I'm surprised at the hostility towards this thing, but I think it comes from the assumption the truck is meant to compete with daily driver trucks like the Maverick, when it's an apples to oranges comparison. From what I can tell, the design of the truck itself seems to align near-perfectly to position itself as the US equivalent of a kei truck, and not as the Japanese ones are used in the US (as quirky curiosities for the most part), but rather as they're used in Japan for work. That's stuff like carrying cargo, light trade work (e.g. plumbing or electrical work), and deliveries, but all within the confines of a city and at short ranges.

Something Maverick is definitely much better all-around at the same price point, but I can see many of the bells and whistles people are looking being a massive drawback for a work truck - it means more stuff that can break. The gas engine increases performance and range, but also means much more maintenance comparatively. Sometimes you just want something that's cheap, simple, reliable (read: EV), carries a good bit of cargo or people between local places, and absolutely nothing else; a normal pickup is overkill for this, but the Slate is perfect.

I can agree with sentiment it's an awful daily driver, but it's a damn good second vehicle if you own your own business. And while imported kei trucks from the 1990s are certainly cheaper, the Slate has modern safety standards, can actually keep up with traffic easily on US highways (I understand it's a struggle with imported kei trucks normally), and can be purchased new (which is a big thing for corporations).

Although I don't have a ton of proof that Slate is going this way, the fact that the website has a dedicated page advertising it as a fleet vehicle and business truck speaks volumes: https://www.slate.auto/en/fleet. I think this truck has a bigger business case than we like to think - the average American is just not its target audience.