‘Blank Slate’ for Truck
Slate, a start-up for electric vehicles, has revealed its first model, which is called the Truck.
Being marketed as affordable and highly customisable, first deliveries are expected in the fourth quarter of next year.
The marque has secured more than US$100 million – or about NZ$168m – in funding including investment from Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder.
It plans to make the Truck in Indiana, United States, and is targeting annual production of up to 150,000 units. It’s anticipated it will be priced from US$28,000, which is around NZ$47,000, or US$20,500 with federal incentives.
The vehicle will be offered with two battery options – a 52.7kWh pack with a range of 241km or an 84.3kWh unit for 386km. A single 150kW rear-mounted motor drives all versions.
The Truck comes in at 4,435mm long, 1,793mm wide and 1,760mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,766 and tips the scales at 1,643kg.
Its towing capacity is 453kg, has a payload of 635kg and fast-charging capability of up to 120kW to get from 20-80 per cent in about 30 minutes. A 1.5-metre bed and charging connector come as standard.
The Truck features ESC, traction control, automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, reversing camera and automatic high beam as standard.
The company dubs it a “blank Slate” designed for heavy customisation. The Truck can be configured into five-seat SUV or fastback utility.
Hundreds of accessories will be available, including conversion kits and vinyl wraps, because grey is the only default colour.
The cabin has no radio, speakers or infotainment screen. Instead, a small digital cluster, a physical phone mount and wind-up windows are standard. The company is developing a companion app to add entertainment options via smartphones.
