Slate Is Selling A $30 'Screenless GPS' For Its Low-Tech Truck
Slate will sell you an all-new "Screenless GPS" for your pickup.
It's also compatible with literally every other vehicle on sale today.
Spoiler: it's a map.
Slate has introduced a new "Screenless GPS" for its bare-bones EV pickup. It has zero boot time, no subscription fees, unlimited battery life, and absolutely zero chance of telling you to make a left turn into an active construction site since it, well, doesn't actually do turn-by-turn directions.
If you haven't caught on yet, it's a book: Rand McNally's 2027 Road Atlas, to be precise. On Thursday, Slate added the map to its online store for $30, calling it "the original navigation system." Slate said it's available in limited quantities.
Slate Auto calls its map the "original navigation system."
Photo by: Slate
The new product is clearly tongue-in-cheek and a bit of a stunt, but it also speaks to what Slate is trying to pull off. The startup is betting that people are fed up enough with complicated, modern cars to embrace a no-frills EV with unpainted composite body panels, manual windows, and no big infotainment screen. That, of course, means no built-in navigation either.
Obviously, few drivers actually want to use a physical map these days. Fortunately, the Slate will come with a phone mount, so owners can continue using their favorite mapping apps, like Google or Apple Maps. And hey, maybe that Slate-branded Atlas could come in handy in a pinch.
"When it comes to tech, we believe you should use the devices and solutions you already know and love," Slate said Thursday. "Not because we don't like tech, but because we believe you already have everything you need to get where you're going."
What do you think?
That minimalist mentality is what has kept the battery-powered truck under $25,000. You get an LFP battery, a bed, some wheels, and freedom from the complexities of the modern automobile. And if you really do want to add on some extras, they can be as analog as a map, or as digital as your phone. Or as involved as an SUV kit with extra seats and a roof.
It's a bold bet in an era when cars seem to only be getting more expensive and more packed with screens. We won't have to wait too long to see if the gamble pays off. Slate plans to deliver its first trucks later this year.
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