Slate prices its no-paint-shop electric truck at $24,950. Production hasn't started yet

June 24, 2026 — Slate set the price of its base electric pickup at $24,950 and said it has fewer than half the parts of a typical truck. The company says it is still in preproduction, with first deliveries expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. Here's what happened, what it cost, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome (as of June 24, 2026)

Outcome: No trucks have been built for customers yet. Slate says the truck "is currently in preproduction" and "first deliveries [are] expected Q4 2026." (Slate, June 24, 2026 (PR Newswire))
Cost: Slate "will invest nearly $400 million into the factory" in Warsaw, Ind., and create 2,000+ jobs. The base truck is priced at $24,950 before taxes and fees. (Slate, June 24, 2026 (PR Newswire))
Claim: "Fewer than half the parts of the typical truck," Slate says. (Slate, June 24, 2026 (PR Newswire))

Steps Slate plans to delete

At a 2025 factory open day, then-CEO Chris Barman said traditional pickups are built with up to 6,000 parts while the Slate will be assembled with 600, and that the plant needs no paint shop or large stamping, Ars Technica, Sept. 2, 2025 reported.

Instead of paint, color comes from wraps. Slate says it will offer "over 100 wrap colors at launch," with full vehicle wraps under $500 that can be applied "in hours, not days." (Slate, June 24, 2026 (PR Newswire))

Personalization moves to after the sale. Slate lists "over 200 accessories" in its marketplace, "with over 80% under $500," and buyers can order the vehicle as a pickup or SUV "or convert it after purchase." (Slate, June 24, 2026 (PR Newswire))

The factory

The plant is the former RR Donnelley & Sons printing plant in Warsaw, which once printed catalogs for JCPenney, Sears and Radio Shack, Ars reported. It is 1.4 million square feet, which Ars called "relatively small for vehicle assembly." (Ars Technica, Sept. 2, 2025)

Slate paid for Ars Technica's flights and accommodation for the factory visit; Ars says it does not accept paid editorial content. (Ars Technica, Sept. 2, 2025)

Slate says it "was founded on a disruptive business model of simplifying the manufacturing process and reindustrializing America," and that the plant will "contribute up to $39 billion to Indiana's economy over 20 years." (Slate, June 24, 2026 (PR Newswire))

Barman told Ars that supplier talks got easier after the reveal: "within a little over two weeks, we had over 100,000 reservations." Ars also cited Slate's battery partnership with SK On. (Ars Technica, Sept. 2, 2025)

The truck on paper

Slate says the truck's estimated range rose 37% to 205 miles, with towing up to 2,000 lb and payload of 1,550 lb. It has tactile controls and no touchscreen. All specifications are "manufacturer estimates and subject to change." (Slate, June 24, 2026 (PR Newswire))

"More than 180,000 reservation holders have told us they're ready for a vehicle that's affordable, reliable, and built around their lives," said CEO Peter Faricy. (Slate, June 24, 2026 (PR Newswire))

Slate says the truck is engineered to be cheap to buy, insure and service, and that owners can "do most repairs yourself" using its Slate U guides. It offers a 10-year/110,000-mile battery and powertrain warranty and access to 3,000+ RepairPal shops, more than 100 of which can do high-voltage EV service. (Slate, June 24, 2026 (PR Newswire))

What went wrong

Not in production. Slate's own release says the truck is "in preproduction"; none of the savings from deleting steps has been demonstrated on a running line. (Slate, June 24, 2026 (PR Newswire))
Parts count not in Slate's release. The 600-parts figure comes from Ars quoting Barman; Slate's June release says only "fewer than half." (Ars Technica, Sept. 2, 2025; Slate, June 24, 2026 (PR Newswire))
Price moved before. In 2025 Slate was pitching a truck "in the mid twenties," and Ars noted the loss of the EV tax credit hurts. (Ars Technica, Sept. 2, 2025)
What we don't know yet: the start-of-production date, the line rate, and a parts count from Slate itself.

Our follow-up question for Slate Auto

When does series production start in Warsaw, and what is the current parts count?

Sources

Slate Auto, “Back to Basics, Made to Be Accessorized Over Time: The $24,950 Slate Truck Is the Most Affordable Truck in America,” PR Newswire, June 24, 2026. prnewswire.com
Ars Technica, “Slate Auto's sub-$30,000 EV pickup is due next year—here’s the factory,” Sept. 2, 2025. arstechnica.com

Disclosure: [not in copy] Editor placeholder