Meet The Company Building Jeff Bezos’s $25,000 EV Truck

Affordable electric trucks have mostly been an oxymoron thus far. The cheapest model currently on sale is the Ford F-150 Lightning. However, a new Michigan-based EV startup, with substantial backing from Jeff Bezos, aims to change that. Slate Auto doesn’t have much of an online presence yet, beyond a barebones website. However, according to a report from TechCrunch, the brand plans to launch a new electric truck into production next year.

Key Takeaways

• Slate Auto is a new EV startup in Michigan
• Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is a significant investor
• The brand is planning to launch a $25,000 electric truck
• The brand is reportedly prepping to launch production in 2026

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What We Know About the Slate Electric Truck So Far

We don’t know much about the product yet. Slate Auto’s website contains little to no information about the vehicle. The TechCrunch report did provide a few details. Slate is building a two-seater, all-electric truck. The goal is for it to start at around $25,000. Components like the battery pack and electric motors will be sourced from other manufacturers. A proof-of-concept vehicle does exist and has been shown to investors, though no photographic evidence has emerged. Slate Auto is planning for the truck to hit production in late 2026 in Indiana.

A $25,000 price tag would be unbelievably affordable for an electric truck. Slate’s product would be the cheapest EV on the road. The Nissan Leaf is the only EV currently starting below $30,000 MSRP. It would also be the most affordable truck on offer. The Ford Maverick currently starts at $26,995. No word on what sort of size and capability Slate Auto plans to offer at that price point.

How Slate Auto Plans To Profit From Its Electric Truck

Per the report, Slate Auto plans to take a cue from Jeep. The brand will offer owners a “Slate University” customization process, offering high-margin vehicle accessories and apparel to help offset the low (or potentially non-existent) profits from selling the vehicle itself. Slate Auto has filed a trademark application for the phrase “We Build It. You Make It.”

TopSpeed’s Take

Tesla is very much the exception for EV startups. Successful ones like Rivian and Lucid still burn through investment cash. The field is littered with companies like Bollinger Motors and Canoo, which have cool electric truck ideas that never made it to production. And that was in a relatively favorable business climate for automakers.

Without knowing anything about the vehicle, the $25,000 price tag feels like it would be tough to hit. This truck would be assembled in America, likely using American components to avoid Trump tariffs. Slate would also be scaling up supply chains during perhaps the most perilous and expensive time in the automotive industry’s history. The vehicle would also have to meet American crash and highway standards.

Going to a two-seater makes the truck simpler and reduces cost. But there’s a reason the industry has moved away from two-door pickups. However cool it may seem to enthusiasts, eliminating families from the equation limits the number of potential buyers.