Ford Ranger EV Rival Could Come From Jeff Bezos Funded Startup

A special skunkworks team within Ford has been working on developing a low-cost EV platform set to underpin more than one future model for the past couple of years, and as Ford Authority reported last August, the first is expected to be a mid-size pickup – perhaps one wearing the Ford Ranger badge. However, this potential Ford Ranger EV will face its fair share of competition, as several other automakers have announced plans to also develop their own mid-size EV pickups – a list that could include a new startup company called Slate Auto.

According to TechCrunch, Slate Auto – which is secretly being backed by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos – has been quietly developing a two-seat EV pickup since 2022, one that’s expected to debut with a $25,000 price tag and enter production next year. Along with funding from a major tech billionaire, Slate Auto has also hired hundreds of folks from companies including Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, and Harley-Davidson to aid in its development efforts. The project is notably using the Ford Model T and Volkswagen Beetle as its “North Star,” to boot.

This new Slate EV pickup is expected to be built at a plant located somewhere near Indianapolis, Indiana starting in 2026, but it’s unclear if the company has already purchased an existing facility or if it will be building one itself. As far as how it plans to make a profit on this ultra-cheap pickup, Slate will reportedly lean on selling apparel and higher-margin accessories that owners can purchase to customize their vehicles over time after making that low initial cost purchase.

With the Ford Ranger EV set to seemingly “future proof” the popular mid-size pickup as part of CEO Jim Farley’s plan to focus on what he considers to be the “sweet spot” of the EV market, it stands to face quite a bit of competition. Those rivals are set to come from the likes of Stellantis, Kia, and even Hyundai, via General Motors, at least.