Slate's Modem-Free Pickup Brings Privacy Back to Driving

Slate's Modem-Free Pickup Brings Privacy Back to Driving - Mobility Engineering Technology

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Slate's Modem-Free Pickup Brings Privacy Back to Driving The bring-your-own-device strategy gives drivers control

June 1, 2026

Roberto Baldwin Is privacy a selling point? (Roberto Baldwin) As a society, we have become tracked, categorized, exploited, and monetized. Tech companies have determined that our data, when sold to ad networks, is a profitable business. Automakers, eager to find additional streams of revenue, jumped aboard. Now, nearly every app, device, and vehicle harvests and shares valuable information. Most of it is (hopefully) anonymized, but not all of it. Automotive startup Slate doesn't see data as a business plan. Yes, its app will collect information, but a Slate spokesperson, when asked if collected data will be sold for additional revenue, told SAE Media a flat “No.” “Slate is not building the app around data extraction,” the company said. “We are building it around ownership value. We collect data to make ownership better, not to turn the owner into the product. The app will collect data only when it directly contributes to enabling or improving a customer experience. Privacy is paramount. For Slate, privacy is not a compliance footnote. It is part of the product experience. Customers should understand what is being shared, why it matters, and how it helps them own the vehicle with more confidence. That may include data needed to support account setup, device-to-vehicle connection, diagnostics, maintenance guidance, service support, charging context, OTA update status, customer support, and product improvement. Slate is being intentional about what the app can do and what data it collects. We would rather be precise and trusted than overpromise connected features or collect data without a clear customer benefit.” That companion app is the only way Slate connects to its upcoming pickup/SUV models. The electric vehicles do not have a modem. It can't phone home to share your location or driving style. For the startup, a modem is just another additional expense that adds cost to the end product. If people want to be connected, they have a smartphone. The app supports an "in-cabin" experience, including driver mode, vehicle information, charging and range context, diagnostics, and alerts. It also can be used to manage customer ownership, including access to customer support, maintenance guidelines, service history, accessories, account settings, and instructions for vehicle service and use. The app can also access Slate University for DIY instructions and support. Despite all that, you don't actually need to use the app to drive or charge. "You can just get in, insert the key into your Slate Truck, and drive. And, yes, you could leave your phone at home," the spokesperson said. Data (revenue) stream The connected car has become a selling point for many automakers. Your vehicle can become an AI companion that helps with navigation, adjusts climate controls, and answers random questions. Sometimes those answers are useful; others, not so much . This desire for data has gotten some automakers in hot water. GM was recently fined $12.7 million for breaking California's Consumer Privacy Act when it sold driver data without asking for consent. The FTC also wasn't pleased with the automaker in January 2026 when it...

Slate's Modem-Free Pickup Brings Privacy Back to Driving

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