Configuring a Slate EV feels less like ordering a cutting-edge vehicle and more like falling into an expensive corporate trap. Slate pitches its lineup in three distinct body styles: a $24,950 pickup, a $29,950 Squareback SUV, and the flagship Fastback SUV, which sits at the top of the food chain starting at $31,950, exactly $6,000 more than the base model.
To see how far we could stretch the math, you can opt for the most expensive Slate Fastback. The first cost-cutting measure disguised as a rugged feature hits you immediately: Slate’s factory in Warsaw, Indiana, doesn’t even have a paint shop. Every single vehicle leaves the line unpainted, wrapped in scratch-resistant gray polypropylene composite. Want actual color? That’s an extra charge. While a standard full wrap costs $499.99, opting for a custom variant spikes the price to $1,599.99. Let’s choose a bold, satin-finished dark purple, then added a $499.99 Multicolor Racing Stripe and a $299.99 “Super Lessons” shoulder decal.
The nickel-and-diming accelerates when configuring basic necessities. You can add “Fadeout” front and rear lights ($49.99 each), animated turn signals ($349.99 front/$349.99 rear), a 40-inch roof light bar ($799.95), windshield spotlights ($279.95), and front fog lights ($299.99). Let’s skip the $139.95 bed LEDs since this isn’t a truck, but piled on a $649.99 roof rack, $549.99 spare tire carrier, $59.99 grille customization, and upgraded front ($499.99) and rear ($599.99) bumpers. For wheels, 17-inch and 20-inch sizes cost an identical $1,399; there’s the smaller 17s for off-road durability, paired with $1,099.99 Klever All-Terrain tires. Let’s threw in a $949 COR portable battery generator to ease the inevitable EV anxiety.
Step inside, and the lack of manufacturing investment becomes glaring. Slate gives you absolutely zero infotainment screens or onboard displays. If you want a basic tablet mount and a center console, it costs $249.99. You can add an electric blue dash wrap, a $99.99 rear armrest with lumbar support, and $74.99 all-weather floor mats.
The final damage? A staggering $41,673, meaning nearly $10,000 was swallowed purely by options. Is an unpainted plastic box with crank windows worth forty grand, or should you wait for Ford’s promised $30,000 electric pickup? Built on the new Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform, Ford’s challenger drops in 2027 and is currently testing in Michigan with actual screens and power windows.
Still, 180,000 buyers refuse to wait, having already dropped a $50 reservation fee since pre-orders opened on June 24. However, the real corporate reality check has just arrived: to actually secure their spot on the client list, those 180,000 people must now cough up an additional $300 deposit.
