costs slate maybe 5-7k? Even in the blank slate, I can’t see how everything else besides the battery costs 18-20k. Yup, at that point, I'd just go with a Maverick and have more stuff standard. 5 minutes ago, fordmantpw said: Keep in mind you have to install the accessories yourself. I definitely wouldn't want to be in charge of putting the wrap on! What I haven't figured out is even if you order it with all those things, they still make it "blank" and then ship you the parts in the bed essentially? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 24 Author Share Posted June 24 I didn't even see power windows on the option list, unless I just missed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 24 Author Share Posted June 24 Perhaps anecdotal evidence, but I saw two posts on Instagram about the Slate truck, and the majority of them were talking about it's too expensive for what you get (or rather don't get). If this thing were $5k cheaper, they'd be on to something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 35 minutes ago, rmc523 said: What I haven't figured out is even if you order it with all those things, they still make it "blank" and then ship you the parts in the bed essentially? That's the way it seems. They list on the options how difficult the install is so you know what you're getting yourself into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 24 Author Share Posted June 24 29 minutes ago, fordmantpw said: That's the way it seems. They list on the options how difficult the install is so you know what you're getting yourself into. Some seem easy/fun to do. Others (like the wrap), not so much... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan20 Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 33 minutes ago, fordmantpw said: They list on the options how difficult the install is so you know what you're getting yourself into. 3 minutes ago, rmc523 said: Some seem easy/fun to do. Others (like the wrap), not so much... Yea, Slate seems to be honest and direct about the level of difficulty and time + people commitment required: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-dubz Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 I wonder how much the body panels cost? Seems like a good idea to be able to unscrew and replace one on your own. This would be especially nice for off road vehicles prone to getting scratched or dented. On bronco for example, you could easily switch between round stock fenders or the heritage style just with a few screws. Got in a fender bender? Just replace the panel yourself, no insurance and body shop needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-dubz Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 6 minutes ago, rmc523 said: Some seem easy/fun to do. Others (like the wrap), not so much... I can’t put stickers straight on my kids Legos. I’m not even gonna attempt to put a wrap on 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 15 hours ago, T-dubz said: I can’t put stickers straight on my kids Legos. I’m not even gonna attempt to put a wrap on 😂 Same here! I always let the wife put the lego stickers on! 😄 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 25 Author Share Posted June 25 16 hours ago, morgan20 said: Yea, Slate seems to be honest and direct about the level of difficulty and time + people commitment required: Yeah, I do appreciate that they put that information on their site! 16 hours ago, T-dubz said: I wonder how much the body panels cost? Seems like a good idea to be able to unscrew and replace one on your own. This would be especially nice for off road vehicles prone to getting scratched or dented. On bronco for example, you could easily switch between round stock fenders or the heritage style just with a few screws. Got in a fender bender? Just replace the panel yourself, no insurance and body shop needed. I THINK that Bronco's fenders are technically more removable/replaceable than a typical SUV - I know the rear ones are held on by bolts on top, but I have no interest in trying to change them lol.......I prefer the rounded wheel wells anyway. Not as easy as what slate has with exposed bolts, but still... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 25 Author Share Posted June 25 Some new company claims they're coming out with a similar small truck, but gas powered for about $4k less than the Slate. We'll see if it actually makes it... America’s New $21,500 Mini Gas Truck Has A Manual And 600-Mile Range - Autoblog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenKohnen Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 2 hours ago, rmc523 said: I THINK that Bronco's fenders are technically more removable/replaceable than a typical SUV - I know the rear ones are held on by bolts on top, but I have no interest in trying to change them lol.......I prefer the rounded wheel wells anyway. Not as easy as what slate has with exposed bolts, but still... I just checked the one in the showroom here. The front fenders are bolted in place, and I'd agree, it's not something I'd want to screw around with much. That said, the fender flares are MUCH more modular, held in place with a bunch of quarter-turn lock levers. We'd swapped out flares on a couple guys' Broncos on my old team. One had a Badlands and wanted the smaller flares, the other had a Big Bend and wanted the bigger flares. They were discussing how much it would cost to order replacements when I walked by and said "why don't you guys just exchange flares?". They hadn't known how easy they came off. 😄 Showed my wife the Slate's base pricing as listed. She has... opinions... on the SUV version. The truck one, too, but her reaction was (mildly edited to be family friendly): "that fastback is f***in grody. It brought out the 80s in me. It's that yucky. And they have the balls to charge more for that s***?!?!?!" She was the original car person in our household, grew up in dealerships, learned to drive in an off-road racing VW Beetle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzcat Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 (edited) The manual crank window is stupid... performance art for performance art sake. It doesn't save costs and I predict will be gone within 6 months of launch when actual customers want power windows. I'm wondering if Amazon will place a big order for its grocery or in-home delivery service which doesn't use the big vans. Edited June 25 by bzcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 25 Author Share Posted June 25 14 minutes ago, BenKohnen said: I just checked the one in the showroom here. The front fenders are bolted in place, and I'd agree, it's not something I'd want to screw around with much. That said, the fender flares are MUCH more modular, held in place with a bunch of quarter-turn lock levers. We'd swapped out flares on a couple guys' Broncos on my old team. One had a Badlands and wanted the smaller flares, the other had a Big Bend and wanted the bigger flares. They were discussing how much it would cost to order replacements when I walked by and said "why don't you guys just exchange flares?". They hadn't known how easy they came off. 😄 Showed my wife the Slate's base pricing as listed. She has... opinions... on the SUV version. The truck one, too, but her reaction was (mildly edited to be family friendly): "that fastback is f***in grody. It brought out the 80s in me. It's that yucky. And they have the balls to charge more for that s***?!?!?!" She was the original car person in our household, grew up in dealerships, learned to drive in an off-road racing VW Beetle. You know, I've wanted to pull my fender flares off to wash under them, and I've always been afraid to do it (don't want to break any clips etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 5 minutes ago, rmc523 said: You know, I've wanted to pull my fender flares off to wash under them, and I've always been afraid to do it (don't want to break any clips etc.) I've pulled ours off twice. It's a bit un-nerving because you do have to pull it pretty hard once you have the quarter-turn clips unhooked. But, all came off and went back on well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 25 Author Share Posted June 25 1 hour ago, fordmantpw said: I've pulled ours off twice. It's a bit un-nerving because you do have to pull it pretty hard once you have the quarter-turn clips unhooked. But, all came off and went back on well. Yeah, that's it - it's more force than I thought it'd be, so I've been like eh....I'll leave it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-dubz Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 1 hour ago, rmc523 said: You know, I've wanted to pull my fender flares off to wash under them, and I've always been afraid to do it (don't want to break any clips etc.) I’d like to change my grille but I’ve seen a lot of those clips broken so I’m a bit hesitant to do it. It’d be nice if all you had to do was remove a few screws. Take 15 min tops to switch out. Or on the interior. If you wanted to change the dash insert, you basically have to take apart the entire dash. Why can’t it be just a few screws there too? Engineers probably spend countless hours trying to hide all the fasteners. Exposed screws/bolts look cool, especially in off road vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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