Is Jeff Bezos Diversifying His EV Investments With a New Pickup?

This weekend, The Autopian’s David Tracy reported on what has to be one of the strangest vehicular launches of all time: an electric SUV parked with trim advertising a nonexistent business — in this case, a rideshare business for crying babies. Passengers who were intrigued by the concept of “Rockabye Rides” and visited the company’s website were greeted by two things: a countdown clock and a link to the real product being advertised: an automaker called Slate.

What do we know about Slate? Their LinkedIn page reveals some data: Slate (not to be confused with the online publication of the same name) is based in Michigan, has between 201 and 500 employees and is in the electric vehicle business. Oh, and according to a TechCrunch investigation published earlier this month, Jeff Bezos is one of the founders.

As TechCrunch’s Sean O’Kane writes, “multiple sources and documents” connect Bezos to Slate along with several other wealthy and well-connected figures who have also invested in the company, including Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter. The automotive startup’s goal, TechCrunch reports, is the creation of an electric pickup truck that will sell for $25,000. Buyers will have the option to customize or upgrade the vehicle in various ways, according to this report.

It’s still surprising to see Slate debut its vehicles in such an understated way. (Though it’s clearly worked, given the coverage its unconventional announcement has received.) If the countdown on the Rockabye Rides website is any indication, there should be more news — almost certainly a more formal announcement — later this week.

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There’s something oddly familiar about Bezos’s involvement in a company called Slate. The automaker has no connection to the online magazine of the same name — but it is curious (if coincidental) that Slate was once owned by The Washington Post, a publication now owned by, well, Jeff Bezos.

Bezos’s rumored investment in Slate isn’t his only foray into electric vehicle investment. Amazon made a substantial investment in Rivian; an exclusivity arrangement between the two companies, in which Rivian provided Amazon with delivery vans, recently ended. And the idea of a compact but functional electric pickup is one that seems to be gaining momentum; Slate may well be at the right place at the right time to benefit from that.