Soon, compact pickup truck buyers in the U.S. will have a new choice, but it comes with a twist. As early as 2026, Michigan-based EV startup Slate Auto will begin production on its first electric trucks. Founded in 2022 and funded by big names like Jeff Bezos and LA Dodgers owner Mark Walter, this company is seeking to disrupt the EV market by giving owners hands-on control over their vehicles.
The current purchasing model among most automakers is to offer a series of trim levels and upgrade packages that are added at the factory. Sometimes this can get a little crazy. Witness the 20 trim levels of the Porsche 911 or the nine trims of the Chevy Silverado. Slate Auto, on the other hand, is planning to go the opposite direction by offering a barebones EV truck for which customers can buy DIY parts and accessories. Furthermore, the manufacturer will also offer the parts, tools, and resources for owners to do their own maintenance and repairs.
Why is Slate Auto doing this? More importantly, is this model sustainable? I decided to explore what Slate Auto is offering with its upcoming electric truck and whether it’s something car buyers may respond positively to. As someone who does some DIY work on his vehicle, I may be a little biased, but I’m here to have an open mind for all the angles.
Extreme DIY Automotive
DIY customization and tinkering are nothing new in the automotive world. Just look at the legions of Jeep owners who love adding aftermarket mods, or find a car show where people display their restored muscle cars and hot rods. Plenty of companies also offer at least some OEM parts for customization and repairs. Famous examples include Mopar parts (Dodge/Jeep), Motorcraft parts (Ford), and AC Delco parts (GM).
Slate Auto is taking this to an extreme by shipping an EV that is a blank slate (hence the company name). Each will arrive in as basic a form as possible while still being drivable, chargeable, and street-legal. It won’t have a stereo, a center console, a bed cover, power windows, or anything else you might consider “standard.” For that matter, the truck won’t even be painted when it arrives in your driveway. On its website, Slate Auto calls the truck “A vehicle in its essential form, without all the unnecessary stuff that adds to the price tag.”
Owners can then purchase a variety of accessories to install, using the online web tools to see how they look. Some of the options listed as I write this include:
- Various colored vinyl wraps and decals instead of painting (although you can apply traditional paint if you prefer)
- A larger battery pack to increase range from 150 to 240 miles
- Exterior accessories like roof racks, spare tire mounts, aluminum wheel covers, fog lights, and all-terrain tires
- Interior rubber floor mats and liners, two-tone seats, trim, armrest wraps, and tablet mounts
- Auxiliary and steering wheel controls
- A kit that converts the truck to a crossover SUV
Beyond this, Slate Auto will offer standard repair and warranty parts directly to consumers. Owners can go to “Slate University” with video tutorials on how to install and use them. If customers don’t want to do installations and repairs, Slate Auto is working on creating a partner network that can handle this work for them.
Benefits of a DIY Service Model
There are two major advantages to having a “project truck” option in the market. One is the ability for customers to make a truck whatever they want or need it to be. Instead of trying to decide on the trim level that best matches what they’re looking for (or worse, having to pay for five features they don’t want to get one they do), truck owners can choose exactly what add-ons and features they get. From the color to the sound system, the Slate Auto truck is a canvas you can turn into a masterpiece.
This leads into the second big benefit, which is cost. At the company’s debut event, Slate Auto Chief Commercial Officer Jeremy Snyder said automakers have “been so focused on autonomy and technology in the vehicle, it’s driven prices to a place that most Americans simply can’t afford.” CEO Chris Barman launched another shot across the bow, declaring, “We are building the affordable vehicle that has long been promised but never been delivered.”
Many EV trucks and new vehicles in general cost a pretty penny nowadays. The 2025 Chevy Silverado EV starts at over $73,000 while the Tesla Cybertruck approaches $70,000 in its most basic form. Collectively, the average U.S. cost of a new vehicle was $49,740 as of December 2024. Slate is aiming for a starting price of around $25,000 on its new truck, which could drop below $20,000 with federal EV tax credits. That’s a price tag you would expect on a basic compact sedan, not an EV pickup.
Obviously, buying parts, accessories, and other add-ons will add to the price. Slate is banking on a couple of things here. Owners can keep overall costs down by only paying for what they want. Also, by selling directly to the consumer, Slate can keep prices lower by removing the middleman. I’ll be interested to see how part and accessory pricing compares to rival companies and what savings are realized.
Do People Want a DIY EV Truck?
This is ultimately the question that matters most. Slate Auto can tout saving money and personalization all they want, but it won’t matter if the vehicle-buying public isn’t interested. Fortunately for the company, people appear to be on its side. Surveys by companies like Autotrader and SimpleTire have found that as many as 72% of vehicle owners do at least some of their own maintenance and repair work. More important to Slate’s goals, these surveys have unearthed two important findings.
People who own trucks and Jeeps are significantly more likely to be “completely” or “very” confident in their knowledge and skills. SimpleTire found that 50% of truck and Jeep owners have this confidence, whereas only 35% of sedan owners and 32% of SUV owners do.
Also, younger people are more likely to work on their cars than older people. According to SimpleTire, 86% of Gen Z car owners perform DIY auto work. The number is 79% for millennials, 73% for Gen Xers, and just 46% for Baby Boomers.
Clearly, there is an appetite for this type of truck and the potential to build a DIY community. After new EV sales stalled in late 2023 and early 2024, they have rebounded over the past calendar year. My biggest concern is whether the truck is good enough for buyers to want. It’s expected to make just 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque with a single electric motor. For comparison, the standard Ford Maverick powerplant has 250 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque.
The Slate Auto truck is also limited to a five-foot bed (though with an added frunk), a 1,000-lb towing capacity, and a 1,400-lb payload, the latter two being less than the Maverick. Granted, you shouldn’t expect top-of-the-line output for a budget-conscious truck. Nevertheless, I’m curious to see how people respond to the truck’s performance numbers.
Shaking Things Up: TBD
The first Slate Auto vehicles are expected to ship in late 2026 or early 2027, so there’s time to further assess the demand for a DIY EV truck. On the surface, I think the concept can work. People have been working on their vehicles for over a century, and it’s reasonable to believe this could carry over to EVs (though engine tuning will be a thing of the past). Again, I think the bigger question is whether people think the lower upfront cost and vast personalization are worth the trade-off of reduced power, towing, and storage compared to other EV and non-EV truck options. The answers to all these questions will arise soon enough.
