Slate Auto Sells Road Atlas Instead of Dashboard GPS

Slate Auto, the electric truck startup selling a stripped-down pickup for under $25,000, has no built-in GPS screen in its vehicle — so it is selling drivers a paper road atlas instead, Ars Technica reported on Nov. 13.

The company calls the product "Screenless GPS." It is a spiral-bound Rand McNally 2027 Road Atlas, the same kind of paper map book that sat in glove compartments before smartphones and dashboard navigation took over, according to Ars Technica automotive editor Jonathan M. Gitlin, who reviewed a copy sent by the automaker.

What does the Slate truck's dashboard actually have?

Slate's pickup has a small digital display that shows speed and remaining range, Gitlin wrote. That same screen switches to a backup camera view when the driver shifts into reverse. There is no infotainment system and no built-in navigation software. Two USB-C ports on board supply power only — they do not connect to a phone or stream data, according to the review.

Slate's pitch to buyers is that the truck covers the basics and leaves everything else — music, navigation, charging accessories — up to the owner to bring along, the outlet reported. That do-it-yourself approach is part of how the company keeps the starting price under $25,000.

Why is Slate selling a paper atlas?

Slate told Ars Technica its reasoning directly: "We believe you should use the devices you know and love," the company said, according to the review. The idea, Gitlin wrote, is that paper maps worked for earlier generations of drivers and should still work now.

The atlas is not exclusive hardware tied to the truck. It works in any vehicle — Gitlin noted it would function "as easily in a Ford, Ferrari, or Fisker as in a Slate" — because it requires no wiring, pairing, or software update. Slate has listed the atlas in its online store for a limited time, according to the report.

How does a paper atlas compare with digital navigation?

The Rand McNally 2027 Road Atlas runs 154 pages and covers the United States, Canada, and Mexico in full color, according to Ars Technica's review. It does not offer turn-by-turn directions, live traffic, or real-time road conditions.

That puts it well behind the mapping data built by companies such as HERE, which Gitlin described as designed to be read by computers rather than people. Those digital maps carry live traffic and road-condition data along with the precision needed for driver-assist and autonomous-driving systems — detail no paper atlas can match.

Gitlin also noted a practical limit with a bit of dry humor: any update to the atlas has to happen "by Post-it note," since there is no over-the-air software push for a bound book.

By the numbers

• Under $25,000 — Slate's starting price for the stripped-down electric pickup, according to Ars Technica.
• 154 pages — length of the Rand McNally 2027 Road Atlas Slate is selling, covering the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
• 2 — number of USB-C ports in the truck, both for power only, with no data connectivity.

Where can drivers get the atlas, and what happens to the review copy?

Slate has added the atlas to its company store for a limited run, Ars Technica reported, without naming a listed price in the article. Shoppers interested in the product would need to check Slate's own retail channel directly, since the review did not include a direct purchase link or pricing figure.

The review unit itself won't sit on a shelf at Ars Technica. Gitlin wrote that the atlas Slate sent for testing, along with an accompanying sticker pack, will go into the outlet's end-of-year charity drive — meaning the test copy will eventually be given away rather than kept by the publication.

What this means for truck buyers Monday morning

For anyone cross-shopping Slate's pickup against trucks with built-in navigation, the calculation is straightforward: the truck ships without embedded GPS, period. Buyers who want turn-by-turn routing, live traffic, or hands-free voice directions will need to supply their own phone, mount, or aftermarket unit — the two USB-C ports will keep that device charged, but they won't talk to it. Drivers comfortable with a paper map, or those who simply want one vehicle feature less to pay for and maintain, get exactly what Slate advertises: a basics-only truck, with the atlas as an optional, old-fashioned backup.

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