Crank windows are returning to the American car market. The last passenger vehicle to be offered with a manually cranking window died last year. But you’ll now soon be able to purchase a car with unpowered windows again thanks to startup Slate and its astoundingly cheap electric Truck.
The Slate Truck, introduced on Thursday night, comes in just one configuration to keep production costs to a minimum. It has steel wheels, a single electric motor, and most importantly, a pair of spinning crank mechanisms to manually roll down the windows. Going by the company’s release, it seems there aren’t even power window motors available as an option.
This is the first time crank windows will be available on a passenger car in the United States since September 2024, when Jeep finally dropped the crank window setup on the base Wrangler and Gladiator, instead opting for power-operating door locks and windows for all four doors.
Crank windows were a facet on cheap cars for decades, signifying simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Even just 10 years ago they could be found on numerous affordable cars in the US, like the Ford Fiesta, the Chevy Sonic, and the Kia Rio—all of which have since been discontinued.
Slate’s Truck aims to fill that gap as an ultra-cheap utility vehicle, bringing a five-foot bed, a 1,433-pound payload capacity, 1,000 pounds of towing, and 150 miles of range. After federal incentives, the company promises a starting price of under $20,000—a near implausible number, considering the cost of things these days.
The most interesting part? Having crank windows probably doesn’t save any money or weight over power-operated motors. Over years of engineering and development, suppliers have made power windows incredibly cheap to produce, to the point where a crank setup isn’t any less expensive. Even the Lotus Elan, a sports car known for being lightweight, was rumored to use power windows because they were the lighter choice overall.
Photo by: Slate
The Slate Truck’s minimalistic, bare-bones interior.
The Slate Truck’s manual windows are likely a more symbolic feature than a practical one. They take us back to a time when things were simpler, straightforward, and more affordable—exactly the type of emotions Slate hopes to evoke from buyers. The product is highly compelling. Now all Slate has to do is get it to market.
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