<\/span>Slate Auto vs. Telo Trucks<\/h2>\n\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n
![\"Slate](\"https:\/\/cdn.motor1.com\/images\/static\/16x9-tr.png\")
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Photo by: Slate<\/p>\n
\nSlate Auto EV Truck<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
Slate was founded in 2022 and came out of stealth in April, when it also unveiled its debut model<\/a>. It’s staffed up by industry veterans from Tesla<\/a>, Harley-Davidson, Chrysler and more. The idea behind Slate is to create the affordable, bare-bones electric vehicle that the U.S. has been missing.\u00a0<\/p>\nTelo Trucks revealed the design of its truck<\/a>, the MT1, in late 2023. The California-based startup is a scrappier operation, comprising just 11 engineers. It’s all about creating a super-compact, functional truck for people who live in and near cities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<\/section>\nBoth are venture-backed. Slate has raised at least $111 million from investors including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos,\u00a0TechCrunch<\/em> reported<\/a>. Telo’s investors include Tesla co-founder Marc Tarpenning, through his firm Spero Ventures.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/span>Design & Size<\/h2>\n\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n
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\nTelo truck<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
The Slate follows a hyper-traditional, boxy design. Squint and you can barely tell that it’s electric or built after the year 2005.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The MT1, on the other hand, looks like it’s from the future. It has a squished front end, and you can tell the intention was to leverage the inherent flexibility of an EV platform to create extra space in a compact design.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Slate is a spartan two-seater with a five-foot bed. The Telo<\/a> also has a five-foot bet, but manages to squeeze in five seats.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n
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Photo by: Slate<\/p>\n
\nSlate Auto EV Truck<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
The Telo is 152 inches long, about the size of a Mini Cooper. The Slate is 174.6 inches long. That’s still about two feet shorter than a Ford Maverick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Telo boasts a stylish, minimalist interior with interesting textures and a modestly sized touchscreen front and center. The Slate takes the minimalism to a whole different level with a gray interior, manual windows, lots of plastic and no infotainment screen<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/span>Notable Features<\/h2>\nCustomization is a big part of how Slate is trying to differentiate itself.\u00a0Slate buyers get an extremely basic truck as standard, but they can also choose from a vast catalog of cool accessories.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n
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Photo by: Slate<\/p>\n
\nSlate Auto EV Truck<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
That includes a bolt-on SUV kit<\/a> that adds a roof and a second row. Other add-ons include interior finishes, speakers (you don’t get any sound system otherwise) and colorful vinyl wraps (every truck comes in gray from the factory).\u00a0<\/p>\nThe Telo offers a collapsable midgate, which allows long items like surfboards or full-size sheets of plywood to poke into the cab. It comes with an extra transverse cargo area behind the back seats, much like Rivian’s Gear Tunnel<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n
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\nTelo truck<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
And it can be optioned with extra seats in the bed and an enclosed roof.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/span>Price<\/h2>\nSlate says its truck will start at less than $20,000, after factoring in the federal incentive for plug-in car buyers. That means the actual MSRP should be around $27,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Telo says the MT1 will cost $41,520 and up. Factoring in the $7,500 federal rebate theoretically knocks that down to roughly $34,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/span>Range, Batteries & Charging<\/h2>\nHere’s how these trucks stack up in terms of their EV specs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\n\n\n\u00a0<\/td>\n Slate<\/td>\n Telo MT1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nRange (base\/max)<\/td>\n 150\/240 miles<\/td>\n 260\/350 miles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nBattery Size (base\/ optional)<\/td>\n 52.7\/84.3 kWh<\/td>\n 77\/106 kWh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nCharge Port<\/td>\n NACS<\/td>\n NACS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nCharge Time (20-80%)<\/td>\n 30 minutes<\/td>\n 20 minutes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nMax Charge Power<\/td>\n 120 kW<\/td>\n 250 kW<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/span>Truck Stuff & Performance<\/h2>\nNeither of these trucks is designed to replace your Ford Super Duty. They’re more for trips to Home Depot or carrying a couple of bikes to the trails, or potentially specialized fleet applications. But the Telo claims better performance numbers across the board. Again, the Slate is more about basic transportation. Telo plans to charge more for more capability.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\n\n\n\u00a0<\/td>\n Slate<\/td>\n Telo MT1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nDrivetrain<\/td>\n RWD<\/td>\n RWD\/AWD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nPayload<\/td>\n 1,433 lbs<\/td>\n 2,000\/1,700 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nTowing<\/td>\n 1,000 lbs<\/td>\n Up to 6,600 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nHorsepower<\/td>\n 201 hp<\/td>\n 300 hp\/500 hp<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n0-60 mph<\/td>\n 8.0 sec<\/td>\n 4.5 sec\/3.5 sec<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/span>When Can You Buy One?<\/h2>\nBoth trucks are available to reserve now with a refundable deposit. Telo aims to start production in 2026 through a contract manufacturer, using off-the-shelf components to bring down cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Slate has taken over a Warsaw, Indiana, printing factory<\/a>, where it will kick off production in Q4 of 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\nGot a tip or question about the EV world? Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
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Photo by: Slate<\/p>\n
Slate Auto EV Truck<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
Slate was founded in 2022 and came out of stealth in April, when it also unveiled its debut model<\/a>. It’s staffed up by industry veterans from Tesla<\/a>, Harley-Davidson, Chrysler and more. The idea behind Slate is to create the affordable, bare-bones electric vehicle that the U.S. has been missing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Telo Trucks revealed the design of its truck<\/a>, the MT1, in late 2023. The California-based startup is a scrappier operation, comprising just 11 engineers. It’s all about creating a super-compact, functional truck for people who live in and near cities.\u00a0<\/p>\n Both are venture-backed. Slate has raised at least $111 million from investors including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos,\u00a0TechCrunch<\/em> reported<\/a>. Telo’s investors include Tesla co-founder Marc Tarpenning, through his firm Spero Ventures.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Telo truck<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n The Slate follows a hyper-traditional, boxy design. Squint and you can barely tell that it’s electric or built after the year 2005.\u00a0<\/p>\n The MT1, on the other hand, looks like it’s from the future. It has a squished front end, and you can tell the intention was to leverage the inherent flexibility of an EV platform to create extra space in a compact design.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Slate is a spartan two-seater with a five-foot bed. The Telo<\/a> also has a five-foot bet, but manages to squeeze in five seats.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Photo by: Slate<\/p>\n Slate Auto EV Truck<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n The Telo is 152 inches long, about the size of a Mini Cooper. The Slate is 174.6 inches long. That’s still about two feet shorter than a Ford Maverick.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Telo boasts a stylish, minimalist interior with interesting textures and a modestly sized touchscreen front and center. The Slate takes the minimalism to a whole different level with a gray interior, manual windows, lots of plastic and no infotainment screen<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Customization is a big part of how Slate is trying to differentiate itself.\u00a0Slate buyers get an extremely basic truck as standard, but they can also choose from a vast catalog of cool accessories.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Photo by: Slate<\/p>\n Slate Auto EV Truck<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n That includes a bolt-on SUV kit<\/a> that adds a roof and a second row. Other add-ons include interior finishes, speakers (you don’t get any sound system otherwise) and colorful vinyl wraps (every truck comes in gray from the factory).\u00a0<\/p>\n The Telo offers a collapsable midgate, which allows long items like surfboards or full-size sheets of plywood to poke into the cab. It comes with an extra transverse cargo area behind the back seats, much like Rivian’s Gear Tunnel<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Telo truck<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n And it can be optioned with extra seats in the bed and an enclosed roof.\u00a0<\/p>\n Slate says its truck will start at less than $20,000, after factoring in the federal incentive for plug-in car buyers. That means the actual MSRP should be around $27,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n Telo says the MT1 will cost $41,520 and up. Factoring in the $7,500 federal rebate theoretically knocks that down to roughly $34,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here’s how these trucks stack up in terms of their EV specs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Neither of these trucks is designed to replace your Ford Super Duty. They’re more for trips to Home Depot or carrying a couple of bikes to the trails, or potentially specialized fleet applications. But the Telo claims better performance numbers across the board. Again, the Slate is more about basic transportation. Telo plans to charge more for more capability.\u00a0<\/p>\n Both trucks are available to reserve now with a refundable deposit. Telo aims to start production in 2026 through a contract manufacturer, using off-the-shelf components to bring down cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n Slate has taken over a Warsaw, Indiana, printing factory<\/a>, where it will kick off production in Q4 of 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n Got a tip or question about the EV world? Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/span>Design & Size<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>Notable Features<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>Price<\/h2>\n
<\/span>Range, Batteries & Charging<\/h2>\n
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\n \u00a0<\/td>\n Slate<\/td>\n Telo MT1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Range (base\/max)<\/td>\n 150\/240 miles<\/td>\n 260\/350 miles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Battery Size (base\/ optional)<\/td>\n 52.7\/84.3 kWh<\/td>\n 77\/106 kWh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Charge Port<\/td>\n NACS<\/td>\n NACS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Charge Time (20-80%)<\/td>\n 30 minutes<\/td>\n 20 minutes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Max Charge Power<\/td>\n 120 kW<\/td>\n 250 kW<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n <\/span>Truck Stuff & Performance<\/h2>\n
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\n \u00a0<\/td>\n Slate<\/td>\n Telo MT1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Drivetrain<\/td>\n RWD<\/td>\n RWD\/AWD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Payload<\/td>\n 1,433 lbs<\/td>\n 2,000\/1,700 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Towing<\/td>\n 1,000 lbs<\/td>\n Up to 6,600 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Horsepower<\/td>\n 201 hp<\/td>\n 300 hp\/500 hp<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 0-60 mph<\/td>\n 8.0 sec<\/td>\n 4.5 sec\/3.5 sec<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n <\/span>When Can You Buy One?<\/h2>\n