Slate’s $20k electric pickup that can be converted into an SUV has secured 100k reservations

Young EV startup Slate Auto is gaining significant interest from the US consumer market, just weeks after it emerged out of stealth with a bare-bones all-electric pickup. The company just announced its “Blank Slate” EV has already garnered 100,000 reservations.

It’s been just over two weeks since we reported on Slate’s official debut. Before that, much of our information was compiled from various sites on the internet and riddled with speculation. We knew the company was based in Michigan and was working on at least one BEV model, but not much else was confirmed until April 24, when Slate stepped out from behind the curtain and entered the electric pickup market.

It was then that we learned about the startup’s “Blank Slate” design, which involves a simplified all-electric pickup with over 100 accessories, plus a five-seat SUV configuration kit (seen above). We also learned that this new model is expected to start below $20,000 after US tax incentives.

Following the public launch of Slate and its flagship model, the company opened reservations with a $50 deposit. Today, a representative for Slate told Electrek that it has already hit the 100,000 reservation tally.

Slate’s booming reservations show appetite for affordable EVs

We don’t have much else to report now, other than that Slate has secured 100,000 reservations in the 18 days since it unveiled its electric pickup. It’s an impressive milestone showing that US consumers don’t necessarily need all the bells and whistles most of the electric SUVs and pickups on the current market offer.

Instead, people want BEVs that they can afford, with the option to upgrade and customize à la carte to their liking—a strategy Slate has adopted that could help the American startup do well out of the gate. While the 100k tally is impressive, those reservations do not accurately indicate how the “Blank Slate” pickup will sell, especially since the deposit to get on the wait list is only $50.

Before the polarizing Cybertruck hit US roads, Tesla reported it had received over one million reservations, possibly quite a bit more. However, the public’s response to the production version was as cold as the steel from which it was assembled. The Cybertruck overpromised and underdelivered, arriving at MSRPs significantly higher than initially promised.

As a result, a massive majority of those reservation holders walked, and Tesla has only sold less than 50,000 to date and is sitting on a ton of inventory. This should serve as a lesson to Slate, but its counter approach to the $100k+ Cybertruck should bode well, especially if it can deliver at or near the $20k price point as advertised.

As reported last month, its “Blank Slate” EV will be sold directly to consumers and is available for reservations here. The trucks will be built in the US, with initial customer deliveries expected to begin in Q4 2026.