Reservations For America’s Cheap EV Truck Are Through The Roof

Under $20,000 for an electric truck that converts into an SUV, the recently revealed Slate Truck holds a recipe for stardom in America, a country where EVs don’t usually breach below the $30,000 mark. CarBuzz readers love it for several reasons, and apparently, over 100,000 Americans do, too, with the Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup announcing that many reservations two weeks after the full-electric Ford Maverick rival made its debut.

Of note, every Slate Truck reservation warrants a refundable $50 deposit. That amount isn’t much, but still an indication of Americans’ interest in the cheap EV. With simplicity and flexibility as its selling point, the Slate Truck is touted to start below $20,000 after incentives – a fact that doesn’t escape buyers longing for an attainable, American-made EV.

Affordability As Its Biggest Selling Point

Slate didn’t share any details about the impressive amount of interest in its first model, but they’re likely for the “Blank Slate,” which is the starting point of the highly customizable EV. Customers can then choose to keep the base cargo-hauling truck body or convert it into an SUV with either boxy or slant-backed roofline.

There are then infinitely many color options to choose from, which will be applied as vinyl wraps to the gray body. From there, plenty of options pile up, so owners will have the liberty to choose which ones to go on their pickup or SUV. This level of customization does prove attractive, at least to CarBuzz readers, though many have also pointed out that these options should increase the price substantially.

Reservations Don’t Guarantee Success

As of now, Slate hasn’t revealed the prices for the options customers can add to the Truck EV, except for the vinyl wraps, which will start at $500. We’ll know more about these things as we draw close to its production date, which the company hasn’t declared yet.

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Who Needs A $20,000 Electric Pickup?

Slate’s highly-customizable $20,000 electric pickup has a lot of promise, but what does the ideal driver look like?

With the Tesla Cybertruck standing as a cautionary tale, the number of hand-raisers isn’t a guarantee that they will translate to sales and definitely not a clear sign of success. There are many things Slate needs to work on first, like delivering the promised truck soon and just as promised. Remember, Tesla touted there were over a million reservations for its stainless-steel electric truck before, but now several examples remain unsold.