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The Slate electric pickup is all about simplicity—not fun, per se. From the beginning, the startup has advertised wraps as a way to dress up the default unpainted gray body panels, and it’s doubling down on that with an unexpected collaboration. Ford may have Carhartt, but Slate has Crayola.
This week, Slate announced five Crayola color wraps: Cerulean (blue), Fern (green), Jersey Tomato (orange), Dandelion (yellow), and Razzmatazz, a pinkish hue that may have just taken the prize for best car color name. The colors will be offered as what Slate calls “starter packs,” including the wrap itself, decals that replicate the details on Crayola crayon wrappers, a key fob cap, and a clip-on crayon tchotchke that can be stuck onto the windshield.
Slate
Each one retails for $1,549.99, making it something of a premium option considering that basic wraps start at $500 (“specialty” colors are also available for $669.99), with an additional installation charge targeted at $500 as well. Partial wraps are also available for less, along with decals like racing numbers and stripes. Slate claims to have over 100 wrap colors available, and even the basic selection includes some fairly vibrant options.
Slate recently opened preorders for the truck itself, requiring a $300 nonrefundable deposit against the $24,950 base price. That deposit secures a delivery window; customers can then fully spec their trucks when the window gets closer. Slate expects to begin deliveries in the fourth quarter of this year.
Slate
The base price buys a 65-kilowatt-hour (63 kWh usable) battery pack affording an estimated 205 miles of range, a 2,000-pound towing capacity, and 1,550 pounds of payload capacity. The GVWR is 5,689 pounds, so the pickup’s 4,048-pound curb weight doesn’t leave much room for error when calculating payload. A kit that converts the pickup into an SUV is also available, but the added weight drops towing capacity to 1,824 pounds and payload capacity to 1,263 pounds. Unladen, the 181-horsepower motor should get the pickup from zero to 60 mph in 8.0 seconds.
Buyers will also get a throwback interior with crank windows and no screen, but the ride belies the cabin’s simplicity. That’s important, because a fully loaded model with the SUV kit and a generous helping of accessories costs around $35,000. It won’t be surprising if more trucks get specced that way than as bare-bones base models. Slate will likely need many customers to select a few options—including these Crayola wraps—in order to make money as it ramps up production.
Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he’s not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.
