Slate's electric truck no longer under $20K after Trump cuts EV tax credits

U.S. EV manufacturer Slate has quietly revised previous claims that its made-in-America pickup truck will cost "under $20,000," increasing the upcoming vehicle's pricing. It seems like auto companies are already reacting to the elimination of EV tax credits under President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill."

As spotted by TechCrunch, Jeff Bezos-backed EV start-up Slate has updated language from its website concerning the cost of its Blank Slate truck.

"Great cars got too pricey," Slate's website declared when it was first unveiled in April. "We fixed that."

This phrase still remains on Slate's website, which also still claims that the Blank Slate will be "[m]ade in the USA at a price that’s actually affordable (no really, for real)." However, it was previously accompanied by an image of the Blank Slate truck with a badge stating its "expected price" to be "under $20,000 after federal incentives."

As of writing, the truck's anticipated pricing has now been tweaked to be in the "mid-twenties." Further disclaimers have also been added, stating that this price is "for U.S. market only."

Considering both the timing and Slate's previous mention of federal incentives, the Blank Slate's pricing change appears to be linked to Trump's controversial spending bill passing on Thursday afternoon. This bill eliminates a $7,500 tax credit the U.S. government granted to drivers who purchased a new EV, which had encouraged drivers to adopt cleaner, more environmentally friendly vehicles. 

The tax break will now end on September 30, which will likely cause several EVs in the U.S. to jump in price. Even if drivers rush to buy an EV now while the tax credits are still available, they won't be able to get their hands on a Blank Slate. The automaker is only scheduled to begin delivery of its vehicles in late 2026, well after the U.S. government will stop offering the tax credit.

Slate's electric truck gained significant attention earlier this year, the start-up claiming that they'd received over 100,000 reservations within mere weeks of it being unveiled. This doesn't guarantee Slate has secured 100,000 sales, as a reservation is merely a $50 deposit in exchange for a place in the queue to buy a truck. Even so, those numbers do indicate some interest in the EV, particularly as drivers increasingly seek alternatives to Elon Musk's Tesla.

Whether such interest can be sustained in light of the Blank Slate's revised pricing remains to be seen. Whatever the case, the U.S. start-up's work just got much more difficult.

Trump has actively worked to dismantle incentives to adopt electric vehicles, repeatedly and incorrectly characterising them as part of an alleged "EV mandate." While there have been policies encouraging EV adoption, there has never been any law in the U.S. which made using an electric car mandatory.