Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto unveils EV pickup truck

For Slate Auto, a Jeff Bezos-backed electric vehicle startup, it’s all about its “base.”

On Thursday, the company unveiled a pickup truck that could attract minimalists and bargain buyers alike.

The base model, the Bare Bones EV, features a simple dashboard with knobs that control the heating and air conditioning, and features a phone mount for playing music. The vehicle does not come with an infotainment system or speakers, but the latter can be added as an accessory.

The base vehicle is not painted, but buyers have the option to wrap it in different colors. Customers can also convert the standard two-seat pickup truck model into a five-seat SUV with a special kit.

Slate’s EV comes in two battery options: a 52.7 kilowatt-hour battery pack targeting a 150-mile range and an 84.3-kWh pack with a 240-mile target range. The cargo bed is 35.1 cubic feet and 5 feet long. The front cargo area, “Frank” is 7 cubic feet.

The company accepts reservations for vehicles that are expected to be refunded to buyers around the second half of 2026, and is a refundable $50. After a $7,500 federal clean vehicle tax credit, we expect the blank slate vehicle to be under $20,000.

Slate was born from Re:Build Manufacturing, a company founded by Jeff Wilke, former CEO of Amazon’s Worldwide Consumer Business. SLATE received $111 million in funds in 2023 (by the name Re:Car), Regulation submission. Melinda Louisson, who manages Jeff Bezos’ family office, is listed as director of filing.

TechCrunch cited the source of citation reported The company told employees it closed its Series B funding round last year but has yet to file documents for the round with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The vehicle doesn’t look like Tesla’s cyber trucks and is expected to have much fewer retailers, but it could create another rivalry between Elon Musk and Bezos. The two compete with their own space companies, SpaceX and Blue Origin.