Launching a new carmaker from scratch is one one of the most challenging endeavors possible. The graveyard of automotive startups is filling up with brands that failed to cash in on the electric transformation. But unlike other aspirants, Slate doesn’t just have massive financial backing, it’s also following a far more unique path. Shunning the usual top-down approach used by companies like Tesla and Rivian, Slate’s all-electric truck is entering the market right at the bottom. InsideEVs has covered its story from the beginning; now, it’s time to find out how it holds up on the road.
I got the opportunity to test it out around Newport, Rhode Island. Slate had a few writers over to spend actual time behind the wheel of a pre-production unit, shipped from the Warsaw, Indiana factory in absolute bargain-basement specification. The only add-on fitted to the truck was a demo speaker system. I got to drive it for almost a full hour on back roads and highways, on smooth, bumpy, and loose surfaces, and in generally good weather conditions.
