• Slate is a new car startup that’s working on an affordable EV, according to reports from TechCrunch and Newsweek. 
• Ahead of any official reveal, the firm left its new SUV on the streets of Venice, California, where it was spotted by The Autopian. 
• We expect to learn more about Slate in the coming days. 

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It’s not every day that a brand-spanking-new car company emerges from the woodwork. It’s practically unheard of for said car startup to park its debut vehicle on a public street and let anybody stumble upon it before it’s officially revealed. 

That’s exactly what Slate, the new car startup reportedly backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, just did in Los Angeles. Our friends at The Autopian spotted a boxy, two-door SUV in a wacky wrap on the streets of Venice, California. We can confirm it is Slate’s new vehicle. 

Photo by: David Tracy / The Autopian

Slate Auto Electric SUV Prototype

It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to recognize what we’re looking at here, either. Newsweek published two shadowy, camouflaged images of Slate’s vehicle. And both the front and rear corner resemble the vehicle The Autopian saw. Look no further than those round headlights, black plastic grille and the shape of its charging port door.

Plus, if you go to the website plastered on the side of the SUV—for a fake company called RockabyeRides—you’ll see the word “SLATE” and a countdown timer for three days from now. 

There’s also a TikTok floating around that features a similar vehicle—this one with a fastback roofline that kind of resembles the Rivian R3—wrapped in the theme of a similarly outrageous and clearly fake cat therapy business. And sure enough, CatThurrrapy.com features the same countdown clock and Slate branding. 

 

So this appears to be some guerrilla marketing campaign to generate buzz around Slate ahead of a more official reveal scheduled for April 24. One note: This doesn’t seem to be a working vehicle. The Autopian’s David Tracy climbed underneath and didn’t see any powertrain or proper suspension components, indicating this is a non-functional show car. 

Photo by: David Tracy / The Autopian

Slate Auto Electric SUV Prototype

So, what do we know about Slate so far? According to TechCrunch, which broke the news of the company’s existence this month, Slate has hired hundreds of auto industry vets and aims to create a two-seat pickup truck that costs around $25,000. According to Newsweek, “Slate aims to beat Tesla to the punch with an inexpensive compact electric vehicle for the everyman.”

It’s exciting stuff, given that the EV world has been dominated by high-priced luxury cars for years. We’ll be all over whatever Slate reveals later this week. 

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