# Slate Auto's GPS is just a road atlas

> An electric truck startup ditches the dashboard screen and offers a spiral-bound Rand McNally atlas as navigation instead.
- Title: Slate Auto's GPS is just a road atlas · Ars Technica
- Summary: An electric truck startup ditches the dashboard screen and offers a spiral-bound Rand McNally atlas as navigation instead.
- Keywords: slate auto, electric truck, road atlas, navigation, minimalist design, rand mcnally, Ars Technica
- Source: Ars Technica — https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/11/screenless-gps-slate-auto-says-remember-the-road-atlas
- Published: 2026-11-13T14:45:04+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: slate auto, electric truck, road atlas, navigation, minimalist design, rand mcnally, technology, science
## Slate Auto's minimalist pitch
Slate Auto is an affordable electric truck startup with a sub-twenty-five thousand dollar starting price. It strips away most technology, leaving owners to bring their own devices for everything.
## No infotainment system here
The truck has no embedded infotainment system. A small digital display shows speed and range, and the backup camera appears when you engage reverse. Two USB-C ports provide power but not connectivity.
## Screenless GPS: a road atlas
For navigation, Slate offers a spiral-bound Rand McNally two thousand twenty-seven Road Atlas.The company says maps worked for past generations and should work now.

> We believe you should use the devices you know and love
## A portable, vehicle-agnostic system
The atlas is entirely portable and works in any vehicle, not just Slate trucks. Slate added the screenless GPS system to its store for a limited time, and review copies will be offered in an…
## Key takeaway

Slate Auto, a startup making affordable electric trucks under twenty-five thousand dollars, replaces digital navigation with a printed road atlas to match its minimalist design philosophy.