Jeff Bezos-Backed American Electric SUV Brand Slate Patents Cars In India
Thanks to rising fuel prices and other factors, there has been a rise in the number of electric vehicle sales. This is also encouraging many existing and new brands to enter the Indian market. India, as a market, holds huge potential for both ICE and electric vehicles. We have seen many Chinese car brands, in collaboration with Indian companies, planning to enter our market. We have now come across another report that an American electric vehicle startup backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has filed a design patent for its vehicles in India.
The brand in question here is Slate Auto, a startup that was founded in 2022. American businessman Jeff Bezos has been one of the major early-stage investors in this electric vehicle (EV) startup. Bezos invested an undisclosed amount through his family office during Slate Auto's Series A financing round. He later participated in the company's massive $600 million funding round alongside other major investors such as Mark Walter. Slate Auto is not affiliated with Amazon. It is a separate EV brand with Jeff Bezos as one of its investors.
The American brand has now filed design patents for both its pickup truck and SUV in India. It is still not clear whether the company is planning to enter the Indian market. What makes Slate Auto different from other brands is its built-to-order philosophy. It offers a variety of configuration options directly from the factory. The Slate is actually the pickup version, and customers can choose from multiple body configurations. Customers only have to pay for the features and options they select.
The company has also filed a patent for the fastback SUV version, which is currently known as the Slate Reign Purple. The name is simply derived from the colour in which the SUV is showcased. The pickup can be converted into an SUV using a conversion kit that Slate plans to offer to customers.
Slate is offering a coupe-like SUV style as well as a boxy, Defender-inspired design. We also saw Ford Bronco-inspired pickup versions on the company's website. They are all based on the same two-door pickup truck platform.
The Slate EV is powered by a 201 bhp electric motor that drives the rear wheels. The vehicle is expected to come with two battery-pack options. One of them will offer a driving range of around 241 km, while the other is expected to deliver around 382 km. The vehicle will support both AC home charging and DC fast-charging speeds of up to 120 kW.
The official unveiling of the Slate truck took place last year, and the brand is all set to open pre-bookings for its EVs from June 24, 2026. Official deliveries of the Slate EV are expected to commence by the end of this year. Interested buyers can reserve one of these vehicles by making a payment of USD 50.
A major reason behind the curiosity surrounding this brand is its pricing strategy. Slate is aiming to offer affordable electric vehicles that can adapt to different customer needs and lifestyles.