Slate Auto Truck prototype (US) review: it does exactly what it says on the tin

That’s a big drinks cooler. Can you take it to the beach?

Har har. Despite its appearance, this insulated plastic box on wheels is in fact a car. It’s the Slate Auto Truck, the hotly anticipated affordable EV backed by cardboard box delivery magnate Jeff Bezos that’s as spartan as its nameplate. Also, yeah we suppose you could.

This in particular is a prototype, and we were eager to get behind the wheel to see if the a la carte car concoction is worth all the fuss.

Well… is it?

Let’s unpack this together. If you recall, Slate Auto’s debut made a splash by announcing its premier vehicle will be a bare-bones EV truck which will be competitively priced, mainly by selling nearly every option, basic or otherwise, as a separate line item.

For $24,950, the truck you see before you is what you get: the “Blank Slate” edition of the EV – rear-wheel drive, 181hp, 205 miles of range from a 65kWh battery and a 90mph top speed.

Sounds as thrilling as it looks.

Indeed. Admittedly, it’s been difficult to discuss a car at length that, by design, has few characteristics. Chat, we are tired.

Nevertheless, we were still excited to get behind the wheel of something this brand new and with a potentially huge future, so long as Slate sticks the landing.

So, first impressions?

Right. First and foremost, while it’s not too far off from what will be the production base Slate Truck, we can’t stress enough that this vehicle is a prototype and thus there are a number of fit-and-finish quirks we’ll happily overlook. Even so, there wasn’t much of that, apart from some of the removable interior panels rattling when we drove over a bumpy road. On the whole, the Slate felt sturdy and fully assembled, not held together by spit and baling wire.

Unwrapped and sans anything beyond a dashboard phone holder, the blank Slate Truck looks rough, like a model kit which hasn’t been painted, just fully assembled. In its standard two-seater cabin configuration, the interior is roomy enough for two people and perhaps a few items like a backpack or hand bag, though the frunk is going to be the best bet for sundries here.

For our tester, Slate included one of its in-house Bluetooth sound systems and appropriately, there wasn’t much to it apart from a couple control knobs and a USB-C port. No display to show track listings here, so those dreaming of the graphically trippy head units of old will need to gin up their own solutions. In fact, the DIY-friendly Slate is basically a canvas for anyone with big dreams and the right tools. More on this later, though.

Yes, how does it drive?

About as okay as you can imagine. The EV truck’s single motor has enough grunt to get you up to city speeds about as quick as your average commuter car. If you plant it, you’ll get a significant enough burst of forward thrust for things like overtakes or highway merging. Topped off at 90mph, it works well within its boundaries.

With a McPherson front suspension and a properly trucky de Dion rear setup, the slate is particularly springy, and the ample sidewall of the fat wheels fitted to the 17s does wonders to absorb chewed up tarmac.

This was never billed as a fun machine… but the truck doesn’t inspire much confidence around a series of switchbacks

In a straight line, the Slate is great, though windy roads highlight the vehicle’s inherent limits. This was never billed as a fun machine, so we’re not condemning it here, but the truck doesn’t inspire much confidence around a series of switchbacks. Once you start to get into a rhythm, it starts bouncing almost immediately and discouraging any further attempts to be playful.

Any drive modes?

Nah, just the one mode: Drive. The single display behind the steering wheel gives you very basic information such as the speed and little else, apart from the view out of the rear parking camera when backing up. Beyond that, the inputs are just your classic PRNDL setup. No modes like sport or off-road or even snow, and no way to adjust the always-on brake regen.

This means that it’s essentially in permanent one-pedal drive mode and if that’s something you dislike, you’ll just have to get used to it. The micro-movements aren’t as egregious here as they are in other EVs with aggressive regen, but they’re an inherent part of the experience. In fact, the braking is the one nagging issue we had with the prototype truck.

Lifting off the go-pedal causes the Slate to apply brake pressure immediately and to a consistent level until you’re halted. This means it’s tricky to finesse the brakes on your own, such as if you’re trying to feather them slowly for a gentle halt. More problematic is how one-pedal prioritizes its braking over yours in a sense, and in instances where you’re compelled to stand on the brakes for a hard stop, you’ll find the brake pedal has given all there is to give, and you’re not really adding much more to the situation. Maybe that’s fine mechanically, but it’s unnerving to press on the brakes and feel like you’re not the one in control.

Anything else stand out?

Just that for a new car, it’s got a lot of old-fashioned character. Maybe, as Slate hopes, you find it charming that the windows roll down, or that you need a friend to set the passenger mirror for you, or that it feels like it's only missing a cigarette lighter for the full retro effect. If anything, the time behind the Slate highlights some of the habits we’ve picked up in the modern age like constantly glancing at the dash for a peek at the nav or to see if any messages have popped up via CarPlay.

It also has some throwback EV behavior, too, like how the HVAC, which is a proper unit, takes a sledgehammer to the range estimate. There’s cruise control, but no radar, just classic set-and-go. The Slate’s hardly what you’d call a ‘driver’s car’ but you’re certainly required to be present in the experience, a little reminder we could all benefit from.

What’s the final takeaway?

The Slate Auto Truck does what it says on the tin. It’s a simple car that works simply, with a very modest stat sheet matched by its equally humble asking price. As such, it’s hard to get excited about something that’s being sold essentially as a ‘fixer-upper’ in terms of any style elements or creature comforts.

It’s a simple car… with a very modest stat sheet matched by its equally humble asking price

It’s billed as something with lots of potential. Sure, it can be many things, and if you've got the inclination to craft your own personalized Slate you'll be overjoyed with the number of configurations available in-house, not to mention what can be done outside of it. Surely we’ll see some sick Slate SEMA builds in the near future.

But looking at what it is, in its most naked state, is aggressively… fine. It does its job. It does it well. It doesn’t exceed expectations. That’s perfectly okay, just don’t be surprised if that doesn’t have us doing backflips.