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| Bezos-Backed Startup Unveils Affordable Shape-Shifting EV |
Slate Auto, a company partly funded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has introduced a budget-friendly electric truck that can also transform into an SUV.
The starting price is just $20,000 after applying federal electric vehicle incentives.
"A radically simple electric pickup truck that can change into whatever you need it to be — even an SUV," reads a statement on Slate Auto's website. "Made in the USA at a price that’s actually affordable (no really, for real)."
The truck begins as a two-door model but can be converted into a five-seat SUV. It’s compact — roughly two-thirds the size of a Chevy Silverado EV and about seven-eighths the size of a Ford Maverick. Its payload capacity reaches 1,400 pounds, slightly less than the Maverick's 1,500 pounds.
With a length of under 15 feet, Slate compares the truck to a 1985 Toyota pickup.
The people spoke. We built. Meet the radically simple, radically affordable Slate. Reserve yours at https://t.co/Y5RkOIFCRo pic.twitter.com/uvSZVpdkWv
— Slate Auto (@slateauto) April 25, 2025
The vehicle’s smaller and simpler design is intentional. TechCrunch called it an “anti-Tesla.” While both the Slate and Tesla’s Cybertruck offer customization, the Slate starts with basic features only — no power windows or infotainment system.
According to the specifications, the truck has a maximum range of 150 miles per charge, with an option for a higher-capacity battery that can go up to 240 miles. Slate says the vehicles are designed in California and Michigan, engineered in Michigan, and assembled somewhere in the Midwest. TechCrunch identified the factory as being in Indiana.
Earlier this month, TechCrunch revealed that Bezos, Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter, and investor Thomas Tull helped Slate raise $111 million. A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission listed Melinda Lewison, who manages Bezos' family office, as a director at Slate Auto.
