Slate Auto is building a two-seat electric truck in Warsaw, Indiana, priced in the mid-$20,000s, with a glass-filled composite body that doesn't need paint and a design philosophy that treats the buyer as someone capable of holding an Allen wrench. Jay Leno drove a prototype and came away impressed, mostly by what Slate didn't include. Roll-up windows. No built-in speaker system. No large touchscreen. Fasteners left exposed on purpose so panels come off without a dealer visit. The truck ships in a flat gray tone straight from the mold, wrappable in whatever color you choose, skipping the paint factory entirely. Two battery options are offered: 150 miles of range or 230 miles. It charges on the North American Charge Standard, giving it access to the country's largest public fast-charging network.
The truck rolls off the assembly line identical every time. Personalization starts after delivery, not during. An SUV conversion kit, which adds seating for up to five passengers, can be ordered and flat-packed to your door, then installed yourself or through any of the over 4,000 independent service shops in the Repair Pal network that Slate has partnered with. Slate explicitly permits DIY warranty repairs, which is rare in the industry. The Slate app surfaces diagnostic codes directly to the owner so you know what's wrong before you take it anywhere. The body is glass-filled composite, chosen for durability and to eliminate the corrosion question entirely. Jeff Bezos and Mark Walter are among the early investors. The company took over 150,000 reservations following its April 2025 public reveal without a single dealer or marketing campaign behind it.
The platform Slate calls the "slateboard" sits somewhere between a conventional unibody and a body-on-frame design, with the battery mounted low in the center for a lower center of gravity. The motor drives the rear wheels only. There is no adjustable regenerative braking. The truck bed measures 4 by 5 feet and is designed to handle 4 by 8 sheet materials. The load height was deliberately kept low for easier access, particularly for shorter drivers. The front axle runs five lug nuts per hub, which raises the question of a future all-wheel-drive variant. Slate declined to confirm it, but Leno noticed and asked directly. Sales are direct-to-consumer, one price for all buyers, no dealer network and no opportunity for markup. The factory itself is a former Sears catalog printing facility that once employed around 2,000 people. Slate aims to reach the same headcount when full production runs.
Bottom line: A sub-$25,000 electric truck, built in the US, with right-to-repair designed in from the start is a meaningful thing if Slate can actually deliver it at scale. The prototype feels intentionally basic rather than unfinished, and 150,000 reservations suggest buyers are willing to wait. Deliveries are still roughly a year out from when this video was filmed.