It’s only been a few weeks since we heard about Slate, a new electric startup with plans to launch the most affordable EV in America. The company came out of nowhere, and now we’ll finally see what this is all about. The Slate electric truck debuts tonight in California, and you can watch it happen right here.
The debut is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. Pacific time. That’s 10:20 p.m. for those on the East Coast, and even later for our friends across the pond. But it could be worth staying up for. Slate is apparently well-funded, with Amazon and Blue Origin boss Jeff Bezos among the known investors. And a price tag of just $25,000 is floating around the internet as the target for this new offering. There could actually be something to this venture.
Photo by: David Tracy / The Autopian
What kind of EV does $25,000 get you? That’s the big question, which should be answered tonight. Among other things, we’ve seen a Slate SUV parked on the street in broad daylight, albeit slathered in a weird wrap with babies on the side, car seats on the roof, and a web address: rockabyerides.com. Unsurprisingly, it takes you to a Slate countdown page leading up to tonight’s debut.
An SUV isn’t a truck though, so we’re scratching our heads here. For that matter, we’ve been scratching ever since Slate bubbled up from complete obscurity. We’re used to grandiose claims, fantastical renderings, and months of teasers in the EV startup world. Slate is bucking that trend with what appears to be a real vehicle. So yeah, this one is worth staying up for.
Stay tuned. We have people on the ground and we’ll have plenty to share once the covers are lifted.
