Jeff Bezos quietly backs EV startup Slate Auto targeting $25K electric truck: Report

A new electric vehicle startup called Slate Auto is quietly building momentum in the automotive sector with backing from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. As first reported by TechCrunch, Slate Auto is operating out of Troy, Michigan, and developing a small electric pickup with a targeted starting price of around $25,000. The vehicle could enter production as early as late 2026, with plans pointing to a manufacturing footprint near Indianapolis, Indiana.

Founded in 2022 under the umbrella of Re:Build Manufacturing — a company also tied to Bezos — Slate Auto has been working in stealth mode, hiring hundreds of employees, many from automakers like Ford, Stellantis, GM, and Harley-Davidson. The company has also attracted other high-profile investors, including Mark Walter (CEO of Guggenheim Partners) and Thomas Tull (lead investor in Re:Build), according to filings obtained by TechCrunch from the Delaware Division of Corporations.

Slate Auto is aiming to reverse the typical electric vehicle startup model. While many companies, including Tesla, began with high-end, high-margin vehicles, Slate is starting at the affordable end of the spectrum. Its goal is to produce a two-seat, no-frills electric truck that can serve as a first vehicle for consumers and be personalized with a wide array of accessories, many of which will be sold separately.

This accessories-driven strategy borrows heavily from companies like Harley-Davidson and Stellantis’ Mopar brand. Slate Auto is staffing accordingly, with several of its executive leaders coming from those firms. Executive chairman Rodney Copes and CFO Ryan Green both held senior roles at Harley-Davidson and Rivian. The CEO is Christine Barman, a longtime Fiat Chrysler executive who oversaw electrical and electronic systems before moving into startup advising and engineering education.

To date, Slate Auto has raised at least $111 million in a Series A round filed in 2023. Bezos’ involvement is confirmed through Melinda Lewison, who manages his family office and is listed as a director. A subsequent Series B round was reportedly completed later in 2023, although official SEC documentation is pending. Filings indicate the company has authorized hundreds of millions of preferred and common shares in support of its funding efforts.

Internally, Slate Auto references iconic vehicles like the Ford Model T and Volkswagen Beetle as conceptual touchstones for its affordable, modular vehicle. The project’s tagline, recently filed as a trademark, is “WE BUILT IT. YOU MAKE IT.” This signals the company’s emphasis on aftermarket customization and personalization, which it plans to support through a program dubbed “Slate University,” based on job listings.

Slate is also drawing heavily from the Amazon talent pool. Several former Amazon executives are involved through Re:Build Manufacturing, including Jeff Wilke and Wei Gao, both longtime members of Bezos’ leadership team. Slate’s digital and e-commerce leads are also Amazon alumni, and early investors reportedly include Diego Piacentini, a former Amazon executive.

Unlike many recent EV startups, Slate Auto has deliberately avoided a public profile. It does not have a founder-CEO figurehead, and its leadership has largely remained out of the spotlight. According to TechCrunch, Bezos himself has not visited Slate’s offices in Michigan or California. A proof-of-concept vehicle has been shown to select investors at a leased design studio in Long Beach, but few public details have emerged.

The company’s emergence comes at a time of turbulence in the EV sector. While major OEMs are scaling back EV plans and some startups like Arrival and Lordstown have declared bankruptcy, Slate Auto’s entry-level price strategy could fill a gap in a market increasingly focused on premium offerings. Whether it can reach its ambitious goals amid tightening capital and softening consumer demand remains to be seen.

Slate Auto declined to comment on TechCrunch’s report, and Bezos’ representatives did not respond to requests for comment.