Slate Auto is exhibiting its battery-electric vehicle, which can be a truck, a sports utility vehicle (SUV), or even a cargo van, during the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo this week in Anaheim, California. The vehicle's configurability provides options, and Slate positions it as " for whatever your fleet needs” at a very low price.

The company simplified the manufacturing process and removed unnecessary content to reduce costs and increase reliability. After applying federal electric vehicle (EV) incentives, the anticipated price for a Slate is less than $20,000.

Slate has been reported to be backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

It is meant to be affordable, yet versatile. Plus, it offers a 1,400-pound payload capability.

“The definition of what’s affordable is broken,” said Chris Barman, Slate CEO. “Slate exists to put the power back in the hands of customers who have been ignored by the auto industry. Slate is a radical truck platform so customizable that it can transform from a two-seat pickup to a five-seat SUV.”

Slate’s manufacturing and Customer Experience Center will both be in the U.S.

Elaborate features are gone, such as power windows and touchscreen AC or heat controls. Slate takes a driver back to the days of manually winding windows down, or up, and twisting a knob to adjust the climate.

Slate Offers Configurability & Options

The vehicle starts as a simple two-seat electric pickup. However, more than 100 accessories are available. The company terms the new pickup as starting with a “Clean Slate.”

Want an SUV? That is simple.

Slate’s flat-pack SUV kit turns the pickup into a five-seat SUV with a roll cage, a rear seat, and airbags. There is even a kit to convert the small pickup truck into a cargo van.

Three levels of vehicle wrapping make for personalization, and the truck can be wrapped and later rewrapped for a different look. 

Slate simplified electronics inside the pickup. The company features a universal phone mount and USB ports, meaning you simply use your phone. There is, however, an option to add a dedicated tablet.

EV Specs, Range & Charging Times

The Slate features a 52.7-kWh battery pack, 150 kW, and rear wheel drive for a range of 150 miles. An optional 84.3-kWh pack has a potential range of 250 miles. The truck can be charged overnight via a household outlet or fast charged to 80% in 30 minutes.

Charging times are:

• Level 1 AC — 3.6kW, 20-100%, 11 hours

• Level 2 AC — 11kW, 20-100%, under 5 hours

• Level 3 DC — 120kW, 20-80%, under 30 minutes

Size, Wheelbase, & Other Truck Specs

The Slate has an overall length of just 174.6 inches and a 108.9-inch wheelbase. It is only 70.6 inches wide, which does not include the mirrors. 

Its curb weight is 3,602 pounds, its max payload is 1,433 pounds, and its maximum towing is 1,000 pounds.

Interior volume includes:

• 55 cubic feet of cargo volume as a pickup

• 80.5 cubic feet of cargo volume as an SUV

• 7 cubic feet of cargo volume as a truck

• 37 cubic feet of cargo volume in the truck bed

• 34 feet of cargo volume behind the seats when configured as an SUV

The bed width between the wheels is 42.9 inches, and the length with the tailgate down is 81.6 inches.

While electric vehicles are most often known for fast acceleration and very crips 0 to 60 mph times, such is not the case with the Slate. It will run 0 to 60 in 8 seconds and has a top speed of 90 mph. The single motor drives 195-lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels.

While it may not be fast, the Slate delivers on an estimated combined range, city and highway, of 96 MPGe.