Vehicle Safety & Testing Intern

Slate Auto, an electric vehicle startup backed by Jeff Bezos, has raised $650 million in Series C funding led by TWG Global to develop an affordable electric pickup truck targeting a mid-$20,000 price point. The company aims to begin US deliveries by year-end. The Troy, Michigan-based startup plans a stripped-down, two-seater pickup with 150 or 240 miles of range. Over 160,000 people have placed $50 refundable deposits. Online orders will open in June, when exact pricing will be announced. Slate is investing $400 million to convert an idled Indiana printing plant for vehicle production. In March, the company appointed Peter Faricy, an Amazon veteran and former SunPower CEO, as chief executive. Other investors include General Catalyst Partners and Slauson & Co.

Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto plans national customization hub. Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal Thu, March 26, 2026 at 1:53 PM PDT A new auto manufacturer is setting up shop in Louisville, Kentucky. Slate Auto, the Jeff Bezos-backed electric vehicle startup, plans to put its roughly $7.8 million vinyl wrap kit manufacturing fulfillment facility in the Bluegrass State's Jefferson County. The auto startup will produce low cost, modular, fully customizable EV two-door, two-passenger pickup trucks with hopes to start producing and selling the vehicles in 2026. The vehicles made by Slate Auto at its Warsaw, Indiana plant are expected to be priced in the mid-$20,000 range, Will Nicholas, head of business development and government affairs at Slate Auto, said during the March 26 meeting of the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority. Since announcing the vehicle's launch just over a year ago, Nicholas said the company has received more than 160,000 reservations for the EV from across the country. The vehicles are built completely "stripped of everything that isn't an essential so customers can decide how they'd like to customize with accessories and personalization," a state official said during the KEDFA meeting. The vehicles are so customizable that Nicholas said the truck can even be crafted into a five passenger SUV. The vinyl wrapping facility in Louisville will be "central" to Slate Auto's "customization ecosystem," officials said and serve as the automakers sole national production center for its vinyl wrap kit program. At this facility, rather than painting vehicles in a factory like most automakers do, Slate Auto will wrap its vehicles in the custom colors and finishes chosen by the customer. The company offers more than 100 colors and finishes from which customers can choose. The project, out of the Troy, Michigan-headquartered company, was approved by KEDFA for $1 million in state tax incentives over the course of the 10-year agreement. Additionally, state officials said Louisville Metro Government is also helping to support the project. Slate Auto is expected to create 51 jobs with an hourly wage target of $39.09 and a minimum wage requirement of $10.88 for the base hourly wage and $12.51 for the total hourly compensation. Contact Business Reporter Olivia Evans at [email protected] or on X at @oliviamevans_.

Slate Auto has appointed Peter Faricy, former Amazon Marketplace vice president, as its new CEO, replacing Christine Barman just months before the launch of its affordable electric truck. Faricy, who recently advised at McKinsey and Bessemer Venture Partners, started on Monday. Barman, a longtime Chrysler veteran and Slate's first hire, has moved to President of Vehicles, where she will oversee delivering the truck on time and on budget. She had been one of only two women CEOs running a US automaker. The company, which has raised approximately $700 million from Jeff Bezos and other backers, is preparing to convert its 160,000-strong preorder list into vehicle orders. Slate plans to reveal pricing for its electric truck in June, targeting the mid-$20,000 range after losing federal EV tax credits.