The Slate truck’s glow-up is actual — and sufficient to compete in opposition to the Maverick hybrid

There was some pleasure in April when the Slate Truck was announced. This bare-bones electrical pickup truck would are available underneath $20,000 after the EV tax incentive was taken into consideration. This may have made it not solely the most affordable EV by far, however one of many most cost-effective automobiles within the US.

The identify Slate referred to the clean slate you’re going to get at that worth. The clean Slate meant you bought an unpainted two-seater pickup, with roll-up home windows, no sound system, no display screen, no radio. You could possibly drive it as is, which appealed to many, or modify it as you need — even flip it right into a five-seat SUV do you have to select. You were not pressured to pay for features you did not particularly need, however for those who added simply this and that, may have a cool electrical truck for, say, $23K. Lots of people like that concept very a lot.

However now the tax break will fall away at the end of September, leaving this pickup as a way more costly clean Slate. At $27,000, the Slate will begin butting heads with the $28,145 Ford Maverick, additionally a small pickup, however with a really environment friendly hybrid engine, 5 seats, and all of the options you didn’t need to pay for within the Slate thrown in.

Slate overview

Some info, quite a lot of conjecture

The essential Slate

It is a very fundamental two-seat pickup with a 47 kWh battery and a 201 hp motor driving the rear wheels. The battery vary is estimated at 150 miles. It comes with NACS and DC quick charging.

Though the Slate Truck is severely fundamental, it does include fairly first rate security options, together with:

• Traction management
• Digital stability management
• Automated emergency braking
• Good entrance and aspect airbags
• Backup digicam
• Pedestrian ID
• Ahead collision warning
• Auto excessive beam

As an alternative of an infotainment display screen and audio system, the Slate has a mount that may maintain a cellphone or pill and area to suit a Bluetooth speaker. Apparently, heating and air con are commonplace although.

Add-ons

One of many principal promoting factors of the Slate is that you just purchase the essential truck after which add what you need. You possibly can wrap it in any colour you need, flip it into an SUV with seats within the again, add fancy rims, an even bigger battery for an extended vary, and so forth.

The larger battery is a sensible choice, and the SUV conversion might be a well-liked alternative, however these will add to the value that is already underneath stress. The one choice with a preliminary worth is the wrapping, beginning at $500.

The larger 75 kWh battery provides you with a variety of 240 miles, however will add about 300 lbs to the load of the truck, making it slower. However the largest price in an EV is the battery, and this and the price of the SUV package may push the Slate into pricing territory the place it’ll compete head-on with fairly severe EVs just like the Chevy Equinox.

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Maverick overview

The one small hybrid truck

The Ford Maverick is a small pickup with a crew cab that seats 5. It is out there in a variety of trims, with engine choices of FWD or AWD. The XL is the essential mannequin that competes with the Slate in worth and comes commonplace with a hybrid powertrain and FWD. The one different small pickup available on the market is the Hyundai Santa Cruz, however that’s solely out there with an ICE.

Maverick XL

The Maverick XL is a fundamental work truck in comparison with the dearer trims. It has a 2.5L inline 4 and an electrical motor that makes a mixed 191 hp. The transmission is a CVT and drives the entrance wheels. It’ll get 42 MPG within the metropolis and a variety of 520 miles, in comparison with 22 MPG and a 412-mile vary for the extra highly effective turbo-gas Maverick choice, making the hybrid a no brainer for on a regular basis driving. The Slate doesn’t but give MPEe estimates, however it might be approach past the ballpark of any hybrid car.

XL Options

Regardless of being extra of a piece truck, the XL trim has a telescopic and height-adjustable steering wheel with audio controls, keyless entry just like the Slate, and adjustable lumbar assist for the entrance seats. The crew cab has a again seat and rear doorways, though the area within the again is a bit cosy.

The XL comes commonplace with a 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an onboard Wi-Fi hotspot. Non-compulsory extras embrace SiriusXM radio and a B&O Play sound system. The Maverick has all the usual security options, in addition to good driver help options that embrace:

• Automated emergency braking
• Lane departure warning and lane retaining
• Adaptive cruise management

Pickup talents

We purchase vans for work or life-style, or a little bit of each. Whenever you select a pickup, fairly than a crossover, there are just a few truck-specific issues to contemplate.

The Slate has a 7-cu-ft frunk, which the Maverick doesn’t. The Maverick can all the time carry 5 folks and cargo within the load mattress, whereas the Slate can carry two plus load mattress, or 5 with no load mattress.

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Selecting a truck in a time of change

So much can occur in a few years

Slate

The Slate was deliberate to launch on the finish of 2026 or starting of 2027. When it was conceived, the designers intentionally selected the dearer nickel manganese cobalt batteries (NMC), as a substitute of the extra inexpensive LIthium Iron Phosphate (LFP) sort changing into the norm with EVs. The explanation was that NMC batteries have been made within the US and have been important in qualifying for the tax rebate.

Now free of that constraint, Slate may rejig their design to chop prices there. Each LG and Samsung are planning to provide LFP batteries within the US, and there are reviews of different main gamers producing LFP batteries underneath license utilizing Chinese battery leader CATL‘s know-how.

By the point Slate hits the market, these native suppliers and the overall international fall in battery costs may effectively make this pickup extra competitively priced. One other issue is that the Maverick is made in Mexico, and no person is aware of if or how tariffs will have an effect on its worth. But when low cost EV batteries turn into available, there might be nothing stopping Ford from making an EV Maverick both.