In addition to space travel, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has his eye on the auto industry. He’s reportedly backing Slate Auto, an EV startup focused on building a compact electric truck for around $25,000.
Details are scarce, but Newsweek connected with the company on a short teaser video posted to X. While we can’t see much, the film shows a boxy body shape, round headlights, and a funky grille design. The publication said, “Slate aims to beat Tesla to the punch with an inexpensive compact electric vehicle for the everyman.”
This is probably the seventh or eighth time we’ve heard promises of an affordable EV, but if anyone can pull it off, it seems like someone with Bezos’ resources would be the guy. While we’re likely not talking about a luxurious with tons of features, a small, cheap pickup would be a great alternative to some of the six-figure electric trucks on sale today.
A $25,000 truck would also be well below the $59,000 average new vehicle price in the United States. Two of the cheapest EVs, the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Kona EV, come close to that number, but both are more expensive. We’ll learn more about the truck, hopefully including specs, on April 24.
[Images: Fred Duval, dennizn via Shutterstock]
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