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June 24, 2026 / 11:59 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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Slate Auto is aiming to accomplish what Ford Motor couldn't — to get drivers to swap their gasoline-powered pickups for an electric truck.Slate on Wednesday began taking $300 preorders for its base $24,950 electric pickup truck, a price that is less than half the roughly $57,000 average cost of a new electric vehicle and well below the average $49,000 price of a new car. Deliveries of the Slate truck are expected in late 2026.EVs have had a rocky time in recent years, with demand dropping after a tax subsidy for electric vehicles ended in 2025, prompting more consumers to opt for lower-priced fuel-injected cars. In December, Ford ended production of the electric version of its popular F-150 pickup truck, with CEO Jim Farley saying it didn't make sense to continue investing in a product that wasn't profitable.Slate, which also makes an electric SUV, is betting that its low price point can win over EV skeptics."A Slate Truck is $24,950. Because America asked for an affordable new truck," the company said Wednesday on social media.
