Why only a short bed?

[Twisted Santa]

Yep. The short bed has been my biggest grievance since the Slate was revealed. I often use every inch of the 6’ 4” bed on my current truck, but I‘m going to make do. The extra parking spaces that I’ll be able to fit in now will hopefully make up for the loss of cargo capacity.

 

[Revenant89]

Long beds create drag.

 

[GrizzlysGhost]

When we speculate about additional Slate variants, 5 years down the line, a longer bed seems like a relatively straightforward thing to engineer. Slightly more complicated, but no doubt in the Slate-survives-and-thrives future, is a quad cab.

Long bed or not, whatever it is 5 years from now better be warm because this happens in 2031.

 

[Ranb]

Would you consider using a small trailer for hauling your ATV?

I have a suitable trailer. But it is easier to carry the ATV in the bed. My skills at backing a trailer have much to be desired.

 

[Ranb]

When we speculate about additional Slate variants, 5 years down the line, a longer bed seems like a relatively straightforward thing to engineer. Slightly more complicated, but no doubt in the Slate-survives-and-thrives future, is a quad cab.

I think an additional 18" of frame and bed will also allow for a larger capacity battery. Of course the price will increase accordingly if they increase the range.

 

[Luxrage]

Slate could always do what they did to dodge small truck taxes in Finland and extend the pickup beds to meet the new 'fullsize' regulations :

https://www.theautopian.com/whats-the-deal-with-these-finnish-pickups-with-extended-beds/

 

[FlyHappy]

I saw the Slate pickup in a Youtube video an hour ago. But then I saw the specs; 5 foot bed only. That is a deal breaker as I have a 2-seat ATV that requires a 6.5 foot bed to haul around.

The bed is, in my opinion, the most important feature of a pickup. Why limit it with a short bed, instead of regular and long beds? As far I know, all EV pickups have beds shorter than 6 feet. These quad cab pickups with short beds are just big cars with limited utility use.

Why? Economics and market research.
I wish for a longer bed, and surely many others, but it's not necessarily a deal breaker (for me), and most buyers seemingly won't care. The truck use case is more for weekend hobbyists and trades with minimal truck needs. The draw for a compact vehicle outweighs the drawback of an 18"-24" longer vehicle and its associated manufacturing costs.

Now.... you need to be fair - it isn't that "EV pickups have beds shorter than 6 feet", but most trucks of the size or price class. That has been the case for 15 years or more. Ranger, Colorado, Santa Cruz, etc. The era of small, cheap trucks with 6 or 8' beds is way behind us.

You, like most people with big equipment to haul have long been forced into big, expensive trucks, regardlress of drivetrain.

The good news, long term, is that if Slate is even marginally succesful, it is likely to encourage manufacturers to reintroduce standard cab pickups with longer beds.

 

[E90400K]

OP, I agree with you. I think the Slate should have gone with a 6-foot bed on a 2-door cab chassis, but it is what it is.

 

[Kerserker]

I upgraded from my regular cab/bed 2002 Ranger to a 2016 F-150 regular cab/bed. I wish a hybrid was an option back then, but even now it is an extra $10k to get a hybrid motor in the 2026 F-150.

I saw the Slate pickup in a Youtube video an hour ago. But then I saw the specs; 5 foot bed only. That is a deal breaker as I have a 2-seat ATV that requires a 6.5 foot bed to haul around.

The bed is, in my opinion, the most important feature of a pickup. Why limit it with a short bed, instead of regular and long beds? As far I know, all EV pickups have beds shorter than 6 feet. These quad cab pickups with short beds are just big cars with limited utility use.

Sounds like the Slate is not for you. I had a Gladiator. It has a 5’ bed and it met my needs.

 

[Ranb]

Sounds like the Slate is not for you. I had a Gladiator. It has a 5’ bed and it met my needs.

Correct, it is not for me. When I first saw the ad online, I thought this was a nearly ideal EV truck for me. But alas, the short bed means it is far less useful to me.

 

[metroshot]

Correct, it is not for me. When I first saw the ad online, I thought this was a nearly ideal EV truck for me. But alas, the short bed means it is far less useful to me.

I had a 2022 Ford F150 Lightning EV and never used the bed.
Never hauled.
Never towed.
Too large to drive Los Angeles urban traffic every day with U turns that took 3 point turns every time.

Traded in for Mach E.
Made money on the trade!

Now I am happy.

Right tool for the job!

 

[Goodyear]

If you don’t need a truck try the Chevy bolt ev, really fun to drive, small but unfortunately not yet $25k, but close on the used market. I drove one for three years and it was great.

 

[Ranb]

I test drove a Bolt, but did not buy it. I drive a Model 3 and Model Y when I am in MN.

My wife had the choice of car since I choose the pickup. My F-150 is fine, but it lives under a cover unless I'm using it which is not as often these days since my wife got a Corolla.

 

[The Weatherman]

It is a Subcompact economy EV truck not a an F150 or 250 competitor.

 

[P. Regent]

I gotta say - I think it looks pretty good with a 6' bed the lazy way - just extended the bed behind the rear wheels: