The American magazine Slate lets people design their own pick-up, depending on their taste or stage of life. The car is never finished.

Eureka is the section on ‘product designs for tomorrow’ in De Ingenieur.

Whilst car manufacturers are offering an ever-increasing variety of models and, moreover, locking away all their features behind inaccessible software, the start-up Slate, based in the US state of Michigan, is doing exactly the opposite. The electric pick-up, due to be launched at the end of 2026, leaves the factory in a single basic specification: grey, two-seater, without a screen and with old-fashioned wind-up windows. After that, it’s up to the user.

Slate’s concept seems to have been borrowed more from IKEA or the PC industry than from other car manufacturers. The fixed bodywork features countless mounting points for accessories. A wrap replaces the paintwork, so the owner can always easily change the colour later on. Anyone wanting extra seats can fit an SUV kit and turn the pick-up into a five-seater. Even the dashboard is merely optional: your own phone or tablet can also serve as a screen.

The Slate Truck: $24,950

With this modularity, Slate is aiming to radically simplify the manufacturing process. Whereas a modern pick-up consists of around six thousand parts, the company claims it can build the Slate using approximately six hundred components. Fewer variants, less logistics and no costly paint shop, as the plastic body panels remain unpainted. For consumers, the main appeal would lie in the fact that the car is never ‘finished’: throughout the Slate’s entire lifespan, they can continue to adapt it to their tastes or stage of life.

What is also noteworthy is what is not included. The Slate has no built-in data connection and therefore does not constantly send information to the manufacturer, as virtually all other electric cars do. A smartphone app can read vehicle data and install software updates, but only if the owner actively pairs the device. At a time when cars have increasingly become ‘driving smartphones’, this feels almost old-fashioned – or perhaps, conversely, surprisingly modern.

Prices start from $24,950. There’s an additional $50 fee to secure a place on the waiting list.


Photo: Slate