Slate Auto offers a paper road atlas as its navigation system
Electric vehicle startup Slate Auto, whose budget electric truck has no built-in infotainment system, is pitching a spiral-bound road atlas called "Screenless GPS" as its navigation answer. The maker sent Ars Technica one to review.
Electric vehicle startup Slate Auto has an unusual answer for drivers who need directions in its low-cost electric truck: not a screen, but a paper road atlas. The company calls the product "Screenless GPS," and it is a spiral-bound atlas, according to technology and culture outlet Ars Technica.
A truck with only the basics
Slate Auto's pitch is simple. It offers an electric truck with just the essentials and a starting price below $25,000, leaving owners to do everything else themselves and bring their own devices. The approach is summed up by the abbreviations DIY (do it yourself) and BYOD (bring your own device).
One thing the truck does without is an embedded infotainment system. A small digital display on the dashboard shows speed and range. When the driver engages reverse, the same display shows the backup camera view. There are also two USB-C ports, which supply power but do not provide a data connection.
An atlas for getting lost
Ar Technica could not test the atlas in a Slate truck, since it does not have one. The manufacturer nevertheless sent the publication a copy to review.
"We believe you should use the devices you know and love," Slate says. The company reckons that maps worked fine for earlier generations, so they should still work today.
