Slate Auto: Everything you need to know about the Bezos-backed EV startup

In April 2025, a brand new firm known as Car list He acquired out of the conceal and shocked the auto business. This rising firm didn’t give attention to making a customizable electrical electrical pick-up truck with funding from Jeff Bezos, but it surely was working secretly for 3 years in Troy, Michigan-the yard of main auto manufacturing firms akin to Ford and Gerale Motors.

Techcrunch was first within the story, as she was knowledgeable in early April of the corporate’s presence, its participation with the Amazon founder, and its distinctive and distinctive enterprise mannequin. The weeks between our report and the official exit ceremony in Slate have been offered in late April, a twister of stories, with preliminary fashions of startup truck throughout California.

Slate is an EV’s deviation in the USA, the place chapter and the discharge of failed and axis merchandise are frequent. Though present supporters, the manager squad, the primary producer, and the enterprise mannequin present a convincing path ahead, the highway remains to be filled with doable obstacles whereas pushing it in the direction of manufacturing in late 2026.

Beneath is a schedule that attracts all the things it is advisable to find out about Slate Auto, from the story of the origin and supporters to its merchandise, enterprise mannequin and manufacturing plans.

Contained in the EV beginning with the assist of Jeff Bezos secretly

April 8 – After a yr’s investigation, Techcrunch revealed a narrative that reveals that Starting EV EC is called Slate Auto He labored for 3 years with the monetary assist of Jeff Bezos and Malik La Dodger Mark Walter.

In contrast to different startups EV, Slate was creating a really low -cost electrical pickup truck that might begin with about $ 25,000. This truck might be deeply custom-made, because it takes benefit of the expertise of many former workers from Harley-Davidson and Chryler, two firms with huge equipment and post-sales elements firms.

Auto Decide August truck within the wilderness

April 10 – After at some point, an image of an unpaved electrical truck started to spin on R/WhatsthisCar SubredditWith Redditors hypothesis, it may be Slit EV puzzle.

Techcrunch managed to verify that the picture was, in actual fact, a preliminary mannequin of the Slate’s truck that was parked exterior the corporate’s Lengthy Seaside, California.

EV can change like “adapter”

April 21 – Slate started to place an idea model of Slate EV within the public streets to generate the uproar earlier than the deliberate launch occasion on April 24. It’s unusual that a few of them appear to be like SUVs or hatchback, not simply seize vehicles.

Techcrunch managed to verify that the corporate has developed EV for Standard capabilities “like transformers”And that this trick was a method to provoke this allocation.

Evic EV EP

April 24 – Slate appeared for the primary time at a launch occasion at Lengthy Seaside, California, the place it was revealed Pick August Electric Electric Truck. Slate additionally introduced that the truck might be obtainable at lower than $ 20,000 – with Federal Federal Tax Credit score of $ 7500.

The first model of the truck was detected as very bare, with solely 150 miles of the vary, there are not any energy home windows, no fundamental leisure display screen, not even any coating. Slate primarily promised all the things concerning the truck, even to the variety of seats and a complete silhouette.

A former printing manufacturing facility in Indiana within the manufacturing of EV truck

April 25 – Techcrunch said that Slate has recognized a former print manufacturing facility in Warsaw, Indiana Site for truck factory. The 1.4 million sq. toes facility was in-built 1958 and was sleeping about two years in the past.

Slate Auto cross 100,000 recovered reservations inside two weeks

Might 12 – Slate confirmed to Techcrunch already Over 100,000 resolving reservations exceeded 50 dollars For the EV truck at cheap costs. It was proof that the corporate’s concepts had caught with a large viewers, though nobody was recognized about Slate simply two months in the past.

Automotive Slit decreased “much less

July 3 – The Trump administration has paid an enormous tax invoice that, amongst many different procedures, was set on the finish of September to acquire federal federal tax credit score of $ 7,500. Which means that the Slate truck will be unable to depend on this credit score to succeed in “Less than $ 20,000 dollars” start price The beginning beginning was describing. As such, Slate withdrew this language from its web site earlier than the signing of the legislation on the legislation.

Why was the Los Angeles -based VC firm as an early investor in Slate Auto

July 8 – The financing spherical of Slate 2023 included at the least 16 traders – certainly one of them is Bezos. Whereas most of those traders haven’t but been recognized, Slauson & Co. Los Angeles headquarters to Techcrunch Why did they start starting EV In that spherical, preliminary funding, in addition to Slate B.