How Fast Can Slate Auto Produce EVs Amid Manufacturing Challenges?

I think that’s a question a lot of people are asking. Most of us have heard about this new EV company called Slate Auto, which wants to bring cheap electric cars to the masses. And they’ve got Jeff Bezos backing them—a name that definitely carries some weight and could make them a real contender in the budget EV space, maybe even giving Tesla a run for its money.

Slate seems pretty optimistic about their plans. They’re aiming to start production by 2026 and want to pump out 150,000 units—not exactly a small goal. But the big question is: can they actually pull it off?

It’s tough to say. Starting a car company from scratch takes a ton of time and resources. Right now, their biggest challenge seems to be finding a place to build the cars and getting the infrastructure in place. That said, since they’ve got Bezos in their corner, finding land or resources might not be a huge problem. He probably has a few spare plots lying around anyway.

But honestly, that might be the easy part. What’s interesting about Slate is that they’re not following the traditional car-making playbook. Their cars are super stripped down—no frills, hardly any features. Some people even call them the “anti-Tesla” because they’re all about bare-bones simplicity, the total opposite of what Tesla and other automakers are doing. They don’t even bother painting the cars. So in theory, production could be a lot faster and simpler just because there’s less to build.

Slate plans to build its vehicles at a repurposed printing plant in Indiana, aiming to offer a highly customizable and affordable electric pickup truck. But there are plenty of challenges in the way—like the usual headaches of car manufacturing, testing, and dealing with regulations. On top of that, Slate's vehicles are basically made to order, with some parts possibly installed or removed by the driver. So they're starting simple—something quick and practical—just to get production going. At least, that’s the plan, and honestly, it seems doable, especially for a truck like this.

Realistically though, Slate probably won’t have the truck fully ready or in serious production for a few more years. From what we can tell, they're kicking things off with a bare-bones version and haven’t hit any kind of mass sales yet. Once they work out the kinks and the process smooths out, orders might start rolling in—but that's gonna take time.

Building a car factory is no joke. Just look at how long it takes other companies, especially the ones starting from scratch. Slate’s basically a startup, and they’ve got a lot to learn. Honestly, it’s unlikely they’ll get a full-blown factory up and running super fast. Realistically, a fully finished, relatively bug-free truck probably won’t show up until 2027 or later. It’s kind of common knowledge in the auto world that early models usually come with quirks—manufacturers need time to fine-tune things before they really get it right.

That’s the realistic view. Still, if Slate can stay on track and avoid too many delays, they might hit their goals sooner than expected. We’ll see. Factory building and engineering just take time—there’s no shortcut. But if they’ve got the drive and the right people, they could pull it off. We’ve seen other EV startups make it happen. The big question is: can Slate do it too?

It's actually kind of interesting—if Slate can pull this off, it's a big deal for the EV world, especially since it's a budget car. They’re not exactly reinventing the wheel, but at least it’s something different. Hopefully, Slate can shake things up and make a real impact with their EV.