Review by InsideEVs - I Drove Slate’s $25,000 Electric Truck. It Could Be A Real Game-Changer

[nicomalo]

https://insideevs.com/reviews/803784/slate-ev-truck-first-drive-review-2026/

 

[sidneyhornblower]

Well worth reading. A few quotes that caught my eye and tickled my fancy:

"There is no Apple Car Play or Android Auto because there is no screen to project it onto. Isn’t this reduction and decluttering a form of luxury?"

"...many of the obtrusive nanny systems that make operating a new car such a nuisance are absent. I can’t thank Slate enough for that."

"What really impressed me during the drive, though, was the genuine sophistication in which the minimalist philosophy was executed. "

"It feels production ready."

 

[aquaman811]

I literally just finished this article! It was very succinct & makes me happy! Jan/Mar ‘27 can’t come soon enough!!!

 

[danielt1263]

I pushed it up to 85 mph and thus, according to a Slate representative, attained “the highest speed ever reached by a non-employee.” The acceleration is strong even on the upper end, it doesn’t trail off like on some other entry-level EVs.

Show off...

 

[cadblu]

OMG. Slate has taken guidance from the highest authority…

“The HVAC system is operated by traditional knobs—all of it as God intended”

 

[danielt1263]

All this talk about how comfortable tall people are in the truck has got me wondering how I will fair...

 

[FlyHappy]

alright, Fanboys, which one of you writes for InsideEVs?
more importantly, my sissy-o-meter can finally chill, since I'll be getting "powerful shoulder".

 

[Brabbit]

Great article and thanks for posting it! Definitely eased some of my apprehension, but still can't wait to get behind the wheel myself.

 

[kvermeer]

There is no fuss, no simulated startup sequence—and, so far, no obnoxious fake sound. Production versions of the Slate, though, will of course be subject to the federal requirement for low-speed pedestrian warning sounds in EVs.

Aw nuts, I was hoping to catch a whisper of the sound in one of these videos. That explains why no one has recorded the AVAS sound yet nor commented on the spaceship chorus or hisses or tire-on-gravel or whatever. Still hoping for spaceship.

I was prepared for all sorts of powertrain whine, not to mention body and chassis creaks, but there was no need for the company reps to explain anything away. It takes off in near-absolute silence, and it keeps wind, road, and powertrain noise at pleasantly low levels up to highway speeds.

Wow, that's great! I'm an industrial controls engineer and I've worked on too many CNCs, robots, servos, and VFDs with bad inverter coil whine, I've heard cheap electric scooters and electric motorcycles that do the same and I've hated it, but I'm hoping that there's none in the Slate. The author is 53 years old, so maybe his ears are less able to detect very high-frequency squeal than a younger person's ears, but at least I can be confident that I'll be unable to detect it in a couple decades!

 

[nicomalo]

Aw nuts, I was hoping to catch a whisper of the sound in one of these videos. That explains why no one has recorded the AVAS sound yet nor commented on the spaceship chorus or hisses or tire-on-gravel or whatever. Still hoping for spaceship.

Slate just posted this, is it possible we are hearing the sound close to the beginning, before the back track starts playing?

 

[Freyar]

Slate just posted this, is it possible we are hearing the sound close to the beginning, before the back track starts playing?

Posted 25 minutes ago? Impressively recent. I wonder if that's because of conversations regarding noise for slow driving.

 

[E90400K]

Slate just posted this, is it possible we are hearing the sound close to the beginning, before the back track starts playing?

As a BMW owner I find this video highly offensive...

 

[VigilKnotEagle14]

Slate just posted this, is it possible we are hearing the sound close to the beginning, before the back track starts playing?

Seems like it's part of the audio track to me, but that's a layman's perspective.

 

[Freyar]

Seems like it's part of the audio track to me, but that's a layman's perspective.

I don't think those notes are part of the track. They don't fit.

 

[CEW]

Show off...

This was SO GOOD to Read . As someone who usually pushes 80 mph on the Highway! A first time review at this top speed.