In an era where cars have become tech, luxury and excess filled, Slate Auto is a breath of fresh air. CEO Chris Barman says “the definition of what’s affordable is broken” and his brand is going to be the one to offer a two seater “radically simple” pickup truck that can turn into a five seater SUV!
‘Blank Slate’ is the company’s first offering, a two seater EV pickup. Dubbed a “vehicle in its essential form”, it has steel wheels, winding windows and air conditioning knobs inside. It may be cheap but it’s capable too with a sizable frunk and a 635kg payload.
The irony of the name isn’t lost because there are over 100 accessories to choose from so buyers can make their Slates a little less blank! Due to the concept of the truck, these options can be made at purchase or later on as needs change.
The headline accessory is a flat pack kit that turns the two seater pickup truck into a five seater SUV. The kit includes a roll cage, airbags and a rear seat which can fitted as a DIY project or by Slate Auto.
In a similar vein to the flat pack kit, there are no paint options, instead colour is achieved through wrapping which again can be DIY or done by Slate Auto. It allows for an infinitely customisable vehicle!
The theme of DIY continues on the inside where there is no infotainment screen, instead theres a phone mount and USB power to serve the purpose. Although a dedicated tablet is available. There’s also slots in the dashboard for Bluetooth speakers and sound bars to fit.
Continuing with the affordable theme, Blank Slate includes a 52.7kWhr battery pack putting out 150kW and offering a claimed 240 km of range (150 miles). A larger 84.3kWhr battery option is also available with a targeted range of 386 km (240 miles). Charging is done via NACS (nice one Tesla) and a charge up to 80% can be done in under 30 minutes.
To top that, Blank Slate has also been designed with safety in mind, it comes with ‘Active Emergency Braking’ and ‘Forward Collision Warning’ with up to 8 airbags available.
Yes, Blank Slate is meant to be an affordable EV and at an expected price of $20,000, it does so even while being made in America to Trump’s satisfaction! Slate Auto is also backed by Amazon giant Jeff Bezos to complete the billionaire trio. A reindustrialized factory will form the brand’s home with a ‘Customer Experience Centre’ accompanying it. Trucks can be ordered online with delivery done at a local centre and service locations nearby.
Refundable deposits of $50 can now be put down to secure a vehicle and 25 pre-set combinations have already been created online by Slate.
Thanks for reading! For more EV news and reviews, visit Tarmac Life.
Words by Matthew D’Souza, media and release courtesy of Slate Auto.
