Slate Auto's budget EV truck jumps above $20,000 as Trump's bill ends federal tax credits

[midian182]

In a nutshell: Slate Auto, the EV startup that promised to make an all-American electric pickup and sell it under $20,000, will no longer be placing the vehicle in that price bracket. The increase is because of Donald Trump's One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, which will end federal EV tax credits in September.

There's been plenty of excitement surrounding the Slate Truck, the first vehicle from the Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto. Thanks to its no-frills design, including plastic body panels, a lack of touchscreen, radio, or Bluetooth, and other stripped-down elements, it was set to arrive with a sub-$20,000 price.

However, the truck's low selling point included the application of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit to its price. Unfortunately for interested buyers, Trump's bill, which is being signed into law later today, will cause the incentive to end in September.

Slate Auto has updated its website to reflect the change. It now shows the truck with an expected price of "mid-twenties," indicating that it hasn't settled on an exact price yet.

Slate was prepared for this event. It had always included the warning that the truck's base model might be more expensive than $20,000 as federal incentives were "subject to change."

Manufacture of the truck won't start until the end of 2026 at the earliest. The company is highlighting the numerous customization options available, such as battery capacites, pre-installed accessories like wraps, and upgrade kits that convert the truck into an SUV – it's possible that few customers were intending to buy the cheapest base model.

Like Tesla, Slate is using a direct-to-consumer model for sales of its truck. There is no dealership network; customers can preorder one online for a $50 deposit and pick it up at regional centers or opt for home delivery at an additional cost.

ELON NEVER WANTED AN EV MANDATE OR SUBSIDIES

Elon's opposition to the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' has never been about its removal of EV tax credits or the EV mandate, it's simply about his passionate opposition to rising government debt.

He knew at the time he endorsed Trump that… https://t.co/nsZTRrDmSZ pic.twitter.com/yC2ZfHQSjA

– Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 1, 2025

The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act is the reason behind the public fallout between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Musk says his opposition to the bill isn't related to it ending EV tax credits; he says it's over his opposition to rising government debt, which it is expected to increase by $3.3 trillion.

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Slate Auto's budget EV truck jumps above $20,000 as Trump's bill ends federal tax credits

 

[Theinsanegamer]

So, it was never a $20k vehicle, it was a $27,500 vehicle that relied on corporate welfare to hit that magic number.

Compare it to a similarly priced XL ford maverick, and the difference is just laughable in how this thing is outfitted.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

So, it was never a $20k vehicle, it was a $27,500 vehicle that relied on corporate welfare to hit that magic number.

Compare it to a similarly priced XL ford maverick, and the difference is just laughable in how this thing is outfitted.

-The Maverick does have the benefit of economies of scale and being "subsidized" by the remainder of Ford's fleet.

The Slate, if it gains any traction (hur) might be able to hit that $20k price point or even lower as they scale up (or just get bought out by one of the big boys).

 

[NumberNine]

No plan survives reality completely intact.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

-The Maverick does have the benefit of economies of scale and being "subsidized" by the remainder of Ford's fleet.

The Slate, if it gains any traction (hur) might be able to hit that $20k price point or even lower as they scale up (or just get bought out by one of the big boys).

The maverick was designed as a $20k truck in 2022, and was designed for ~30k units a year. Ford was taken by surprise when they sold out in 6 weeks.

The slate has no right being that expensive. Look at it, it DOESNT HAVE A RADIO. I know this gets said about EVs a lot, but the Slate is a glorified go-kart. It barely has an interior, a pathetic range, and tows less then a corolla. It's comparable to that cheap Toyota stout truck sold overseas, you know, the one that costs $10k. The maverick starts at $28k, and in its base config can tow twice what the slate can tow, will get you 45+ MPG, and can be configs for another few thousand to have AWD and a 4k tow rating.

The Slate is just way too pricy for the market its aiming at. I think they were banking hard on that EV tax credit to keep the price low.

 

[New Day]

No plan survives reality completely intact.

Intact, like many words, = infinity (or 1) and less. And semantically so: no plan survives. No need for intact. I tell ya, all ya all speaking conservationally would reduce compute and energy use by orders of magnitude.

 

[p51d007]

Take away ALL tax credits that subsidize retail products. Let the MARKET make the decision instead of
pushing one brand, over another. EV's, wind, solar. It should be the market that decides if a product
is worthwhile, not some government welfare.

 

[scavengerspc]

It should be the market that decides if a product
is worthwhile, not some government welfare.

Before I decide to make a list, I'm sure you mean that in ALL areas of commerce. Right?
Any exceptions?
I never have and will never believe in such idiocy because "the market" has a terrible track record and will go a majority towards lower costs, not quality, and certainly not towards any reasonably intelligent end game. This case, fossil fuel in vehicles for example, has been slowly choking them for over 100 years.

Good stuff here on the subject:

“Let the Market Decide” Is the Stupidest Phrase in Human History

Only a delusional corporate sycophant could possibly believe such an insane idea

survivingtomorrow.org

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Before I decide to make a list, I'm sure you mean that in ALL areas of commerce. Right?
Any exceptions?
I never have and will never believe in such idiocy because "the market" has a terrible track record and will go a majority towards lower costs, not quality, and certainly not towards any reasonably intelligent end game. This case, fossil fuel in vehicles for example, has been slowly choking them for over 100 years.

Good stuff here on the subject:

“Let the Market Decide” Is the Stupidest Phrase in Human History

Only a delusional corporate sycophant could possibly believe such an insane idea

survivingtomorrow.org

That's because you are ignoring the thousands of products you take for granted every day and only focus on a handful that annoy you or make the news. Then concluding the market doesn't work.

 

[DirtyLoad]

Take away ALL tax credits that subsidize retail products. Let the MARKET make the decision instead of pushing one brand, over another. EV's, wind, solar. It should be the market that decides if a product is worthwhile, not some government welfare.

Don't forget to remove all the fossil fuel subsidies at the same time. Not fair to subsidize oil/gas but not electric/wind/solar.