I drove the Slate truck. Its toy-like looks hide a surprisingly serious pickup.

So, when Slate announced a $24,950 starting price for a 2027 model, I assumed the low cost would come with plenty of compromises. Then, on Tuesday, I became one of only a handful of people in the world who have driven a Slate prototype. Slate attributed both issues to the truck's prototype status. Should those rough edges disappear before deliveries begin later this year, the Slate will be an impressive truck for the money. Reaching anything close to that number would require the startup to survive an EV market that has already buried Fisker, Lordstown Motors, and Nikola, strained Lucid and Rivian, and cost Detroit automakers billions.