Slate Auto, the Troy, Michigan-based electric vehicle startup that’s backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, on June 24 announced it was taking preorders for its Slate Truck and that the starting price would be just under $25,000.
The battery electric vehicle (BEV) can be ordered as a pickup truck or as a five-seat sport utility vehicle (SUV), though the squareback and fastback SUV models start at $29,950, Slate said.
“More than 180,000 reservation holders have told us they’re ready for a vehicle that’s affordable, reliable, and built around their lives,” Slate CEO Peter Faricy said in a statement.
Faricy, who served as vice president of Amazon Marketplace from 2009-2018 and was executive director of Ford Motor Company in the early 2000s, joined Slate Auto in March of 2026 to lead the commercial launch of the Slate Truck.
“Slate gives customers the freedom to buy only what they need today and personalize their vehicle as their needs change tomorrow,” Faricy said. “We’re excited to start seeing Slates on roads across America later this year.”
Consumers can preorder a Slate Truck with a $300 nonrefundable down payment.
Slate Auto’s price point could make inroads into an electric vehicle (EV) market dominated by much more expensive vehicles—the average new EV price was $54,532 in May, Cox Automotive reported.
The low-cost Slate BEV could hit American roadways by the fourth quarter of this year. The most stripped-down version of the Slate Truck boasts a starting price of $24,950 and lacks common features on new vehicles, such as an infotainment system or other technological features, although it does include heating and air conditioning. Slate says the vehicle accommodates technology that drivers already own, such as smartphones and portable Bluetooth speakers, for navigation, audio, and video capabilities.
“Built-in infotainment systems raise a car’s price, and they become outdated quickly and have high failure rates,” Slate Auto said on its website.
Owners who want to customize their vehicles have more than 200 accessories from which to choose, including roof racks, stereos, and custom vehicle wraps that could push prices higher, though Slate said more than 80 percent of upgrades cost less than $500.
Founded in 2022, Slate Auto will produce vehicles at a reindustrialized factory in Warsaw, Indiana. Slate Auto said it will invest more than $400 million into its production factory and create more than 2,000 jobs. Bezos Expeditions, the private investment firm and family office of the Amazon founder, is an investor in Slate Auto, according to the firm.
