If electric vehicles could pull off a fashion week in Paris, Slate would stand out on the runway with its palette of creative designs, accessories, colors, and structural options.

Those were evident at a splashy, funky-vibed, red-carpet-black-curtain debut event June 24 in Gardena, California, where the EV manufacturer displayed an eclectic electric vehicle model that tries to be everything most EVs are not: Affordable, simple, retro, and plainspoken with an endearing flair for the unusual.

"What Slate is doing for the automotive industry is directly related to the conversations that Americans are having every day," said Christine Barman, Slate's president of vehicles, in an opening stage keynote. "For years, the average new vehicle price has moved farther away from what working Americans can afford. Rather than taste luxury or sell our future customers features that they just don't need, Slate is grounded in reality."

The electric pickup will start at $24,950, joining only a handful of other EVs priced under $25,000. Slate also offers two SUV variants, the Squareback and Fastback, with pricing starting at $29,950. The company opened pre-orders the same day and plans to sell directly to consumers and begin customer deliveries in Q4 2026.

Minutes before Barman spoke, CEO Peter Faricy announced that Slate had reached 180,000 reservations as of the previous week.

"Slate is so much more than just an affordable truck," Faricy said. "It's a fastback SUV that's sporty. It's a square back SUV that has great room. And it's also a beautiful two-door pickup. It's not just one SUV, but there are many SUV versions you can make it into."

 On the creative side, the Slate Marketplace will offer over 200 accessories and parts, with over 80% priced under $500 including roof racks, stereos, seat covers and lighting features. More than 100 wrap colors will be available at launch.

"New cars didn't get expensive overnight," Faricy said. "It happened one feature, one package, one trim level at a time. But somewhere, millions of Americans got left behind. The one thing I can share with you today is Slate is here to change that."

In an interview, Slate's head of fleet sales Drew Walker said fleet interest has been strongest among state and local government fleets, commercial service and maintenance fleets, and campus operations such as hospitals, universities, and ports.

"These customers value the truck's compact size, sustainability and Class 1 work-truck capability," Walker said. Slate has also seen interest from vocational fleets and small businesses and expects some commercial fleets to begin taking delivery of vehicles this year, he added.

Throughout the open airy museum-formatted layout, attendees could leisurely peruse various versions of the vehicle and inform themselves at displays of its various attributes and accessories. Slate offered attendees around-the-block demo rides in the pickup truck version. Hosts at a restaurant-style welcome stand and furnished waiting area managed a waitlist with text alerts to riders next up.

Slate also officially released updated vehicle specifications, capability figures, and production plans:

•  The pickup truck uses a simplified architecture with fewer than half as many parts as a typical truck and relies on physical controls instead of a digital touchscreen interface.
•  For fleet operators evaluating low-cost electric vehicle options, the updated specifications include an estimated driving range of 205 miles, a 37% increase from the company's previous estimate. Slate noted that the figure is based on an estimate of the EPA test cycle and is not an official EPA-rated range.
• The vehicle uses a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive powertrain paired with a lithium iron phosphate battery pack rated at 65 kWh, including 63 kWh of usable energy. Slate lists output at 135 kW and 264 Nm of torque. The company estimates a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 8.0 seconds and a top speed of 90 mph.
•  Charging is supported through the North American Charging Standard (NACS). The truck can charge from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes using a 120-kW DC fast charger, according to company estimates. The vehicle also includes an 11-kW onboard charger, with a full Level 2 AC charge from 20% to 100% estimated at four hours.
• Slate also increased the vehicle's capability ratings. The pickup now carries a maximum payload rating of 1,550 pounds and a maximum towing capacity of 2,000 pounds. The improvements are intended to expand the vehicle's utility for hauling cargo and equipment.
• The pickup has a curb weight of 4,048 pounds and a gross vehicle weight rating of 5,689 pounds.
• Cargo space includes a 35.1-cubic-foot pickup bed and a 7-cubic-foot front trunk.
• Service and repairs will be available through a network of more than 3,000 RepairPal shops nationwide, including more than 100 facilities capable of performing high-voltage EV service. The company said the vehicle will be backed by a 10-year, 110,000-mile battery and powertrain warranty.
• Founded in 2022, Slate plans to assemble vehicles at a factory in Warsaw, Indiana. It will invest nearly $400 million in the facility and expects the project to create more than 2,000 jobs.

Barman described the company's "stealthy" four-year development process, beginning with sketches and whiteboard concepts before advancing through alpha mules, beta prototypes, and full design validation.

Engineering teams tested the vehicles in extreme hot and cold climates while refining thermal management, towing capability, aerodynamics, and durability without compromising affordability.

"We set out to do what the industry couldn't do and actually build an affordable vehicle that people would love," Barman said. "For many customers who were only considering used vehicles, a Slate truck will be a potentially life-changing version. For others, the simple fact that a car is actively working to lower prices and deliver a vehicle that can be fully customized is a worthy mission."