Website source code has leaked plenty of secrets before launch day, from game console specs buried in retailer listings to phone release dates hidden in app metadata. Now, a line of code on the website for Slate Auto, the Jeff Bezos-backed startup that raised $650 million in funding to get its truck into production, may have done the same thing.
A developer left a comment in the public source code of the company’s “How to Preorder” page, naming the price Slate had been calling confidential: $24,950. Slate pulled the page down once The Autopian and other enthusiasts spotted it, but the number had already been officially leaked.
Slate is set to open official preorders and reveal final pricing on Wednesday, June 24th. Meanwhile, Ford has been teasing a budget electric pickup of its own that’s expected to start near $30,000. If the leaked figure holds, Slate would undercut Ford by about $5,000 and become the most affordable new pickup sold in the United States, which was arguably the company’s main goal to begin with.
What the leaked code said
More than likely not a typo
According to a piece written by The Autopian co-founder Jason Torchinsky, the price appeared in a comment embedded in the metadata of Slate’s preorder page, not anywhere a casual visitor would see it.
The text described the truck’s price as “CONFIDENTIAL” and added a reminder that the team was still under an NDA. A second page on Slate’s retail site also showed the same $24,950 figure for a short time before someone deleted it, which is why most are treating the number as something official, though its revealing was unintentional.
The company’s own FAQ page still describes the Blank Slate as priced “in the mid-twenties.” After the federal EV tax credit disappeared last year, Slate added language to its FAQ saying it’s keeping that mid-$20K promise rather than raising the price to make up the difference.
The leaked figure of $24,950 fits that exactly.
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What $24,950 buys you
A stripped-down truck built to be customized
The leaked MSRP is most likely the “Blank Slate” base configuration. The basic truck ships with unpainted composite body panels, manual crank windows, no stereo, and no infotainment screen (there is a mount for your phone instead). Heating and air conditioning are standard, controlled via basic analog knobs.
Under the skin, a single rear-mounted motor produces 201 horsepower and 195 lb-ft. of torque, enough for a zero-to-60 mph time around eight seconds and a top speed near 90 mph. The standard battery is rated for 150 miles of range, with an upgrade to an 84.3 kWh pack stretching that to 240 miles. Fast charging tops out at 120 kW, enough to take the battery from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes.
Slate’s bigger idea is that the truck is a starting point, not a finished product. Every Slate leaves the factory as a two-seat pickup, but from there, owners can add a Squareback SUV Kit, a sportier Fastback Kit, an Open Air Kit that drops the hardtop and rear windows, or a Cargo Kit that turns the bed into covered, van-like storage.
The three SUV-style kits each seat five. Slate has also said buyers will be able to order the truck without doors. More than 150,000 people have already put down refundable $50 reservations.
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How Slate stacks up against Ford, and what’s next
A four-door rival is coming a year later
Ford’s answer to the same idea of a simple truck looks almost nothing like Slate’s. Ford’s midsize electric pickup, expected to start near $30,000 when it arrives in 2027, will ride on the automaker’s new Universal EV Platform built around large aluminum castings and a structural lithium iron phosphate battery pack.
Ford has said the truck will seat four with a back seat, unlike the two-seat cab that Slate ships as standard. The automaker also expects a 60-mph time of around four and a half seconds for its EV pickup, matching a gas-powered EcoBoost Mustang.
Ford has also leaned into mystery rather than disclosure. The company built a hidden website that only reveals itself to fans who track down a QR code on a camouflaged prototype, a unique marketing tactic that should help create buzz around Ford’s forthcoming affordable EV truck.
Slate’s truck will reach customers about a year before Ford’s, with deliveries targeted for late 2026, compared with Ford’s 2027 timeline. Slate also recently filed design patents in India for the truck and a fastback SUV variant nicknamed Purple Reign. The timing of the patent filings, so close to Slate’s U.S. customer deliveries, has fueled speculation about international expansion plans down the road.
How reservations and preorders work
Slate is scheduled to open official preorders and announce final pricing for the Blank Slate and its launch accessories on Wednesday, June 24th, 2026. Reservations are currently open through Slate’s official website.
Reservation holders get priority delivery, and according to Slate’s FAQ, an active $50 reservation fee reduces the preorder deposit from $300 to $250. That deposit isn’t refundable, but it counts toward the truck’s final purchase price. Buyers have 30 days from June 24th to lock in a delivery window before it shifts to a later one.
Until then, $24,950 remains the best public estimate rather than a locked number, even with two separate leaks pointing at the same figure.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
