The Clean Slate could have a curb weight of three,600 kilos, with a payload capability of 1,430 kilos. Rated towing capability is listed at 1,000 kilos—considerably lower than the 4,000-pound most towing capability within the new 2025 Ford Maverick Hybrid AWD, which has a smaller cargo mattress however 4 doorways for the bigger cab.
Visually, the Slate follows the upright, horizontal, square-edged profile of the basic two-seat American pickup truck—although rendered in miniature when in comparison with the full-size US pickups from Ford, GM, and Ram that collectively promote virtually 3 million items per 12 months. It appears one thing like a retro Ford Ranger from the Nineteen Eighties, versus the extra car-like styling of the Hyundai Santa Fe, the one different small pickup supplied within the US in addition to the Ford Maverick.
Dimensionally, the Slate is smaller than the Maverick: It’s 175 inches lengthy, 71 inches large (not together with the mirrors), and 69 inches tall. That compares to the Maverick’s 200-inch size, 73-inch width (once more with out mirrors), and 68- or 69-inch peak. Slate gives a full 60-inch (5-foot) mattress, versus the Maverick’s 54 inches. (Each measurements are with the tailgate raised.) Whereas the Maverick has no entrance trunk (it has an engine as a substitute), the Slate’s entrance trunk gives 7 cubic toes of storage on prime of the 37 cubic toes within the cargo mattress (or 34 cubic toes within the SUV’s load bay).
Buyer Satisfaction
Barman mentioned Slate will goal retail consumers to determine the model and get as many customized vehicles on the street as attainable to spice up public consciousness. Slate’s EVs can even be offered to company prospects buying the autos for fleets, Barman says, although she declined to supply a breakdown of what percentages of gross sales Slate estimates will go to these two sectors.
We additionally didn’t discuss this, but it surely’s price mentioning: Slate vehicles might conceivably even be offered to Amazon. The connection is smart, since Slate Auto emerged from a startup lab partially funded by Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos. The web retailer already deploys tens of 1000’s of Rivian EV supply vans, however a smaller EV might serve its functions for particular makes use of as properly.
Echoes of the Previous
As Mark Twain as soon as quipped, maybe apocryphally: Historical past doesn’t repeat itself, but it surely typically rhymes. Anybody who’s been following the auto enterprise for about 20 years might have learn Slate’s information and sensed a faint echo, a distant and long-forgotten reminiscence tugging on the corners of their minds.
