# Slate opens Chicago showroom for $25,000 electric truck

> The startup's first retail space lets customers see and configure its bare-bones pickup before production begins later this year.
- Title: Slate opens Chicago showroom for $25,000 electric truck
- Summary: The startup's first retail space lets customers see and configure its bare-bones pickup before production begins later this year. Slate opened its first…
- Keywords: slate, electric truck, chicago, showroom, ev pickup, affordable electric vehicle, technology, science, opens, 000, electric, truck
- Source: Ars Technica — https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/10/visiting-slates-first-showroom-as-its-25000-electric-truck-nears-production
- Published: 2026-10-20T11:00:16+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: slate, electric truck, chicago, showroom, ev pickup, affordable electric vehicle, technology, science
## Slate opens first showroom
Slate opened its first showroom last week in the Fulton Market District northwest of the Chicago Loop in a former Tesla store staffed by some former Tesla employees.
## What customers can do there
The Slate Experience Center lets would-be buyers examine a prototype, check out customization options, buy Slate merchandise, and pre-order a new Slate Truck with a three hundred dollar deposit.
## The Slate Truck specs
The Slate Truck is a bare-bones electric pickup truck retailing for twenty four thousand nine hundred fifty dollars with plastic panels, minimalist interior design, manual window winders, and a projected range of two hundred five…
## Strong early interest
The showroom opened October fifteenth with a three-day launch event offering ridealongs.Manager of Customer Experience Steve Purdy said the response has been incredible and the company is very happy with the number of deposits received.

> We're really happy with the number of [$300] deposits we've gotten since we opened
## Only one prototype on display
The showroom has one hand-built, older prototype with a black wrap.The bed and passenger sides are cordoned off, but the driver-side door is open so shoppers can examine the interior and sit in the cab.
## Truck size and build quality
The truck is roughly the size of a Hyundai Santa Cruz. The five-foot-long bed floor looks and feels durable. The exterior panels appear well-fitted with doors sitting flush when closed.
## Interior features
The cab is spartan with a small instrument panel screen, phone holder, physical climate controls, and manual window winders. The seats are supportive and comfortable with ample legroom after adjustment.
## Production timeline
The Slate assembly line in Warsaw, Indiana is still making prototyping runs.The company hopes to start production models soon.

> We will ship some trucks by the end of the year. Those will go to investors and employees, with early-orderers receiving their Slate Trucks in early 2027.
## Customization options
Beyond the default Blank Slate body style, Slate offers two SUV options, the Squareback SUV and Fastback SUV, and an open-air kit.Most customers are going with the truck configuration and customizing in the Slate Garage.

> Most customers are going with the truck configuration. And then they're customizing their trucks in the Slate Garage.
## In-showroom configuration
Staffers at the Experience Center help customers configure customized Slates. A wall displays removable dashboard panels across the color spectrum and miniature cab models with tiny colored panels help customers visualize their truck.
## Service and replacement parts
Slate will use RepairPal for service, giving owners access to four thousand shops.Some can service high-voltage electrical systems, others handle body damage.Owners can replace exterior body panels themselves.
## Price advantage over rivals
At twenty five thousand dollars, the Slate Truck costs far less than a Rivian R one T, Tesla Cybertruck, Chevy Silverado EV, or any currently shipping battery-electric truck.
## Production quality remains uncertain
Tesla had significant quality control problems with early Model Ys and some Cybertrucks shipped with misaligned panel gaps. Slate now faces a production reality check to deliver trucks matching the carefully hand-built prototypes.
## Key takeaway

Slate opened its first showroom in Chicago to let customers experience its twenty five thousand dollar electric truck ahead of production starting soon.