Slate revealed its barebones inexpensive electric truck to the masses last night. It's an interesting vehicle, capable of converting to a small five-seat SUV for hauling people instead of cargo. Judging by the comments shared during our debut livestream, we suspect many prospective Slate customers are largely interested in cargo.
That brings us to the timeless measure of a truck's capability as a workhorse. Can the Slate haul a 4-foot by 8-foot sheet of plywood? The simple answer is yes. But there's a bit more to it than that.
Gallery: Slate Truck
During the Slate EV's debut, the company said the bed will hold "a full sheet of plywood." That's a standard 4x8 sheet, and with a maximum payload capacity of 1,433 pounds, the truck could carry quite a few. The minimum bed width is 50.0 inches, just wide enough to accommodate a 4-foot (48-inch) wide piece of wood, so that checks out.
Here's where things get a bit more complicated. The bed length is five feet on the nose. That's 60 inches, well short of a standard piece of plywood. So you won't haul it with the tailgate up without all kinds of overhang. Drop the gate and the bed floor extends to 81.6 inches, which equates to 6.8 feet. That's also not long enough to fully support a big sheet of plywood, but that's no big deal. Most full-size trucks don't have a full 8-foot bed anymore, so a foot of overhang for plywood or long 2x4s is pretty much the norm these days. Stick a flag on the back, strap it all down, and you should be good to go.
However, we're unsure at this point how well those big plywood pieces are supported in the bed. The distance between the wheel wells is only 42.9 inches. That's not enough for plywood to sit flat, so it'd have to sit on the wheel wells. The top portions of the well look flat, which is good for keeping the panels stable. But they aren't very wide, leaving much of the sheet unsupported. That shouldn't matter much for thicker plywood sheets, but quarter-inch plywood is crazy flexible. And thin 4x8 paneling could be sketchy, too.
Ford has a similar setup on the Maverick, which actually has a slightly shorter bed compared to the Slate. However, the Maverick's wheel arches are longer, wider, and closer to the bed. Ford also has notches in the side to add support beams across the bed. From what we see in the configurator, Slate doesn't have the same kind of support.
Still, the capability is there. And since this truck is electric, there's a bit more storage up front in the frunk. If the bed is occupied by a weekend's worth of DIY project lumber, you can still carry a 12-pack in the front.
It will be a while before we can put this truck's cargo capabilities to the test. Slate expects production to begin towards the end of 2026. But judging by the numbers, it should be pretty darned capable for its size.
Source: Slate
