Slate Auto revealed its first pickup truck Thursday night, and if you didn’t know any better, you might think the new electric startup was Jalopnik-backed, not Bezos-backed. A small, two-seat electric pickup truck? Oh yeah, that’s the stuff. Even better, it’s pretty inexpensive for a new EV, allegedly starting at $27,500 before any incentives that may or may not still exist by the time it goes into production next year. And in a move that will surely only appeal to enthusiasts, you’ll be able to get one with crank windows.
That’s right, in the year 2026, you’ll be able to buy a truck in the U.S. that’s actually small and also puts you in charge of rolling your windows up and down. It’s cool, it’s nostalgic, and while I’m sure it doesn’t actually save much money, I really appreciate an electric startup bringing crank windows back to the U.S. for the first time since — checks notes — the 2024 Jeep Wrangler? Yep, if you weren’t paying super close attention, you might have assumed crank windows had been gone far longer than a single model year, but Jeep did technically offer crank windows on both the Wrangler and Gladiator right up until the 2025 model year.
You probably just didn’t notice, since so many of the Wranglers people actually buy are loaded up with all sorts of options for ultimate mall-crawling performance.
Keep it simple
Since the Slate pickup truck is electric, there’s no reason to include a manual transmission, so you’ll have to suffer through never having to shift because an EV is never in the wrong gear, but other than that, it’s kind of refreshing to see such a simple, stripped-out truck scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. Heck, it doesn’t even have an infotainment system, either. When was the last time you saw a new car without screens, much less an EV? Instead, you’re expected to bring your own screen if you want navigation or music. You’ll have to bring your own speaker on the base truck because speakers are an optional add-on, too.
Will such a basic truck with near-infinite customization options appeal to mainstream buyers? I’m guessing no, but maybe I’m wrong. This certainly wouldn’t be the first time I’ve ever been wrong. For enthusiasts who hate how oversized and luxury-focused pickup trucks have gotten, though, Slate Auto is such a breath of fresh air. Maybe they’ve gone too far stripping out the interior and making you pay for a lot of what’s standard on a Toyota Corolla, and some rich people are going to lose a ton of money, but until that happens, it’s just so refreshing to see a new truck keep it simple.
And who knows, maybe if Slate ends up being successful selling crank windows, screenless interiors and trucks two feet shorter than the Ford Maverick, we’ll see other companies follow suit. For all we know, Jeep executives are in a meeting right now, discussing whether or not to offer the Wrangler and Gladiator with crank windows again. I mean, they probably aren’t, but it’s definitely fun to imagine.
