Slate Auto: Everything You Need To Know About The Bezos-backed Ev Startup

In April 2025, a caller institution called Slate Auto came retired of stealth and shocked nan car industry. Not only was this startup focused connected making an ultra-cheap, customizable electrical pickup motortruck pinch backing from Jeff Bezos, but it had besides been operating successful concealed for 3 years successful Troy, Michigan – nan backyard of awesome automakers for illustration Ford and General Motors.

TechCrunch was first to nan story, reporting successful early April astir nan company’s existence, its engagement pinch nan Amazon founder, and its funny and unsocial business model. The weeks betwixt our study and Slate’s charismatic coming retired statement successful precocious April provided a whirlwind of news, pinch prototypes of nan startup’s motortruck popping up astir California.

Slate is an aberration successful nan U.S. EV sector, wherever bankruptcies, grounded merchandise launches, and pivots person go commonplace. And while its existent backers, executive lineup, first product, and business exemplary supply a compelling way forward, nan roadworthy is still riddled pinch imaginable hurdles arsenic it pushes towards accumulation successful precocious 2026. 

Here’s a timeline that charts retired everything you request to cognize astir Slate Auto, from its root communicative and backers to its product, business model, and accumulation plans.

Inside nan EV startup secretly backed by Jeff Bezos

April 8 – After a year-long investigation, TechCrunch published a communicative revealing that a secretive EV startup called Slate Auto had been operating for 3 years pinch nan financial backing of Jeff Bezos and LA Dodgers proprietor Mark Walter. 

Unlike different EV startups, Slate had been moving connected processing an highly low-cost electrical pickup motortruck that would commencement astatine astir $25,000. This motortruck would beryllium profoundly customizable, leveraging nan acquisition of galore erstwhile labor from Harley-Davidson and Chrysler, 2 companies that person extended accessories and aftermarket parts businesses.

Slate Auto’s pickup motortruck spotted successful nan wild

April 10 – One time later, a photograph of a nondescript electrical motortruck started circulating connected nan r/whatisthiscar subreddit, pinch Redditors speculating it could beryllium Slate’s enigma EV. 

TechCrunch was capable to corroborate nan photograph was, successful fact, of a prototype of Slate’s motortruck parked extracurricular nan company’s Long Beach, California creation center.

An EV that tin alteration for illustration a ‘Transformer’

April 21 – Slate began putting conception versions of nan Slate EV connected nationalist streets to make trading buzz up of its planned motorboat arena connected April 24. Curiously, immoderate of them appeared to beryllium styled much for illustration SUVs aliases hatchbacks, not conscionable pickup trucks. 

TechCrunch was capable to corroborate nan institution had developed nan EV to person “Transformer-like” modular capabilities, and that this stunt was a measurement to tease this customization.

The analog EV pickup motortruck that is decidedly anti-Tesla

April 24 – Slate made its debut astatine a motorboat arena successful Long Beach, California, wherever it revealed its customizable electrical pickup truck. Slate besides announced nan motortruck would beryllium disposable for nether $20,000 – pinch nan $7,500 national EV taxation credit. 

The guidelines type of nan motortruck was revealed to beryllium very bare bones, pinch conscionable 150 miles of range, nary powerfulness windows, nary main infotainment screen, and not moreover immoderate paint. Slate promised fundamentally everything astir nan motortruck would beryllium customizable, moreover down to nan number of seats and nan wide silhouette. 

A erstwhile Indiana printing works eyed for EV motortruck production

April 25 – TechCrunch reported that Slate had identified a erstwhile printing works successful Warsaw, Indiana arsenic nan location for its motortruck factory. The 1.4 million-square-foot installation was built successful 1958 and had been dormant for astir 2 years. 

Slate Auto crosses 100,000 refundable reservations successful 2 weeks

May 12 – Slate confirmed to TechCrunch it had already surpassed 100,000 refundable $50 reservations for its affordable EV truck. It was grounds that nan company’s ideas had caught connected pinch a wide audience, contempt nary 1 knowing astir Slate conscionable 2 months prior. 

Slate Auto drops ‘under $20,000’ pricing aft Trump management ends national EV taxation credit

July 3 – The Trump management pushed done a monolithic tax-cut measure that, among galore different actions, group a September end-date for nan $7,500 national EV taxation credit. That intends Slate’s motortruck will nary longer beryllium capable to thin connected that in installments to scope nan “under $20,000” starting price nan startup was touting. As such, Slate pulled that connection from its website earlier nan measure was moreover signed into law.

Why this LA-based VC patient was an early investor successful Slate Auto

July 8 – Slate’s 2023 backing information included astatine slightest 16 investors – 1 of them being Bezos. While astir of those investors person still not been identified, Los Angeles-based Slauson & Co. said to TechCrunch astir why it threw successful pinch nan EV startup successful that first backing round, arsenic good arsenic Slate’s Series B.