Believers of the hype?
Will the Slate live up to the Internet’s desire for a low-cost, bare-bones pickup? Slate announced in April 2026 that 160,000 individuals had placed a $50 refundable deposit for a Slate. This week, that number was updated to 180,000. Now those individuals will have to make a decision. Will they add an additional $250 to that deposit, making it non-refundable? Those who have not already placed a deposit will have to pony up $300 for a non-refundable deposit.
You can see the replaceable dash panels here.
Credit:
Roberto Baldwin
Those who have already put down a $50 deposit have until July 24, 2026, to lock in their delivery window. After that, the delivery time will be later.
There are two potential scenarios here. In the first, the Slate truck is at least a modest hit. Those who made the initial deposit will have their vehicles delivered first, starting in the fourth quarter of 2026. Some will likely have to wait months or even a year to take delivery of their pickup (or SUV). Some might peel off and opt for the small electric Ford pickup. But overall, the company will be in good shape as the vehicles enter the market, and it will have enough orders to justify its existence.
The second scenario is that, as with manual transmissions and station wagons, the Internet loves these features in theory, but people will ultimately opt for the more traditional (and boring) automatic transmissions and SUVs offered up by automakers. We’re not sure what amount of vehicle orders Slate needs to reach to stay the course. Should the company stumble, it might not even make it into 2027.
Right now, Slate’s annual production capacity is 150,000. According to the CEO, as of 9 am PT, over 10,000 preorders have already been placed.
When the Ford Maverick hit the market, it filled a void that automakers had ignored for years. Unfortunately, the price increased by 40 percent over time. There is a market for a small, affordable electric pickup; Ford’s upcoming electric pickup is proof of that. But even with the updated specs, will drivers give Slate a chance to deliver that vehicle?
We’ve been in a world where a vehicle evolves in the driveway via software through over-the-air updates. We’re now entering a world where a vehicle will evolve in the driveway via hardware updates.
At least that’s what Slate hopes.
