Ford keeps Car Play and Android Auto in its affordable EV truck, while Slate expects you to bring the screen yourself. Both Ford and Slate are pursuing the same enticing goal: an electric pickup starting below $30,000. The Blank Slate Truck starts at $24,950 plus a $1,450 destination charge, while the Ford Fathom starts at $28,350 plus a $1,595 destination charge.
But things get more interesting once you look more closely. Ford says the Fathom will feature a large touchscreen with Apple Car Play and Android Auto. Slate forgoes a traditional infotainment system, instead giving you a place to mount and charge your phone.
That's refreshingly simple for some, but it might seem too simple for anyone used to seeing maps, music and messages on a proper center display. Slate makes your phone the infotainment system. Slate hasn't merely left Car Play off the options sheet.
Its approach is to have your phone or tablet do the work. Phone mounting and charging are standard, and buyers can opt for accessory speakers and a bracket that fits a larger tablet. Navigation, music and other compatible apps normally accessed through Car Play or Android Auto remain on the device.
There's a certain logic to it: if the infotainment hardware is in your pocket, it can't get hopelessly dated as the truck ages. There are compromises, however. A phone screen is smaller than a dedicated dashboard display.
Although Slate left out the infotainment screen to keep things simple, some prospective owners online are already discussing aftermarket stereos, Raspberry Pi projects and other ways to get Car Play or Android Auto into the truck. Ford takes the more familiar route. The Fathom's built-in display will support Car Play and Android Auto, and the truck will also get a digital key, bidirectional power and hardware for Ford's next-generation Blue Cruise hands-free system — which requires activation.
Ford hasn't yet announced the Fathom's projected range, towing capacity or payload. Preorders begin in early 2027. Ford and Slate are cutting costs in very different places.
That infotainment gap makes more sense when you consider how these companies are building a cheap EV. Slate is starting from scratch, so it is ruthlessly questioning what needs to be included. Ford has been making vehicles for more than a century and its answer is to simplify engineering and assembly while keeping more familiar equipment in the cabin.
Ford is investing $2 billion to retool Louisville Assembly Plant around its Universal EV Production System. The automaker says the platform uses 20 percent fewer parts than a typical vehicle, 50 percent fewer cooling hoses and connections and a wiring harness more than 4,000 feet shorter than the one in its first-generation electric SUV, the Mustang Mach-E. Assembly is expected to net out at 15 percent faster than the plant's previous products.
It's a lot of engineering aimed at cutting manufacturing costs without making the cabin look unfinished. Smartphone integration isn't an afterthought for buyers. Deloitte's 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study surveyed over 31,000 consumers in 30 countries and found that 63 percent of US respondents considered smartphone connectivity via Car Play or Android Auto in their next vehicle somewhat or very important.
Slate's approach isn't necessarily wrong. A less expensive, two-door electric pickup with fewer electronics may be just what some buyers want. Car Play or Android Auto could be one of those little features that feel much bigger after you've lived without them.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing