Slate Auto opened its first test drive and experience center on Oct. 15 at 1053 W. Grand Avenue in Chicago, in a building that used to be a Tesla store. The startup is using the space to put its two-seat electric pickup in front of buyers, with a pricing pitch that starts at $24,950 before taxes and fees. Slate’s own website bills the truck as the most affordable in America, a claim that carries an asterisk it does not explain.
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Chicago is the first brick-and-mortar step for a company that has so far sold the truck through preorders. The opening also arrives with an obvious catch for anyone hoping to simply drive in and take a spin.
What the Chicago Center Offers
Electrek, which visited the site on opening day, describes the location on Chicago’s Near West Side as a small showroom with a garage, retail space and charging that uses the North American Charging Standard. Reporter Jo Borrás wrote that Slate may be inexpensive but it is not cheap, and that the company was starting to feel really, really real. He took a test ride in the truck but was not allowed to drive it, which means the “test-drive” label is looser in practice than it sounds.
Electric Vehicles reported that Slate announced the opening on X on Thursday, Oct. 15, and that ride-alongs ran by appointment from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Oct. 15 through Oct. 17. Rides were reserved for people who already hold a reservation or preorder, and walk-ins were put on a waitlist. Electrek says the center is aimed in particular at Midwest fleet buyers and automotive journalists. Visitors could also see accessories and wraps and a display model. The same report says Slate called the arrangement a dealership-free experience.
The Claim Behind the Price
The center exists to sell one claim. Slate’s website carries the banner “The most affordable truck in America” with an asterisk, lists the essentials from $24,950, notes that wraps and accessories cost extra, and says preorders are live and delivery windows are filling. The page names the Ford Maverick, Chevy Silverado and Toyota SR5 in a comparison section without showing prices, and the asterisk’s footnote text does not appear on the page, so the basis for the claim is not stated there.
Electrek’s report on the center is more cautious than Slate’s own copy, calling the truck what promises to be the most affordable new vehicle in America, because the truck has not yet reached customers. The price itself came in June: $24,950 for the two-seat pickup, or $29,950 for the five-seat SUV configuration that owners convert themselves, before taxes, title, registration, destination and documentation fees.
The June reporting also shows how the number moved. Slate’s original pitch of a truck under $20,000 assumed the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, which is now gone after policy changes, so Electrek treated the under-$20,000 target as no longer valid. Slate also switched to a single 65 kWh lithium iron phosphate pack, with 63 kWh usable and a 181-horsepower rear motor, in place of two planned nickel manganese cobalt packs, partly to cut the price. Estimated range rose from 150 miles to about 205 miles. Slate opened preorders the same day it revealed pricing, and the June report still had first deliveries expected by the end of 2026, which means every number in this story is a promise about a truck that few buyers have driven or taken delivery of.
Production in Indiana and the Next Locations
Dealership Guy’s account describes the Chicago space as Slate’s first brick-and-mortar experience center and notes that it offers test drives of what it calls the $25,000 electric pickup. Slate plans to build the truck at a converted factory in Warsaw, Indiana, with about 150,000 vehicles of annual capacity and a planned investment of nearly $400 million, according to the Electric Vehicles report. First deliveries are expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Chicago will not be the only stop. The Electric Vehicles report lists pop-up ride events in Chestnut Hill near Boston from Oct. 21 to Oct. 25 and at the Radwood car show in Alameda, California, on Oct. 24. It also lists greater New York City, Washington, Raleigh, Atlanta, Miami and Orlando as coming soon, with the last five planned for November and December. A company spokesperson declined to say how many more locations are planned or how quickly they would open.
CEO Peter Faricy, quoted in the same report, said that nothing is guaranteed in life but that big achievements require ambitious goals. He has also said Slate expects positive free cash flow and EBITDA by 2027, with a break-even point of roughly 80,000 vehicles a year. That target sits at a little over half of the planned 150,000-vehicle capacity at the Indiana plant, which is why first deliveries matter more to the company than any single showroom. Until trucks reach customers, the affordability claim, the 205-mile range and the delivery schedule all remain statements from Slate and its early press coverage rather than independently measured results.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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