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

In April 2025, a new company called Slate Auto He came out of nowhere and shocked the auto industry. Not only has this startup focused on making an ultra-cheap, customizable electric pickup truck funded by Jeff Bezos, it has also been secretly operating for three years in Troy, Michigan — the backyard of major automakers like Ford and General Motors.

TechCrunch was first to pick up the story, reporting in early April on the company’s existence, its involvement with the Amazon founder, and its strange and unique business model. The weeks following our report and Slate’s official party in late April provided a whirlwind of news, with prototypes of the startup’s truck popping up all over California.

Slate is an aberration in the U.S. electric vehicle sector, where bankruptcies, failed product launches, and pivots have become commonplace. While the current backers, executive lineup, first product, and business model provide a compelling path forward, the road remains full of potential bumps as it heads toward production in late 2026.

Here’s a timeline that explains everything you need to know about Slate Auto, from the original story and its backers to its product, business model, and production plans.

Inside the electric car startup secretly backed by Jeff Bezos

April 8 – After a year-long investigation, TechCrunch published a story revealing that A A secretive EV startup called Slate Auto It has been operating for three years with the financial support of Jeff Bezos and Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter.

Unlike other electric vehicle startups, Slate has been developing an ultra-low-cost electric pickup truck that will start at around $25,000. This truck will be highly customizable, drawing on the experience of many former employees of Harley-Davidson and Chrysler, two companies with extensive aftermarket accessories and parts businesses.

A Slate Auto pickup truck has been spotted in the wild

April 10 – A day later, a photo of a nondescript electric truck began circulating on Twitter r/whatisthiscar subredditwith Redditors speculating that it could be the case Secret Slate EV.

TechCrunch was able to confirm that the photo was actually of a Slate truck prototype parked outside the company’s design center in Long Beach, California.

An electric car can change like a ‘transformer’

April 21 – Slate has begun rolling out concept versions of the Slate EV on the high street to generate marketing hype ahead of its planned launch event on April 24. Oddly enough, some of them looked like SUVs or hatchbacks, not just pickup trucks.

TechCrunch was able to confirm that the company has developed the electric vehicle “Transformer-like” modular capabilities.And this trick was a way to provoke this allocation.

An analogue EV pickup truck that’s definitely anti-Tesla

April 24 – Slate made its debut at a launch event in Long Beach, California, where it revealed Customizable electric pickup truck. Slate also announced that the truck will be available for under $20,000 — with a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles.

It was revealed that the base version of the truck was very stripped down, with just 150 miles of range, no power windows, no main infotainment screen, and not even any paint. Slate basically promised that everything about the truck would be customizable, even down to the number of seats and overall silhouette.

A former printing plant in Indiana is looking to produce electric vehicle trucks

April 25 – TechCrunch reported that Slate has identified a former printing plant in Warsaw, Indiana, as… Truck factory site. The 1.4 million square foot facility was built in 1958 and has been idle for about two years.

Slate Auto surpassed 100,000 redeemable reservations in two weeks

May 12 – Slate confirmed to TechCrunch that it has already done so Over 100,000 refundable reservations worth $50 For its affordable electric truck. It was proof that the company’s ideas had caught on with a wide audience, even though no one knew about Slate just two months ago.

Slate Auto prices drop ‘below $20,000’ after Trump administration ends federal EV tax credit

July 3 – The Trump administration pushed a massive tax cut bill that, among many other measures, set a September deadline for a $7,500 federal tax credit on electric vehicles. This means that the Slate truck will no longer be able to rely on this balance to access Starting price is “less than $20,000.” The startup was pitching. As such, Slate pulled this language from its website before the bill was signed into law.

Why this Los Angeles-based venture capital firm was an early investor in Slate Auto

July 8 – Slate’s 2023 funding round included at least 16 investors, one of whom was Bezos. While most of these investors have yet to be identified, Los Angeles-based Slauson & Co. spoke to TechCrunch about the matter. Why was I thrown with EV startup In that seed funding round, as well as a Series B from Slate.

Slate Auto appears on TechCrunch Disrupt’s main stage

October 30 -Chris Parman, CEO of Slate Auto, sat down for an interview on the main stage at TechCrunch disabled 2025where she talked about Jeff Bezos’ involvement, the challenge of building an auto manufacturing company from scratch, and how the company plans to create a market for customization.

The list exceeds 150,000 reservations

December 16 – Although the growth of electric vehicles in the United States is slowing, Slate Auto is crossing over 150,000 refundable reservations for its truck and SUV, showing that there is still serious interest in the vehicle despite the loss of the federal tax credit. With fewer electric vehicles arriving in the United States, it appears the startup will face little competition in the low-end market.

2026

A surprise CEO swap

March 9 – The list withdraws a surprise and exchanges in A New CEO: Former Amazon Marketplace Vice President Peter Farsi. Former CEO (and Slate’s first employee) Chris Barman is staying with the company, moving into the role of “Head of Vehicles.” Slate hired Faricy to prepare the startup for its end-of-year commercial launch — starting with converting its booking list to as many full orders as possible.