I Love The Slate, But The Ford Fathom Just Killed It As Jalopnik's resident maker and DIY pervert, the Slate truck feels perfectly targeted at Me Specifically. It's cheap, it's dead-simple, and it can fit a motorcycle in the bed — what more could I, or any buyer, possibly want? But then Ford came along this morning and announced that its own compact electric pickup, the Fathom, would start at just $3,545 more after destination fees. Even for me, that's tough for the Slate to come back from. The Slate is mechanically simple in a way I love. It's not a connected car the way so many modern vehicles are, which also appeals to me — I don't love when my data is sold out from under me. I don't even care that it doesn't have a radio, since I'm happy to install a head unit and 3D-print some enclosures for nice aftermarket speakers. But the Slate lacks the Fathom's real killer app, a pickup feature many deride that I've come to love: A rear seat. I'd take the Ford I don't want to downplay the price difference between the Slate and the Fathom. Breaking both down into monthly payments, the Fathom costs an extra $66/month over a five-year term — as someone who makes $70,000 a year in New York City and has cut out all streaming services for budgetary reasons, I can confirm that's not nothing. But I'm also someone who has friends, and the ability to haul them around — to climbing trips with a bed full of ropes or pads, to the beach with sun shades in the back, to new apartments with their furniture in tow — is worth $66/month to me. The Fathom really has the Slate beat here, and I say that despite