New Michigan-Made Electric Truck Ditches the Radio and Paint to Save You Money

In a world where cars beep at you for everything, and fixing a broken touchscreen costs more than your first car did, a new Michigan-based company is flipping the electric vehicle script.

Slate Auto is building something different, and in my humble opinion it’s refreshingly simple. Their upcoming all-electric truck will skip the high-tech frills we’ve all become accustomed to, in favor of rugged reliability and an unbeatable price of less than $20,000.

And when they say no frills, they mean it. No paint. No radio. No touchscreen. No problem.

Slate’s upcoming truck, which is set to go into production in late 2026, is designed to be practical, customizable, and affordable. The body is made of a tough, gray polypropylene that includes no paint job to chip or scratch. But, could easily become a playground of creativity in the right owner’s hands.

Inside, it’s just the basics: manual controls and room for your upgrades. There’s no maze of sensors or mystery lights on the dashboard. That means less stuff to break, and way fewer surprise repair bills.

But if blank isn't your style, you can pay extra to have it wrapped the way you want, and it's still more affordable than everything else on the market by a landslide.

And honestly? That’s kind of brilliant. My current vehicle won’t let me use cruise control while wearing my sunglasses because it ‘can’t see my eyes’. This sounds like a dream come true.

In an age when most vehicles try to be rolling computers, Slate is going old-school in the best way possible. Want music? Add your own system. Want color? Wrap it. Want more seating? There’s a kit for that.

It’s a throwback mentality with modern capability, and people are paying attention. The company already has major backing (Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has invested) and is offering preorders now for just a $50 refundable deposit. Anyone can get in on this, and that’s really what makes it a truly special revolution in the automotive industry.

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Built for utility, not vanity, this might be the electric truck that finally puts practicality back in the driver’s seat. And in Michigan, that’s the kind of innovation that feels right at home.