LOS ANGELES—Slate Auto has pulled a Disneyland. Let me explain.

At Disneyland, if a sign for a ride says the wait is 45 minutes, it's actually less than that. The idea is to set expectations low and then exceed them. Slate originally said its electric truck's entry-level battery would have 180 miles (290 km) of range, but that has expanded to 205 miles (330 km). The tow rating was originally 1,000 lbs (454 kg); now it's 2,000 lbs (907 kg), a nice jump. Finally, the load rating was 1,400 lbs (635 kg), and it's now 1,550 lbs (703 kg).

The automotive startup has exceeded expectations. Was it part of the plan all along? Was leaking the price of the base model of $24,950 last week guerrilla marketing? Since the truck's unveiling a year ago, Slate's marketing has been extremely tongue-in-cheek.

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Formula E is in its final year for the current technical regulations, with a new single-seater EV set to be introduced at the start of next season, which begins in December in Saudi Arabia. The new car, known as GEN4, is a big upgrade—at times more powerful than a Formula 1 car, although heavier and with much less downforce. As speeds rise with the GEN4 car, we knew the sport would become too fast for some of its current venues.

With the release of the season 12 calendar for 2026–2027, that limitation has become clear: a 21-race lineup across 13 cities that now includes several traditional race tracks.

The Saudi double-header is scheduled for December 18 and 19 and is the only season 12 round this year. Then the series starts 2027 off with a string of Formula 1 venues in North America: Mexico on January 16, the Circuit of the Americas in Texas on February 7, and the Miami International Autodrome on February 20. The addition of COTA to Formula E's calendar makes it the seventh US location for the sport since 2015, including the American Airlines Arena in actual Miami; Long Beach, California; Brooklyn, New York; Portland, Oregon; Homestead-Miami, and the Hard Rock Stadium on the outskirts of Miami.

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A few days after a Tesla plowed through a Texas home and killed a grandmother, the family sued the carmaker, alleging that the Model 3’s automated assist mode was defective.

In a complaint filed this week in Harris County District Court, Jennifer Barbour, the daughter of 76-year-old Martha Avila, and Barbour's husband Justin confirmed they were seeking more than $1 million in damages following their sudden and tragic loss.

After the crash, the driver, Michael Butler, who is also a named defendant in the lawsuit, told police that the automated driver-assist feature was engaged when he lost control of the car. Cops told Ars on Monday that they’re still investigating whether the feature was in use and confirmed that Butler was not intoxicated and has been cooperating with police.

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This morning, Slate Auto officially announced pricing for its Slate electric truck. Ars will have some time with a prototype later today, along with—hopefully—answers to many of our remaining questions. In the meantime, we decided to play around with Slate's online configurator to see how much you might actually have to pay for one of these exciting new EVs. As expected, Slate has managed to achieve a sub-$25,000 starting price; if you ignore things like taxes or the as-yet-unknown delivery charge, the Blank Slate pickup really does start at just $24,950.

The battery pack uses lithium iron phosphate cells, with 63 kWh useable energy (65 kWh gross) and a 181 hp (135 kW), 195 lb-ft (264 Nm) electric motor driving the rear wheels. In pickup configuration, with 17-inch steel wheels, the EPA range estimate is 205 miles (330 km). DC fast charging takes 30 minutes to charge from 20 to 80 percent at up to 120 kW via a NACS port, or four to 17 hours using AC, depending on whether you use a level 2 or simple wall socket.

Bare bones

And if you really want a bare-bones pickup, here is your chance. The first variant I mocked up this morning came in at just $25,289.97—plus pending taxes and fees—and that's just because I spent a little over $300 on some decals to make the truck look like my favorite pair of sneakers.

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