Slate Auto's bare-bones electric pickup still starts at $24,950, but a buyer who leans on its catalog of more than 200 accessories can push the price close to $40,000. Engadget's Will Shanklin showed how in an October 19 build that turned the truck into a 1970s Ford Bronco-style SUV.

The Slate Truck leaves the factory as a two-seat pickup in a single gray color, with no screen or stereo. Owners can convert it into a five-seat Fastback or Squareback SUV or an open-air version. Engadget chose the Squareback, which raises the starting price to $29,950 and adds a roll cage, extra airbags, a three-person bench seat and the squared-off shell.

Slate’s $24,950 Electric Truck Can Near $40,000 With Add-Ons as First Showroom Opens

How the bill adds up

From there the add-ons stack quickly. Engadget's list included a Michigan Copper full wrap ($670), a Throwback body decal ($320), front and rear bumpers ($500 and $600), fog lights ($300), 17-inch wheels with all-terrain tires ($1,100), a roof rack ($650), a three-speaker audio setup ($400) and a home charger ($479), which Slate says fully charges the truck in five to eight hours.

Those accessories came to about $6,518. With the $1,450 destination fee, the build totaled $37,918, and that was before a lift kit, Bluetooth steering-wheel controls and several other items Slate hasn't priced yet. "The potential for upsell overspending is real," Shanklin wrote. Range is the other trade-off: Slate estimates 205 miles for the base pickup, and Engadget expects the heavier SUV to do worse. The truck is rear-wheel drive, and power windows aren't offered, though a Slate spokesperson said they could return.