The brand new, sub-$20,000 Slate Truck is in contrast to something on sale in America right this moment. It’s additionally tiny. Like, actually, actually tiny. Like, shorter-than-a-Honda-Civic tiny. Initially, I used to be considering the Slate can be concerning the dimension of a Ford Maverick, however now we have to go means again in automotive historical past to discover a equally sized pickup.

Slate’s electrical Truck is concerning the dimension of a 1984 Toyota Truck. No, actually. Each the Slate Truck and a short-bed, single-cab 1984 Toyota Truck SR5 share an general size of 174.6 inches. A Slate Auto consultant says that is purely coincidence.

Different dimensions are considerably shut, too. The ‘Yota rode on a 103-inch wheelbase, whereas the Slate stretches issues out to 108.9 inches; the 1984 SR5 was 66.1 inches vast, whereas the newcomer is simply 70.6 inches. Maybe the most important dimension variations are in mattress size and general top. The Toyota stood simply over 60 inches tall and had a 6 ¼-foot mattress, whereas the Slate is 69.3 inches tall however has only a five-foot mattress. However, the Slate has one thing the Toyota doesn’t—a entrance trunk.

That’s genuinely surprising. The Maverick is the smallest pickup on sale, and it’s rattling close to 200 inches lengthy. It dwarfs the Slate Truck, as do most fashionable autos. The one factor on the Slate that’s loads greater than the previous Toyota are the wheels and tires—245/65R17 vs 195/75R14. However even by fashionable requirements, the Slate’s are small.

The Slate Truck’s tidy dimensions are a mirrored image of each the packaging advantages ditching internal-combustion for electrical energy, but in addition a boldness on the a part of the corporate. Anecdotally, it appears like fans have stated for years that they lengthy for the small, easy pickups of previous. In additional methods than one, that’s precisely what Slate is trying to construct.