New U.S. Car Brand Takes Blank Slate Approach To EV Market

The US market remains dynamic: Another electric brand, Slate, is entering the scene. It’s positioned itself at the lower end of the market, unlike Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid. But it does so with a vehicle that has cult potential: The Slate is a compact, two-door pickup truck that can be converted into a five-seat SUV. And the big focus will be on accessories – with all kinds of customisation possible. And yes those high-margin accessories provide a big part of the company’s business strategy for this new way of bringing a car to consumers. 

The base model is called “Blank Slate” – and that’s what it is: a canvas for personalization. The design language, developed by former Volvo designer Tisha Johnson, is timeless and distinctly “analogue”: a heavily simplified form, steel wheels, clean lines in the interior—and crank windows. The Slate rolls off the assembly line in exactly one configuration, as a pickup, and in one colour: grey, because it uses unpainted composite body panels. And if customers want any other colour, they have to pick vinyl wraps under the accessories programme. So it is evident that the customisation options are nearly endless.

For instance, there are two optional SUV roof shapes for conversion: one with a vertical rear window and a “Fastback SUV” top with a sloped rear window. It’s also possible to configure the Slate with roll bars, and even with the doors removed. It can be decorated with stickers or fully wrapped with kits that cost around $500 and are easy to apply since no parts need to be removed. In fact, every modification can be done by the customer.

With a length of 443 cm, width of 179 cm, and height of 176 cm, and a wheelbase of 277 cm, the Slate is highly city-friendly, especially since all four corners are easily visible. During a seating test, we were impressed by the generous space on the front seats. The front trunk offers an impressive 198 litres of storage, while the short truck bed provides space for an additional 1047 litres of cargo; in the SUV variant, the rear (without the back seat) still offers 963 litres.

There’s only one powertrain: an electric motor with 150 kW/204 hp and 264 Nm of torque, driving the rear axle. The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h takes just over 8 seconds, with a practical top speed limited to 144 km/h. The 52.7 kWh battery (an optional 84.3 kWh battery is available – you guessed it, as an accessory) can be charged at up to 120 kW, with a range of 250 or nearly 400 kilometres, respectively. These US figures are more realistic than European range claims, which often seem like fairy tales.

The simplified production process—Slate will be built at a yet-to-be-named location in the Midwest—ensures low costs: with deliveries starting in 2026, the base price will be around USD 27,000, or under USD 20,000 (approximately ₹17.07 lakh) with the still-existent subsidies. Not a bad price for such a creative, cute and fun EV.