The US$20K Slate EV is now looking very mid 20s
Well, it was nice while it lasted. The dream of a genuinely cheap and cool electric ute – at least in the US – has hit a speed bump, with Slate revealing on its website that the highly anticipated truck will now start in the “mid-twenties”.
That’s a decent hike from the "under $20,000 USD" point that had everyone talking when it was unveiled at a big event back in late April.
For those of us watching from Australia, this was always a distant prospect, but it represented a potential shift in the market.
A genuinely affordable EV workhorse, with some flair and cool customisation, could have put pressure on the established players and accelerated the transition.
“We are building the affordable vehicle that has long been promised but never been delivered,” Slate CEO Chris Barman in April.
The price jump is due to the recent legislative changes in the US, which will see the $7500 USD federal EV tax credit killed sooner than expected.
Without that government incentive, the numbers didn't stack up for Slate – a stark reminder that these new ventures are often walking a financial tightrope.
Still, $25,000 USD works out to A$38,000, and that's still a pretty low price for an EV of this type in Australia.
Of course, most EVs come with power windows and a stereo... and there's no telling if this will be the last price rise before Slate's projected late 2026 production start.
Learn more about the Slate EV at their website:
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