Under-promised, over-delivered? Start with the $24,950 Slate auto.

Superstitious?

Will the Slate fulfill the Internet’s desire for a low-cost, bare-bones model? Slate announced in April 2026 that 160,000 people invested $50 in Slate. This week, this number has been changed to 180,000. Now the people have to decide what to do. Will they add $250 to that deposit, making it non-refundable? Those who have not made a deposit before must raise $300 to make a non-refundable deposit.

You can see the customizable panels here.

Credit: Roberto Baldwin

Those who have already invested $50 have until July 24, 2026, to close their donation window. After that, the delivery time will be later.

There are two possible scenarios here. For starters, the Slate car is a bit of a hit. Those who made the initial investment of their cars are given first, starting from the fourth quarter of 2026. Others have to wait months or a year to get their pickup (or SUV). Some can strip and choose a small electric Ford model. But all in all, the company will be better when the cars enter the market, and will have enough regulations to ensure its existence.

The second thing is that, as with transmissions and station wagons, the Internet likes this in theory, but people can choose traditional (and boring) transmissions with SUVs offered by automakers. We don’t know how much traffic the Slate needs to reach to keep it moving. If the company stumbles, it may not enter 2027.

Right now, Slate makes 150,000 a year. According to the CEO, as of 9 a.m. PT, more than 10,000 have already been posted.

When a Ford Maverick hit the marketit filled a niche that car manufacturers had neglected for years. Unfortunately, the price it has increased by 40 percent over time. There is a market for small, low-cost electronics; Ford’s upcoming electric car is proof of that. But even with that update, will drivers give Slate a chance to deliver the car?

We live in a world where a car is driven on the road via software via on-air updates. We are now entering a world where the car will change on the road through hardware changes.

At least that’s what Slate hopes.