Slate’s $25,000 EV Could Become An Electric Van For Just $3,000 More

Slate Auto is reportedly developing a high-roof cargo kit for its budget electric pickup, open to all buyers rather than fleet customers only.

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Slate High Roof Cargo Option
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None of this is officially confirmed by Slate yet, but the details are coming from an unusually credible source: a forum member who attended the company’s own ride-along demo event in Portland and spoke directly with Slate’s fleet sales lead. Between that account and matching details rendered by the Instagram account Slate Auto Mods, a clear picture has emerged of where Slate’s modular parts catalog is headed next.

Two Roof Options, Built Around The Existing SUV Kit

According to the Slateforums post, Slate’s Fleet Business Development and Government Sales Lead, Christian Kreipke, described two cargo configurations: a standard “squareback” version sharing its shape with the SUV kit Slate already sells, and a taller high-roof version that adds a spoiler cap over the cab for a continuous roofline and standing headroom in back. Both are expected in black or white, with side panels configurable as blank, glass, or glass with lift struts and locks — and buyers can reportedly delete the rear cab glass and bulkhead entirely for a fully enclosed cargo area. Pricing starts around $3,000, roughly in line with the $5,000 premium Slate already charges for its existing SUV conversion.

Open To Everyone, Not Just Fleets

The more interesting detail is who gets to buy it. Kreipke reportedly said the cargo kit — including the high-roof version — will be available to retail customers, not restricted to commercial fleet accounts the way Rivian has largely kept its EDV delivery van tied to Amazon. That opens the door to uses well outside the trades: van-life conversions, mobile vending setups, and small delivery operations that would otherwise be shopping used panel vans. It also positions Slate’s modular approach against newer entrants like Telo’s MT1, which starts north of $40,000 with no comparable cargo conversion — nearly double Slate’s roughly $25,000 base price even before any kit is added.

Still Rumor Until Slate Says Otherwise

Slate SUv

Slate

Slate hasn’t confirmed the kit, its pricing, or a timeline on any official channel, and the company remains focused on first customer deliveries, which it has previously targeted for late 2026. Kreipke reportedly also indicated the next-generation Slate would keep the same basic dimensions, a detail aimed less at retail buyers and more at giving aftermarket upfitters confidence to build for the platform without redesign risk. Whether that translates into an actual production cargo van, and at what real-world price, is still an open question.

About the author

Yash Bajaj

News Editor

Yash Bajaj is a news editor at Autoblog and an automotive research analyst with 10 years’ EV market experience, specializing in quantitative analysis and industry economics. Based in Asia, he produces editorial and visual content, contributes to valuation research, and curates automotive events in India.