Still a Blank SlateJohn Pearley HuffmanIn a fickle vehicular universe, anything is possible. Maybe the tiny and adorable, all-electric Slate truck will crush all the challenges before it and become a mainstay in the road-bound zeitgeist. Or maybe it will not.This week, Slate invited Road & Track to its new design headquarters in Carson, California, in Los Angeles County's South Bay. There were displays aplenty laying out the doodads and tweaks available to Slate buyers when the so-cute ute finally goes into production at the assembly plant in Warsaw, Indiana, later this year. Deliveries to consumers, if things go as planned, should begin in the fourth quarter. I also got a brief passenger ride, albeit one that did little more than prove the Slate truck can indeed move under its own power.The base of every Slate is this straightforward steel unified chassis. Yes, there's room for another motor in the nose.John Pearley HuffmanMost of the substantive engineering hasn't changed since our preview back in 2025. The one big move has been the replacement of the 52.7-kWh battery pack with a new 63.0-kWh pack, moving the range from a claimed 150 miles to 205 miles. That additional capacity is due to the adoption of lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry, which seems very chic and sophisticated. A few years ago, 205 miles of range would have been good, but the world has moved on, and even cheap EVs, such as the current Nissan Leaf, spec out at 300 miles.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe new battery pack will be the only one offered. And the single rear-mounted motor—with 181 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque—is the only motor. However, there's plenty of room in the nose for a second motor to, eventually, create an all-wheel-drive variant.There's plenty of storage in the Slate's nose. Will it take ice and beer? That too remains to be discovered.John Pearley HuffmanThe other big news is that the announced base price is a provocative $24,950 for the standard two-door, rear-drive, two-seat pickup-truck body with its five-foot-long bed. Which is a headline grabber, although the destination charge will surely bump it beyond $25,000. Bolting on the kit that turns the pickup into a two-door, five-seat SUV adds $5000 to the price. But at $30,000, the Slate SUV is up against attractive, combustion-powered competitors such as the Chevrolet Trax. Competitors that have four doors. And paint.Because the basic, unadorned Slate truck remains a deliberate exercise in extreme minimalism. It has manual roll-up windows, no carpeting, and a screen-free dashboard that assumes the driver will use a phone for navigation and entertainment. The underbody structure is conventional stamped steel, but body panels are composite plastic, designed to be quickly and easily covered by wraps. This saves Slate the expense of building paint booths and simplifies production. Various color wraps will be available at launch for $499.Slate offers dozens of wraps and various lighting finishes.John Pearley HuffmanHow durable are these wraps and how long will they last? We don't know—but almost certainly less than the typical life of a Slate truck. Of course, the flexibility of wraps opens a huge number of decorative possibilities, especially for businesses or insecure individuals looking to advertise.A highly challenging moment when the Slate I rode in turned around on a cement slab.John Pearley HuffmanI got to ride in a Slate truck while one of the company's engineers drove. This was not much of an adventure, and drawing any sort of expansive conclusion from a passenger's seat is borderline ridiculous. Actually, forget that border. It is ridiculous.AdvertisementAdvertisementI can say the Slate truck felt decently quick—unladen, it will go 0–60 mph in about eight seconds—and rode well on the roads between Gardena and Carson. The single motor is solidly mounted to the de Dion rear axle, and the suspension seemed well controlled under undemanding circumstances. How would it work carrying a load? That would be a guess. And so would its behavior while carrying the heavier SUV body, or while loaded up with passengers and gear.One surprise is Slate's admission that the truck will carry the same suspension tuning no matter how it is configured. That isn't the way the auto industry normally works, especially with vehicles designed for different duties and different payloads. This may be a compromise that brings issues in the real world when the Slate reaches customers keen to try extreme configurations.A cloaked dash in the test mule sustained the air of mystery during my brief exposure to the Slate while moving under its own power.John Pearley HuffmanThe Slate truck made it around the block without any problem, but I got no insight into how closely the range estimate will align with reality. I also didn't get to test or experience most functions during my four-minute stint in the passenger's seat. I did use the crank to wind down my window, something I haven't done in a new vehicle for a long time.Slate claims to have more than 3000 service outlets ready to wrench on the truck. Whether those are mom-and-pop garages or massive conglomerates remains to be discovered. Also, it's not yet clear who will be authorized to install the many different options, although the brand's website promises "DIY for everyone," with online tutorials to help buyers work on their trucks. Will this include warranty recalls? That's another unknown, although the basic 10-year, 110,000-mile powertrain warranty does give underlying reassurance.AdvertisementAdvertisementIt's easy to get swept up in enthusiasm for a truck as darn cute as the Slate. If nothing else, Slate knows how to juice interest in its products. But how the Slate will perform remains purely conjecture right now.The hype, hoopla, and customization options mean it will be a fashion item as much as a work tool. And that's always been a tough part of the market to call. Will it hit big like the Chrysler PT Cruiser and then fade away into jokiness? Or will it endure and become a fixture in the market?I have no idea of the answer to those last two questions. I guess we'll all find out together.Looks fine as it's gray plain self on steel wheels.John Pearley HuffmanYou Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State