BYO Tech? 'Slate' EV Startup Is Making Customizable Cars for Gearheads (2025)

The Jeff Bezos-backed Slate debuted this week as an affordable, low-tech electric pickup truck company with a focus on customization and a unique tech approach.

The truck will start around $27,000, or $20,000 after the federal tax credit (if the Trump administration doesn't kill it), and be available in 2026, TechCrunch reports. You can reserve one now for a $50 refundable fee.

(Credit: Slate)

Shoppers customize a basic, bare-bones template. Early renderings don't show a dash screen or even a radio. Just physical buttons for key controls and places to put your own phone, iPad, or speaker—"bring your own" (BYO) tech. There is an odometer, however.

"Bring the apps you know and love to create the experience you want," says the website. "Instead of a bulky, distracting, and quickly outdated infotainment system...Your Slate will age gracefully, because it’ll always have the latest tech—yours."

(Credit: Slate)

(Credit: Slate)

The idea is also to keep the vehicle's price low, so drivers aren't paying for extra software and features that aren't relevant to them. It could be the perfect option for someone who is particular about the tech they buy and use, and doesn't need a luxury car.

"We think everyone should be able to personalize their car," Slate says. "But vehicles aren’t built to be customized by non-gearheads (we love you, gearheads). So, we changed that."

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Everything about the car is customizable through a menu of add-ons; Slate hasn't revealed pricing for those yet. The car can transform from a two-seat truck into a five-seat SUV, "and back again." It only comes in one color, gray (think: blank "slate"), but customers can choose from several exterior "wraps" that start at $500 and are easy to swap out for a new one.

"You can adapt your Slate to whatever you need, even if you don’t know you need it yet," the company says.

Slate SUV (Credit: Slate)

It only has a 150-mile range, but the company says "most people in America drive around 37 miles a day." Each vehicle comes with a basic charging cord, with an accompanying app that displays the range and nearby charging stations. The battery will be manufactured in the US by Korean-based SK On. The vehicle will also be US-made.

"North America is a key market for us, and we are committed to delivering reliable, high-quality batteries that support our partners in making EVs more accessible, while reducing emissions, and advancing sustainable mobility," says Lee Seok-hee, CEO of SK On.

This truck's minimalistic, DIY-inspired ethos could be a welcome alternative to other car brands' efforts to put as much tech in cars as possible, including giant dash screens, inside cars. It's also the antithesis to Tesla, which kicked off the "car-as-computer" trend the auto industry got hooked on. Is the pendulum beginning to swing in the other direction?

Slate has a deep connection to Amazon. It's founders include the former CEO of Amazon's consumer division, Jeff Wilke, along with his MIT classmate Miles Arnone. Bezos is an investor. CEO Chris Barman is one of just a few female auto CEOs, along with GM's Mary Barra.