Yes.
If you buy a completely option-free $24,950 truck, there is no telematics/surveillance in their vehicle.
Which also means there's no remote app features that people enjoy.
The spirit of the vehicle is you can option out just about anything and DIY-it; very, very few "from the factory" options, but dozens upon dozens of DIY accessories from the factory.
Including a $275 telematics module - https://www.slate.auto/en/store/ACCIT010 - Which enables remote app features.
The current description for the module on their website:
> A plug-and-play solution that acts as a cellular bridge between your smartphone and your Slate vehicle, enabling features like remote access and battery pre-conditioning.
It's not clear to anyone exactly what features the module has to enable the above, or if it does more than all that.
Once the thing actually ships, there'll be manuals, and there'll be people hacking it to find out exactly what it both does and doesn't do.
And since it's a DIY addition, if you later become uncomfortable with what you added to your vehicle, you can remove it!
>no remote app features that people enjoy.
I do enjoy watching my friend remote start his Colorado through the app, it only takes 30 seconds for the app to load and sign in, and then he presses a button that used to be on the key itself.