Slate pickup: Toyota, are you listening?

[RayRay27]

Slate Confirms a $24,950 Base Price, Making Its Electric Truck the Cheapest in America - The Fast Lane Truck

The Slate truck arrives later this year, with the single-cab "Blank Slate" configuration starting things off at $24,950.

tfltruck.com

 

[Corbet]

Without at least AWD it’s completely off my radar. Marianne saw it on social media and suggested we buy one until I pointed out only in RWD. But I hope they sell in appropriate markets.

 

[mcgaskins]

Well I guess I should let the cat out of the bag...

I am thrilled to announce I have joined the talented team at Slate Auto as Director of Treasury! If you know me, you know how much I love cars and trucks, and Slate is changing the game by making… | Matt Gaskins | 125 comments

I am thrilled to announce I have joined the talented team at Slate Auto as Director of Treasury! If you know me, you know how much I love cars and trucks, and Slate is changing the game by making ownership more accessible and fun with endless configurations and an affordable price. Thank you...

www.linkedin.com

 

[Hulk]

Well I guess I should let the cat out of the bag...

I am thrilled to announce I have joined the talented team at Slate Auto as Director of Treasury! If you know me, you know how much I love cars and trucks, and Slate is changing the game by making… | Matt Gaskins | 125 comments

I am thrilled to announce I have joined the talented team at Slate Auto as Director of Treasury! If you know me, you know how much I love cars and trucks, and Slate is changing the game by making ownership more accessible and fun with endless configurations and an affordable price. Thank you...

www.linkedin.com

This is unsurprising. Keep us in the loop, Matt!

 

[J1000]

I think the Slate proves how difficult the regulatory structure makes it to actually build a small vehicle. This thing is as physically small as they can make it, with wind up windows and it still weighs 4,000lbs! The 1985 SR5 posted earlier weighs 2,700lbs. A 2026 F-150 is only 300lbs heavier than the Slate with a 6.5ft bed.

And even with wind up windows it still has driver assists like ADAS and stability/traction control, ABS, etc that are all required on new vehicles sold in the USA. So it's got a full suite of sensors and electronics don't worry about that.

Based on how the weight seems to scale with modern cars, if Slate made it AWD and 6ft bed it would probably be approaching Rivian size.

And let's be real it's got independent suspension all the way around with about 4 inches of travel. The renderings of a 4x4 Slate with big tires and a lift is a pipe dream.

All that to say that the Slate is pretty dang cool and I'm amazed how fast it went from a rendering to a real product. Compare that to the Aptera which is still in perpetual development.

 

[Hulk]

Another company making a low cost truck.
REO Trucks

 

[Corbet]

Another company making a low cost truck.
REO Trucks

Looks like a lot of smoke and mirrors at this point. Reserve yours now with nearly zero info on the final product. I'd love to see it happen just not holding my breath at all for this one to be real.

 

[OilHammer]

Toyota's always been conservative, pretty much the textbook of dull and reliable transportation. It is the owners who take a blank canvas and build and use them in interesting ways.

1 yr later, we have the GR GT, the Corolla GR and the gonzo GR Yaris. Yep. Dull. https://toyotagazooracing.com/gr/grgt/wp/

 

[Hulk]

1 yr later, we have the GR GT, the Corolla GR and the gonzo GR Yaris. Yep. Dull. https://toyotagazooracing.com/gr/grgt/wp/

Are any of these going to be for sale in the U.S.? Asking for a friend.

 

[OilHammer]

Corolla GR yes. Yaris no. GR GT and GT3- we’ll see but I bet so. They want to take sales from corvette and Porsche.

Do some research on the Corolla if you are interested. First year had some rear diff issues if I recall. They changed the torque split and made some structure bigger. Know knows but I suspect the first year with aftermarket diff cooler might be the hot ticket for more rear bias.

 

[Telly]

I put down a $50 refundable deposit on one of these a while back. I received an email this morning that I can preorder one for $300 with a mid-2027 delivery. I'm seriously considering it for my commute from Monument to Lone Tree. The no 4wd is concerning, but I do have other 4wd options if the weather gets really bad. @mcgaskins got any updates on the latest and greatest info from Slate?

I honestly think these little trucks are cool AF. Checking out their website, I'm thinking either a 'Base Camp' for $26.8, 'Lucky Streak" for $28.4, or the 'Third Eye' for $26k.

Edit: Per the Google, starting in 2027, Colorado will offer a $4500 tax credit for EV's under $40k. That ain't bad!

 

[Corbet]

even with just 2WD it looks to be a fine front range commuter. Just put snow tires on it.

 

[allen.wrench]

Earlier this year I put down the $50 deposit for the Slate. I really want to see Slate become the electric US kei truck. Hope that makes sense. I want them to be all around affordable and useful/utilitarian little trucks.

A few weeks ago I dropped $28.5k for a Corolla hybrid and I've been enjoying upwards of 70 mpg on a regular basis per the trip computer estimates (example of my last drive below). I now have about 350 miles on the first half of the factory's tank of gas. I'll know more exact MPGs after my first fill up. It might be a long time at this rate. I call her Babusca. She does most everything "in the city" like taking me to work/home/dates, getting groceries, picking up smaller stuff from the hardware store like bags of sand, and allows me to keep my Tacoma stocked/maintained for everything else camping/ffroadin

But then exactly a week after I got Babusca, I received an email from Slate about being able to pre-order and expect deliveries mid-2027. The timing just didn't work, and I requested my $50 refund. Still I am hopeful there will soon be a lot of Slates on the road, and maybe the timing will be better so I'll buy one too!

Allen

 

[Telly]

Hey Allen, the Corolla makes a ton of sense especially with keeping your Tacoma. Best of both worlds. I would need to sell my 2020 Tacoma and the Slate at least has a 5’ bed for truck stuff. I dunno…I’m waffling on making the decision to pull the trigger. I think I’ll miss the vastly better capabilities of the Tacoma.

 

[allen.wrench]

FWIW if I consider a more logical approach to the analysis... I am considering a roof rack, heavier rate rear springs, and a tiny hitch receiver for Babusca, my Corolla. That's another ~$1.5-2k depending if I catch a good Blackfriday sale or not.

I expect real & short term out of pocket costs will be about the same for a Slate, but a Corolla has a lot more community support, similar carrying capabilities (at least for the mods I mentioned), a ~600-700 mile range depending how you drive, and it just blends with the scenery which I think is a security plus.

But if you are selling... Are you the first owner of the 2020 Tacoma? How many miles does it have? "I might know a buyer".

Allen