Slate Auto Gets One Step Closer To Building Its Affordable EV Truck

• Slate Auto’s plant in Indiana completed the installation of its automated body shop.
• It’s also in the final phase of testing vehicle parts before they officially enter production.
• If all goes as planned, production will begin by the end of the year.

Slate Auto, the Jeff Bezos-backed electric vehicle startup, says it’s on track to begin production of its affordable truck by the end of the year. Its factory in Warsaw, Indiana, is starting to look the part.

The company announced Thursday that the facility has completed several key milestones. All the robots required for the body shop, where stamped metal parts are welded and assembled to form the vehicle’s structural frame and shell, are now installed, with individual workstations up and running. The trim line, where components like wiring harnesses, seats, and windows come together, is also being installed. 

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Source: Slate

Quality inspection equipment is coming online too, including a four-post shaker that will simulate the vibrations and road bumps the Slate truck will face in the real world. Vehicle parts manufacturing is already underway, with those parts undergoing final testing ahead of official production. Taken together, it’s a meaningful show of progress for a startup that has made some bold promises.

The company has promised to build a mid-$20,000 bare-bones electric truck with 150 miles of range and a single electric motor. It will have a spartan interior with crank windows and no infotainment screen—although it will have a gauge cluster to display range, speed, and a backup camera.

But the real hook will be the levels of personalization. Buyers can add SUV, fastback, or open-air body kits, opt for a larger battery pack good for 240 miles of range, and throw in things like a tablet mount and speakers. There’s a long list of decals and wraps to choose from, and some quirky options like open-air configuration, a spare tire mount, and “bring your own speaker” bracket. If you want just the bare-bones truck, Slate will happily sell you exactly that. 

Photo by: Kevin Williams/InsideEVs

The company has also been busy raising money to build all this lately. It recently announced a new CEO and closed a $650 million funding round in April, led by investment firm TWG Global.

But Slate is walking into a genuinely tricky market. The used EV segment is mature now—buyers can already pick up lightly used, off-lease EVs for $25,000 or less that are far better equipped than anything Slate is offering at its base price. But the majority of those affordable used EVs aren’t trucks, mostly sedans and crossovers.

Spend a little more, and a brand-new Nissan Leaf or Chevy Bolt is within reach. And it’s unclear how much the Slate truck will actually cost once you start building it out. A $25,000 “Blank Slate” could realistically climb several thousand dollars before it resembles something most buyers would actually want to drive daily.

Slate said it will release final pricing in June. That’s when it might become more clear if this experiment is poised for success or not. 

Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com