Jeff Bezos-Backed Tesla Rival Slate To Reveal Affordable Pickup Truck Prices In June, CEO Confirms Mid-$20K Price For Base Trim

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto has announced it will reveal prices for its affordable EV pickup truck in June.

Blank Slate To Boast Mid $20,000 Price

In a new post on the social media platform Instagram on Thursday, the official account of the automaker shared a video featuring company CEO Chris Barman, who announced that Slate will share updates on pricing in June this year amid negotiations with suppliers. "The Blank Slate will be in the mid 20s," she said in the video.

Slate Confirms 150,000 Reservations, $111 Million Funding

The company, which had generated interest in its claim that it would be offering a $20,000 EV Pickup, confirmed back in December last year that it had secured over 150,000 reservations for the pickup. It's worth noting that the promise of a $20,000 EV included the now-rescinded $7,500 Federal EV Credit.

Slate Auto also secured over $111 million in Series A funding from Bezos, as well as other high-profile investors like Mark Walter, CEO of Guggenheim Partners and majority owner of the L.A. Dodgers.

The company unveiled the pickup truck back in June last year and is offering it without a traditional paint job or even power windows and stereo. The base spec version offers a 150-mile range with a 52.7kWh battery and 1,400-pound payload capacity, while a larger battery option pushes the range to 240 miles.

Slate's unique approach focuses on personalization, where customers can pick and choose what they want, while the company also offers several presets tailored for multiple applications. The pickup truck can also be converted into a small SUV.

It’s worth noting that Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) currently dominates the U.S. EV sector, enjoying more than half of the EV market share as Tesla’s Model Y emerged as the best-selling electric vehicle in the country last year.

Ford's Universal EV Platform

As the average price of a car comes close to $50,000, affordability has become an important factor in the auto industry today. Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) also shared more details about its Universal EV Platform that will underpin the upcoming $30,000 midsize EV Pickup truck in 2027.

CEO Jim Farley, reaffirming commitment to EVs, has touted the platform as a crucial element to offset the rising dominance of Chinese automakers in the global automotive market.

However, President Donald Trump's recent decision to rescind the fuel content factor provision from the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) norms could make EVs less attractive to automakers. 

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