The Slate truck has manual windows, steel wheels, and, in this prototype, an interior with placeholder panels still awaiting parts of its actual interior. Expectations for luxury were suitably low. When one YouTuber took it for a drive around Massachusetts, they found rather less to complain about than they'd anticipated.

Acceleration surprised Tedward first. Despite an estimated 8-second sprint to 60 mph, the truck feels quick and responsive around town and has enough muscle to pass at around 40 mph. "It's got plenty. It's got what it needs," he says.

Comfort made an even stronger impression. The Slate handles broken pavement and tram tracks well, and a reviewer recovering from a back injury praises its seating position. By the end, he says he has largely forgotten about the pain. One-pedal driving is generally well calibrated, too, though the accelerator can feel abrupt at first.

At highway speeds, Tedward finds the truck stable and planted, without the wind whistle he expected from the mirrors. It has little body roll in corners, feels surefooted, and its rear-wheel-drive layout and apparent agility have him picturing taking it to autocross and winter driving events.

This remains an unfinished truck, however. He notices steering effort changing through a turn and wants more substantial-feeling switchgear. The placeholder panels around the cabin also rattle over bumps, and you really can't evaluate the truck's interior in this unfinished state.

The Slate truck's specs are pretty straightforward. It has a single 181-horsepower electric motor powering the rear wheels. It draws power from a 65-kilowatt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery pack, with a claimed range of 205 miles, though that's still a manufacturer estimate rather than the official EPA rating.

Slate quotes around 30 minutes for a 20–80% DC charge. Its base price is $24,950, or $26,400 including destination, before taxes, customization, and accessories.

Tedward sees the appeal in a useful little runabout with physical controls and room for personalization. That DIY philosophy extends to accessories, such as the $99.99 hitch receiver, which attaches with four bolts and takes as little as 30 minutes to install.

Potential buyers can now try a truck at Slate's first Chicago showroom, while some preorder customers have reportedly been offered December delivery windows. The Jeff Bezos-backed automaker is asking buyers to accept fewer features, and the experience behind the wheel needs to make that bargain not feel like too much of a compromise.