As Ford Authority reported earlier this month, a new company called Slate Auto has been quietly developing a new EV pickup since 2022, one that’s expected to debut with a $25,000 price tag and enter production next year. This particular project isn’t just another fly-by-night company that seems likely to fizzle out in a few years, either – rather, Slate Auto has the backing of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and several other wealthy folks, along with hundreds of employees that came from other automakers – including Ford. Now, we know when this future Ford Ranger EV (and possible Ford Maverick) rival will make its official debut.
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According to Newsweek, the new Slate Auto EV pickup will debut on April 24th, 2025, so we won’t have to wait much longer to see the Jeff Bezos backed creation. Slate Auto provided a sneak peek at the new pickup covered in camo, and it looks a lot like the one that was spotted being unloaded from a shipping container last week, which was a small, two-door pickup sporting a front end design very similar to this new teaser. It’s believed that the base model may be referred to as the “Blank Slate,” but Slate Auto is also expected to offer a large array of customization options via a program that may be called “Slate University.”
As far as what we can expect from the new Slate Auto EV pickup, this report notes that the company “is poised to disrupt the new car market with a radically simple solution to the common affordable car,” adding that it’s aiming to redefine “cost-effective transportation.” State is also working to beat Tesla to market with its own affordable “compact” EV, and it wants to give customers “more purchasing power” than they would have when visiting a traditional auto dealership.
This new Slate EV pickup is expected to be built at a plant located somewhere near Indianapolis, Indiana starting in 2026, but may face its fair share of competition at the time. A special skunkworks team within Ford has been working on developing a low-cost EV platform set to underpin more than one future model for the past couple of years, and as Ford Authority reported last August, the first is expected to be a mid-size pickup – perhaps one wearing the Ranger badge. Other competition in the segment is expected to come from the likes of Stellantis, Kia, and even Hyundai, via General Motors, too.
Comments
Affordable my arse. Add power windows and it’ll magically become $35K. And have 200 (or less) miles of pathetic range. Should be focusing on his real day job.
I did not know that power windows cost $35K! My first vehicle with power windows cost me only $9K and it was bigger than that truck. You are definitrey stupid enough to overpay!
The Skunk Works should have started work ten years ago.
If they can really make it at this $25K price, and have great durability, and it has an OK range of 300 miles, then success is within Slate’s grasp. The Maverick is a hybrid though, so no range anxiety. One thing this Slate truck does have is a 6′ bed (maybe), which the Maverick should have.