Slate Auto's Electric Pickup: A Bold Design That Highlights Battle Scars

I just read about this company called Slate that’s making small, no-frills pickups you can get for cheap. Actually, the idea is kind of interesting. The Slate Truck is an electric vehicle that costs under $20,000 (after federal incentives) and is supposed to go into production next year. It only seats two, but it has a bed big enough to hold a sheet of plywood. It gets about 150 miles on a charge, only comes in gray, and the only way to listen to music while driving is if you bring your phone and a Bluetooth speaker. It’s basically the bare minimum of what a modern car can be—and yet, it’s taken three years of development to get here.

The body isn’t aluminum or steel but plastic—well, actually, injection-molded polypropylene composite, as Slate calls it. The idea is that this makes it more durable and scratch-resistant, mostly because there's no paint. It’s just one solid color all the way through. They do give you the option to add your own vinyl, though, so in a way, it’s meant to be customized.

As for how it delivers... it feels like a Gen Z hipster thing that probably won’t sit well with older generations. I can already picture Boomers getting furious when they realize their new car looks like it rolled out of the factory unfinished and made of plastic. They definitely prefer their cars looking shiny and painted.

The only problem is that this is innovation, and there will definitely be people who disagree at first, and I get it. Most people probably don’t want a car that’s unpainted and without any features, but considering the price, I guess that’s an exception. For that price, you can add other stuff anyway.

The problem comes from the fact that we expect our cars to come with paint. We know that color is a big deal when it comes to vehicles, and most of us are willing to pay extra for it. Now, let's say a company decides that this is an outdated idea and gives their car a plastic body with no paint — that’s probably not going to go over well. I get that some people don’t mind scratches on their cars, but still, it’s probably not the best move. I don’t want to sound like an old boomer here, but trying to show off “battle scars” on a car just doesn’t sit right. Most people would rather hide them than flaunt them.

The concept behind the Slate Truck is definitely interesting — they made a pickup with basically zero features at a super low price. But I’m still unsure about the plastic body with no paint. It might take some time for people to warm up to it, but I doubt that’ll happen anytime soon. Like it or not, we still expect cars to come in color, not just plain plastic.

But I can see the appeal. A lot of people might like the idea — especially companies with fleets, since they can add their own wraps or branding right off the bat. It saves money and time, and since it’s plastic, wrapping materials will probably stick better too. A lot of younger people, especially Gen Z, are into the minimalist look, so they might dig it. But I’m not sure if they’d be okay with no entertainment features in the car — though I assume that’ll be an extra option on the Slate. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they released a mini SUV version in the next few years.

Letting consumers decide whether to paint the car or not is a cool idea in theory. The manufacturer gives you a blank canvas — sounds creative, right? But in practice, I’m not sure it’s going to work, especially with the whole “highlighting battle scars” thing and the fact that the pickups all come in the same base color. Most of us would probably want to cover them up or get them fixed. I’m not sure many people would choose to keep them visible on purpose.

It’s an interesting idea, and you could call it bold. We’ll just have to see how the public reacts — at least in terms of price, it’s pretty cheap anyway.