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Slate Auto

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Slate Auto
Company typePrivate
IndustryAutomotive
Founded2022; 3 years ago (2022)
FounderJeff Wilke
Miles Arnone Edit this on Wikidata
Headquarters
Troy, Michigan[1]
,
U.S.
Area served
United States
Key people
Chris Barman (CEO)[2]
ProductsElectric vehicles
Websiteslate.auto

Slate Auto is an American startup company that is developing electric vehicles. It was founded in 2022, and is based in Troy, Michigan. Its investors include Jeff Bezos.[3] Its first product is the Slate Truck, an electric pickup truck that can be converted into an SUV.

History

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Slate was founded in 2022, and operated in stealth mode until it revealed the Slate Truck on April 24, 2025.[4] It was originally called "Re:Car", as a project within Re:Build Manufacturing, a domestic manufacturing incubator co-founded by Jeff Wilke, the former CEO of Amazon's consumer division. Slate's first several hundred employees include many with experience at Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, and Harley-Davidson.[3] The company is headquartered in Troy, Michigan; has a design studio in Long Beach, California; and is reportedly developing a factory in Indiana.[5]

Slate raised at least $111 million in Series A financing, including an undisclosed amount from Bezos. Several other wealthy individuals also invested, including Mark Walter, the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and CEO of Guggenheim Partners, and Thomas Tull, who is a lead investor of Re:Build Manufacturing.[3]

Vehicles

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Main article: Slate Truck

Slate's first vehicle, a battery-powered pick-up truck, was announced on April 24, 2025. The company expects to price it slightly under $27,500, giving it a net price under $20,000 after federal rebates.[6] The vehicle can be transformed from a truck into a 5-seater SUV through a kit that Slate will sell to customers.[7]

As a publicity stunt, Slate parked at least three prototype vehicles on the streets of Venice, Los Angeles, ahead of the official announcement.[8] The vehicles were wrapped with branding for fictitious companies, and resembled a pick-up truck, a "coupe-like" sports utility vehicle (SUV), and a boxier SUV that resembles a Land Rover Defender. The vehicles are non-functional design bucks; images of them were shared widely by journalists and Reddit contributors.[9]

Prior to its official announcement, the company had trademarked "Blank Slate" and "We Built It. You Make It."[10]

References

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  1. ^ Doll, Scooter (March 28, 2025). "What is Slate? A stealthy new American EV automaker promises to be a 'game-changer'". Electrek. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  2. ^ Voelcker, John. "Slate's $25K Electric Pickup Is Here". Wired. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c O'Kane, Sean (April 8, 2025). "Exclusive: Inside the EV startup secretly backed by Jeff Bezos". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  4. ^ Levin, Tim (April 24, 2025). "Slate Emerges From Stealth With A Low-Cost, Transforming EV Pickup". InsideEVs. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  5. ^ DaSilva, Amber (April 9, 2025). "Jeff Bezos–Funded EV Startup Slate Auto Wants To Build A $25,000 Two-Seat Pickup". Jalopnik. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  6. ^ Fink, Greg S. "2027 Slate Truck EV Will Be Very Customizable, Priced Under $28,000". Car and Driver. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  7. ^ Levin, Tim. "Here's How Slate's Truck Transforms Into An SUV". InsideEVs. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  8. ^ Tracy, David (April 22, 2025). "The Slate Auto SUV Is Now Hiding In Plain Sight With A Harry Potter-Themed Wrap". The Autopian. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  9. ^ Tracy, David (April 20, 2025). "The New Slate SUV Reportedly Funded By Jeff Bezos Was Just Revealed In The Most Insane Way". The Autopian. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  10. ^ O'Kane, Sean (April 21, 2025). "Bezos-backed startup designed an EV that can change like a 'Transformer'". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
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