Slate Auto backtracks on $20,000 electric pickup claim after tax credit cut. The EV startup, backed by Jeff Bezos, dropped its promise of starting “under $20,000” for its upcoming truck. This follows President Trump’s tax cut bill expected to kill the $7,500 federal EV tax credit by September.
The credit was key to hitting that price point. Slate highlighted it heavily when coming out of stealth in April. As recently as yesterday, the “under $20,000” claim was still live on Slate’s site per Web Archive.
This is a major hit for the company’s pitch of radically affordable electric vehicles. Slate did not disclose a precise price without the credit. A spokesperson declined to comment on the change. 
Slate won’t start building the truck until late 2026 at the earliest. The truck is designed to be highly customizable, so the base model—where most affordability lies—may see few buyers.
The sub-$20K price was a major drawing card at launch. Here’s what the team said then:
Slate chief commercial officer Jeremy Snyder stated:
“The auto industry has ‘driven prices to a place that most Americans simply can’t afford.’
‘But we’re here to change that.’”
CEO Chris Barman also said:
“We are building the affordable vehicle that has long been promised but never been delivered.”
Now, with the tax credit gone, Slate’s promise of an ultra-cheap EV pickup is in question. The startup still aims to disrupt, but the bottom line just got a lot less certain.
