The Latest Breaking News from Slate

Crank windows are returning to the American car market. The last passenger vehicle to be offered with a manually cranking window died last year. But you'll now soon be able to purchase a car with unpowered windows again thanks to startup Slate and its astoundingly cheap electric Truck.

Word of a brand-new electric-vehicle startup might call to mind the strange days of the COVID era, when headlines were jam-packed with all sorts of Tesla wannabes. Some went public without an actual product or a dime in revenue. Not surprisingly, most never quite took off. Some straight-up crashed and…

As most car companies follow the Tesla playbook by doubling down on giant touchscreens and flashy software, Slate is going in the complete opposite direction. The startup debuted its first vehicle on Thursday, and it has virtually no tech whatsoever. 

Shortly after I showed up at a Los Angeles studio space to take a sneak peek of Slate’s debut vehicle last week, the startup’s reps pulled a black sheet off of a charming, two-seat pickup truck. I thought it was refreshingly small and liked its clean, boxy look. And the…