Jeff Bezos is backing a new EV startup called Slate Auto. The brand has released almost no information so far, with a barebones website and a trademark filing for “We Build It. You Make It.” However, reports suggest that Slate Auto is working on a basic, two-seater electric pickup that will be customizable and will start at around $25,000.
A key piece of missing information has been any indicator about what the truck looks like. The company has not even provided a teaser silhouette to the public. However, a proof of concept prototype, reportedly in existence to show to investors, appears to have been spotted in the wild by a Reddit user.
Key Takeaways
- Slate Auto is a new EV startup
- It’s reportedly launching a $25,000 electric pickup
- A Reddit user spotted the pickup sitting on a flatbed truck
- It looks cool and basic
- Though being a two-seater may limit its appeal
This Is The Slate Auto $25,000 Pickup
The Reddit photo immediately piqued interest about whether it was the $25,000 Slate pickup. The odds that another manufacturer has a two-seater electric pickup in development were small. The odds that an established manufacturer would just leave a top-secret prototype on a flatbed without being festooned in camouflage were even smaller.
A source confirmed to TechCrunch, the outlet that initially reported on Slate Auto’s existence, that this is the electric pickup truck prototype. Slate appears to have nailed it on the exterior appearance, with a little bit of Bronco Sport, Rivian, and Land Rover mixed in. The truck looks boxy and basic, with flat panels to reduce complexity, and the lack of grille and rear charge port hints at an electric powertrain.
Will The $25,000 Pickup Actually Work?
Many questions remain about Slate Auto’s $25,000 pickup. A big one is whether that price point is attainable or aspirational, like Tesla’s $35,000 Model 3. Slate reportedly plans to build the truck in America and outsource components like the battery and motors at a time when tariffs will make producing cars a lot more expensive. That price point would make it the cheapest pickup and cheapest EV by a wide margin. Manufacturers struggle to hit that sort of pricing with combustion cars.
Modern trucks have become larger and pricier because of the move to four doors. So the two-seater layout will theoretically make the truck cheaper to build. But it also may limit its appeal. Two-seater trucks are cool in theory. But in practice, even a new car with a “young” demographic is still targeting buyers in their thirties. Having no rear seat rules out families. That’s why the one-row truck has nearly gone extinct.
TopSpeed’s Take
The Slate Auto truck looks great. Focusing on high-margin accessories sounds promising. Having one of the world’s uber-billionaires backing the project always helps. But car manufacturing is a brutal industry. Many EV startups don’t reach production. Even those that have, like Rivian and Lucid, are still scaling up and trying to find an independent financial footing.
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