Jeff Bezos-Backed Tesla Rival To Assemble $25,000 EV Truck In Indiana, Promises 2,000 Jobs

Slate Auto, backed by Jeff Bezos, will assemble its $25,000 EV truck — which drops to $20,000 after the federal EV credit — in Warsaw, Indiana.

What Happened: Slate Auto CEO Chris Barman confirmed the company's plans to assemble the truck in Indiana, Business Insider reported on Tuesday.

“We would like to see what we can do to go into an existing facility that has been shuttered and reindustrialize and revitalize that community," Barman said.

The facility, a former printing plant about 122 miles away from the city of Chicago, is expected to create over 2,000 jobs for the local community.

Why It Matters: News of the production facility comes in as Slate Auto recently unveiled its pickup truck, which the company calls the "Blank Slate." What sets it apart is the customization options available to the customers.

The company provides over 25 different "Starter Packs" to choose from, and customers have the option of getting the truck in a 2-seater pickup trim or a 5-seater SUV trim.

The truck, which has been hailed by experts like Bill Ackman, offers a standard range of 150 miles, but with a larger battery pack, the range can stretch up to 240 miles. The truck has a 5-foot-long bed with a hauling capacity of 1400 lbs and can tow up to 1000 lbs.

Slate Auto's pickup truck could capitalize on the growing domestic EV market in the U.S., which saw a 10.6% YoY increase in sales in the last quarter, according to the latest sales data.

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Image Via Slate Auto