- Slate Auto has confirmed a production location to manufacture its affordable electric truck.
- The sub-$20,000 (with tax credits) cheap EV will be made at a former printing services factory in Indiana.
- The plant should create approximately 2,000 jobs with a target annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles.
Slate Auto has brought a fresh solution to an old problem plaguing the electric vehicle industry: affordability.
Its unique LEGO-kit-like approach and sub-$20,000 starting price has garnered industry-wide attention. Now the company has indicated that it’s dead serious about production, picking a site in Indiana to manufacture its affordable EV next year onwards.
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Source: Slate
The Jeff Bezos-backed start-up confirmed that it had selected a location in Warsaw, Indiana for production. TechCrunch was the first to report that the 1.4 million square-foot facility formerly belonged to a R.R. Donnelly printing site which employed 500 people but was closed in 2023.
Now Slate plans to take over the factory and employ 2,000 workers to build its electric truck. Ultimately, the upstart hopes to build 150,000 EVs annually after retrofitting the space with manufacturing equipment.
It’s a lofty goal. Reaching that level of production capacity takes years. And building EVs at a site that previously was known for printing services is also unusual, as there won’t be any carry-over equipment that Slate Auto could reuse.
But using older factories instead of building an all-new greenfield facility—which may or may not pay off in the long run—is also economically smart. It could save costs and is a tried and tested approach.
Tesla’s Fremont facility in California, which has an annual capacity of 650,000 vehicles, once belonged to New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI), which used to be a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors.
Rivian’s facility in Normal, Illinois, is a former Mitsubishi plant. And Lucid recently acquired some assets and facilities that belonged to the now-bankrupt electric truck start-up Nikola. If Slate can retool this printing site and get it up and running next year, that would be a big step forward.
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Source: Slate
As InsideEVs has extensively reported, the Slate truck brings a novel approach to EV sales. Buyers will have more control over how the truck looks and if they want something basic or equipped with more features.
Slate will basically give you what it calls a “Blank Slate,” a sub-$20,000 (with tax credits factored in) two-seater bare-bones electric truck. It won’t get even get a stereo, center console, cup holders or even a basic infotainment screen.
But owners will be able to add hundreds of customizable options at an added cost, which is currently undisclosed. They can convert it into an SUV or a fastback with bolt-on roof extensions. And over the past week, enthusiasts have been flaunting the unique styles they put together on the online configurator.
It’s definitely a cool idea. But we’ll see if this idea can metamorphose from concept to reality.
Have a tip? Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
