Jeff Bezos is funding a secret EV start -based start in Michigan called Slate Auto that can start production immediately next year, according to numerous sources and documents linking the billionaire’s family’s office to the beginning.
Slate, which was rooted in another company associated with bezos called cloud: production of production, has been quietly functioning since its establishment in 2022. The company has hired hundreds of employees while in many of which come from Ford, General Motors, Stellantis and Harley-Davidson.
It also drew the support of some other wealthy individuals, including Mark Walter, the control owner of La Dodgers and CEO of Guggenheim Partners, and Thomas Brull, which is a new investor: production of production, according to Techcrunch documents obtained from Delaware Corporate Division.
Slate Auto is dealing with a great goal: a two -places electric truck for about $ 25,000, according to two sources which was given anonymity to talk about the company’s internal discussions. Leaders within the company have mentioned the Ford Model T or Volkswagen Beetle as a northern star for the project, according to people.
She has accumulated a considerable chest of war in the service of this goal.
The company quietly collected at least $ 111 million in a series A round in 2023, according to a public appearance. Bezos was involved, and Melinda Lewison, the person administering his family office, is ranked as director of Slate Plateau with the federal states and government. Registration shows 16 people invested in that round; It is unclear how bezos get into the company.
Slate has told employees that it closed a series of B at the end of last year, according to numerous sources known for its funding. It has not yet submitted any round documents with the Insurance and Exchange Commission. Delaware documents show that they authorized about 500 million favorite shares for Serie B at $ 2.37 per share. (Slate also authorized more than 400 million shares of ordinary shares in the past year, although registrations did not show a price.)
Delaware documents also rank Walter and brick as new board members, suggesting both invested in the Slate’s Series B. both recently formed a $ 40 billion holding company to make investments. Walter and brick could not be reached for comment.
Slate hopes to get its vehicle in production as soon as possible at the end of 2026 in a manufacturing structure somewhere near Indianapolis, Indiana, according to job lists, state lobby data and a 2024 interview with executive chairman Rodney Copes. It is not immediately clear whether Slate bought an existing plant or plans to build one by first.
The clandestine project is taking shape in a challenging time for electric vehicles.
The once explosive growth of the sector has cooled, and the many dedicated beginnings for the construction of EVs have filed bankruptcy. Those who have survived, like Rivian and Lucid Motors, have done so by burning in billions of dollars.
Slate plans to fill the small boundaries of his low -cost truck by building a line of accessories and clothing that owners can use to fix their vehicles and their views, according to various job resources and lists. It has filled its executive ranks with former Harley-Davidson and Stellantis-Dy employees that have historically relied on these types of auxiliary businesses (first in clothing and last with accessories and accessories).
Slate is based in Troy, Michigan, and the beginning has also shown a test of the concept vehicle for investors in a non-descriptive design studio that is rented in Long Beach, California, according to sources. It has aimed at individuals of high net value and held a narrow lid on the fundraising process.
The company and many Slate -related people, cloud: production of production, and Bezo’s family office did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the story. Techcrunch also managed to directly bezos and received no response.
Deep ties of the Amazon
Slate is shot with Amazon DNA.
Alongside the Bezo family office, the Slate Series included funds from the former Amazon Diego Piatini executive, according to the website of his firm.
Slate was originally created as a project called cloud: Car in early 2022 within the cloud: production of production, a local producer of species co-founded by former Amazon Consumer General Director Jeff Wilke and his MIT leaders for the Global Class of Milees Arnone operations. Some long -term Amazon leaders, including Wei Gao, who was a high VP and technical adviser to Bezo, are now in cloud: production of production.
Digital experience, e-commerce and Slate automobile experience are Amazon’s immigrants. Even the original name of Slate includes “Re:” Amazon prefixes use for events, as cloud: Mars robotics and the Conference of it, or Annual cloud: Invent Collection for AWS.
Bezos has invested in more than 30 companies through his family office over the years, touching the worlds of his (revenge), robotics, protection, and even mobility (Uber). Slate is one of the most direct investments he has made in the world of electric vehicles outside the relationship his company Amazon with Rivian.
His investment has been mostly only him, anyway. People familiar with the company’s internal actions told Techcrunch that he was not seen around Slate’s Michigan or Los Angeles offices.
Bucking the trend
Almost all the beginnings of EV that have come (and have gone) over the last decade have tried in some way to repeat the approach Tesla took. They have designed their first vehicles to be high -level offers so they can sell less cars for more money. Finally, after increasing the awareness of the brand, these companies move to EV with higher, cheaper volume that generate smaller borders.
Slate is overturning this by continuing what he hopes will be the “first car” of the buyer, according to the people who spoke with Techcrunch.
The idea is to sell the truck at a price of about $ 25,000, and the owners personalize or improve the car over time as they can afford it.
At the end of March, Slate presented a trademark for the phrase: “We built it. You do it.” There is a long list of goods and services that can cover, including everything, from switches and speakers to USB ports and pet harness.
Other details can be collected from the numerous lists of work Slate has posted over the past two years.
One posted in 2024 hinted that the company will duplicate the customer’s personalization process “University of Slate”. The ranking was originally titled “University Leader” and was renamed “Chief of Repair and Maintenance of Customer Education” before starting to accept applications.
“We are looking for an enthusiastic, experienced Slate University leader to build and guide our access to open source content for clients to improve their ownership experience,” the list said. “As a leader, you will direct the strategy and development of the ecosystem for educational content and distribution to tile buyers, clients, technicians and partners.”
Another work list for “manager of management, accessories” explains that Slate is “Exploring opportunities in electrical mobility space and are building additional compliments, clothing and goods of goods”. It also mentions that the person will oversee the development of “services parts” and “living accessories and personalization”.
This approach-Subject of a low-margin manufacturing business with a higher margin accessory game-is what is used by automobiles, including Harley-Davidson with its clothing and Jeep Stellantis Creator with its Mopar parts and service sharing.
Suddy, Slate is already attracting experience from both of those companies while building her team.
The executive chairman of the beginning is Rodney Copes, who spent 20 years at Harley-Davidson. Main financial officer Ryan Green spent nearly a decade on the finance of the engine manufacturer. (Copies and Green also had Stints in Rivian.) Service heads, commercial, accessory products management and growth marketing also worked at Harley-Davidson.
Slate apparently plans to derive its high voltage battery pack, electric motors and other technology connected by external suppliers, according to a job list. Starting is “challenging vehicle design status”, according to another list for a design/release engineer for Windshield Wipers. A post on an accountant’s role says the employed person will need to help implement “systems required to be a public company”.
According to another role, every future leader of PR and communications: “You have to love cars! You will think of cars every day every day, and it’s more fun when you love cars.”
No founder can be found
Another way Slate seems to be making the trend of other EV beginnings is that there is no founder that serves as CEO.
Arnone is considered to be the founder of Slate, according to sources spoken to Techcrunch, but his daily work is serving as the new CEO: production of production.
Instead, Slate’s CEO is Christine Barman, a long chrysler veteran. She initially entered the automobile industry through a practice at General Motors after attending Purdue University, according to a 2023 interview.
She then spent more than 20 years in Chrysler overseeing the vehicle line program for Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Jeep Cherokee, according to her LinkedIn profile. Barman eventually became the vice president of the electronics and electronics for Fiat Chrysler, where she led the integration of automobile automobiles and spent time working in the company with Waymo, before leaving the company in 2017.
Barman has not exceeded the last decade by posting online like many of her peers starting EV. Instead it mainly advised companies for technology and development teaching engineering before being included in 2022 with what was a new EV project within the cloud at that time: production of production.
Barman did not respond to a comment request.
Kirsten Korosec contributed to this report.
