Slate OTA updates: how a $25,000 truck updates via your phone

Updates are handled by the Slate app on your phone. Over-the-air, or OTA, simply means new software arrives without a trip to a service center. Most carmakers do this through a modem built into the car or over Wi-Fi. Slate uses the owner’s phone as the middleman.

When a new version is ready, the app downloads it to your phone. You then connect the phone to the USB port on the truck’s dash. The phone only needs to stay plugged in for the first stage, a file transfer that takes about a minute. After that, the truck carries on and installs the update by itself, which can take roughly 45 minutes.

In practice, that means you could start the transfer, unplug your phone and walk away while the truck finishes. You will want to time it for when you don’t need to drive.

Slate has been clear about what to expect from these updates. They will focus on fixing bugs and making small improvements, so owners should not count on big new features appearing overnight the way they sometimes do on more connected EVs.

The same app that handles updates fills in for the missing infotainment system. It shows your remaining range, helps you find chargers and can pass directions to Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze on your phone.

If you want more, Slate sells it as extras. You can buy a tablet mount and use a Slate app on a tablet as a stand-in for a dashboard screen. A pair of dash speakers costs $149.99, and a center speaker adds $249.99. There is also an optional telematics module, a small connected unit that lets you unlock the doors from the app.

Those extras add up quickly. A fully loaded Slate can cost more than $45,000, which is a long way from the advertised starting price, and the company is betting that most buyers will pick only a few add-ons from a catalog of more than 200 accessories, plus a range of vinyl wraps.

A truck with no always-on connection naturally gathers far less information about its driver. Slate says it will not sell data from its app and will only collect what it needs for diagnostics, service and tracking the status of updates.

That promise lands at a time when many drivers are wary of their cars. General Motors faced a backlash over selling drivers’ data, and plenty of buyers are tired of every product becoming a gadget that reports home. For them, a vehicle that only shares information when you plug your phone in may be part of the appeal.

The phone-based update system works, but it puts a little more of the job on you. Nothing will happen unless you open the app, notice the update and plug in. If you tend to ignore update prompts, your truck could fall behind on bug fixes in a way a car that updates itself would not.

The rest of the package is aimed at short trips and local hauling rather than long road trips. Slate now uses a single lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery made by Gotion in Manteno, Illinois. LFP is a cheaper chemistry that handles regular charging to 100% well. It gives a projected 205 miles of range, though Slate stresses that figure is an estimate from an EPA test cycle, not a finished EPA rating. Earlier plans for a 150-mile base pack and a longer-range option were dropped.

Other numbers to know:

• a 181-horsepower rear motor with a claimed 0-to-60 mph time of 8 seconds
• a payload of up to 1,550 pounds and a 2,000-pound tow rating
• rear-wheel drive only for now, though Slate has told fans that all-wheel drive is planned for a future version
• a 10-year or 110,000-mile warranty on the battery and powertrain

The base truck still includes basics such as a backup camera, keyless entry, air conditioning, airbags and automatic emergency braking. There is no federal EV tax credit to lower the price, since that ended for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025.

The truck starts at $24,950 before a $1,450 destination fee. Turning the bed into an SUV-style back end with more seats starts at $29,950, and the fastback version starts at $31,950. Reservations need a $300 deposit.

Timing has shifted a little in Slate’s messaging. First deliveries were pegged for the turn of the year, between late 2026 and the first quarter of 2027. For new orders, Slate says trucks will likely begin shipping from its Warsaw, Indiana, factory as early as July 2027.