This $25,000 Electric Truck Brings Back Hand-Crank Windows

The cheapest electric vehicle you can buy just got a whole lot more interesting, and it comes with a feature your grandparents would recognize.

Slate Auto, backed by Jeff Bezos, just unveiled full details on its bare-bones electric pickup truck that starts at $24,999. The "Blank Slate" is a compact two-seater that strips away every luxury to hit that magic price point, including power windows, built-in stereos, and most of the tech that makes modern EVs feel like rolling computers.

But here's the surprising part. Those hand-crank windows that grabbed everyone's attention only save about $20 to $40 per vehicle, and Slate had to source them specially from Brazil since almost no one uses them anymore.

The real savings come from what you can't see. Slate went old-school with its manufacturing, using 250 pieces of ordinary steel welded together instead of expensive stamping methods. The rear suspension uses a design called the De Dion that dates back to the 1800s but still works perfectly well.

Think of it as a flip phone on wheels in a world obsessed with smartphones. While Tesla and other EV makers load their vehicles with touchscreens and AI assistants, Slate stripped everything down to make electric trucks accessible to regular folks.

The base truck comes in gray, but here's where it gets fun. Buyers can customize nearly everything through dozens of color wraps starting at $499, custom taillight designs, roof racks, and different seating configurations. Want more than two seats? The SUV version costs around $30,000, and the fastback runs about $32,000.

You can buy directly from Slate without visiting a dealership, designing every single piece of your truck online. It's the opposite of settling for whatever's on the lot with the trim package you didn't really want.

The Ripple Effect

This truck matters beyond its sticker price. With gas prices swinging wildly and new vehicles averaging well into the $40,000s, Slate offers an escape route for budget-conscious buyers who want to go electric. Without the now-eliminated $7,500 federal EV tax credit, it can't quite undercut gas-powered compact cars like the Toyota Corolla, but it gets close while offering something those cars can't: zero emissions and complete personalization.

The bigger ripple is what this could mean for the entire auto industry. If Americans embrace Slate's approach, it proves there's a huge market for affordable EVs that don't try to be computers on wheels. Other manufacturers might finally realize that not everyone wants or needs AI assistants and massive touchscreens.

Slate is betting that enough drivers are ready to roll their own windows again if it means affording an electric truck they can truly make their own.