Ahead of its launch late this year, Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto is figuring out how it’s going to sell its all-electric small pickup truck, and it’s reportedly getting on board with online automotive retailer Carvana.
According to TechCrunch, Carvana was given a warrant for shares in Slate Auto last year, based on documents from the State of Delaware Division of Corporations. The move comes as the startup automaker prepares to release details such as official prices later this month, as well as the end of reservations and the beginning of preordering. Since last year, Slate Auto has offered a $50 reservation fee to be among the first in line and reported 100,000 reservations in two weeks.
The Arizona-based online used car company, founded in 2012, has started expanding into new car sales with the purchase of some Stellantis dealerships starting last year. It’s been rapidly expanding used car sales, too, approaching the 200,000-vehicle mark in the first quarter of 2026.
Mark Walter—CEO of Guggenheim Partners and TWG Global Holdings and owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Lakers, among other sports holdings—has stakes in both Carvana and Slate Auto, according to TechCrunch.
The Slate Truck was announced in April 2025 as a back-to-basics EV that won’t come standard with features such as power windows or an infotainment system. Buyers, however, will be able to customize the vehicle with vinyl wraps and even an enclosed SUV body with a rear seat. By doing this, the company targets a sub-$30,000 starting price.
Slate Auto won’t be the only automaker to market a lower-cost EV as U.S. consumers navigate inflation, tariffs and higher energy costs. Ford is set to launch its own compact electric pickup truck next year on a new platform that’s less expensive to produce and is set to underpin a future line of EVs.
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