When was the last time you bought a new car that didn't come standard with speakers? I'm also cautiously interested in this thing, but a lot of basic functionality doesn't come standard and hasn't had a price announced, and with vehicles like the maverick ev around the corner Slate could end up not being the cheap option after all for all but the most spartan builds

Nope. Regular cars (EVs included) cost MSRP + destination fees. They don’t come out barebones without basic conveniences that you have to pay for to add on. This is not how it commonly works.