Slate Unveiled A Cheap EV. Tesla's Is Still A Mystery.

Name: Slate Unveiled A Cheap EV. Tesla's Is Still A Mystery.
Uploaded: 2025-04-25T13:15:00Z
Description: On this week's Plugged-In Podcast: Our thoughts on Slate's cheap pickup, a battery breakthrough from CATL and turmoil at Tesla.

On this week's Plugged-In Podcast: Our thoughts on Slate's cheap pickup, a battery breakthrough from CATL and turmoil at Tesla.

InsideEVs Podcast Episode 21

Photo by: InsideEVs

Tim Levin

By: Tim Levin

Apr 25, 2025 at 9:15am ET

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I check out a lot of new electric cars here at InsideEVs. And sometimes I think to myself, "Yeah, I could really get used to this!"

Then I look at my bank account.

Without going into details, let's just say I'm not exactly prepared to purchase a $95,000 Lucid Gravity, no matter how outrageously impressive I think that vehicle is. I think that's exactly why Slate, America's latest electric vehicle startup, is so compelling to so many people.

The company broke cover on Thursday night, announcing plans to bring a refreshingly simple and cheap EV pickup truck to market in late 2026. It comes with crank windows, two seats, no touchscreen and a targeted price of under $20,000 after federal rebates. That's about one-third the going rate for a new electric car in this country.

Plus, Slate envisions the pickup as a blank canvas for upgrades, including a kit that transforms it into a five-seat SUV. Yep, you read that right.

I checked out the Slate truck in person (see below), and I have thoughts! Thoughts on whether this is a good deal or not, thoughts on this wild customization process and thoughts on whether a low-tech EV works in 2025. My colleague Suvrat and I get into all that and more on this week's episode of The Plugged-In Podcast.

We also talk about CATL's huge battery news and Tesla's awful first quarter. Can Tesla bounce back with the help of new affordable models? And what exactly will those models be like, anyway?

What do you think?

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