Bezos-supported Slate Auto, a rival to Musk’s Tesla, introduces a $20,000 electric truck

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos-backed electric vehicle startup Slate Auto introduced its first van, which the firm claims starts at $20,000 for the most basic model, which is less expensive than rivals like Elon Musk’s Tesla cars.

With federal electric vehicle tax credits, Slate Auto claims that the price of its first truck, which it unveiled in Los Angeles, may go below $20,000.

Although it’s unclear how much Bezos personally spent in the startup, the Michigan-based business was supported by Bezos in a 2023 investment round that generated $111 million and wants to produce its cars in Indiana.

According to former Chrysler executive and CEO Chris Barman, the Slate truck’s low pricing is due to the firm just including the essentials in the base model, which has crank windows and no radio or electronics panel.

Barman has marketed the car as being highly customisable, saying that buyers can add a number of improvements and additional amenities. He also said that adding well-liked additions might raise the price by roughly $10,000.