This $25,000 Electric Slate Truck Transforms Into an SUV

There's a new American automaker on the block, and it's taking aim at a sorely neglected segment of the electric car market. EV startup Slate emerged today, debuting the new Slate Truck targeting an extremely affordable $25,000, post-incentive starting price. To hit that mark, Slate stripped out all but the bare necessities for reliable electric driving. We're talking hand-crank windows here, but also a blank slate that's highly customizable -- so customizable, in fact, that the pickup can be transformed into an SUV with a flat-pack accessory kit.

Michigan-based EV startup Slate has been operating in secret for a few years now, attracting funding from Amazon chief Jeff Bezos and many other wealthy investors. (Bezos' Amazon was also instrumental in the launch of Rivian with an early $700 million investment in the then-fledgling automaker.) In a world where most EV startups launch with costly flagship models ...