Slate Auto's New EV Is Coming, Tax Credit Or Not

Slate Auto, a startup backed by Jeff Bezos’s investment arm, is preparing to launch its first electric vehicle (EV), the Blank Slate pickup truck, despite the impending expiration of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit on September 30. The company aims to offer an affordable EV priced under $20,000 with the tax credit, but plans to proceed even without it. Slate Auto is refurbishing a former printing plant in Warsaw, Indiana, to produce the Blank Slate and other variants on the same platform, using a minimalist design with only about 600 parts—significantly fewer than typical trucks—to keep costs low and simplify manufacturing. The new factory is expected to bring over 2,000 jobs and a $400 million investment to the local economy, replacing the 525 jobs lost when the printing plant closed in 2023. Indiana Representative Rudy Yakym, despite voting against the tax credit, has publicly supported the factory and credited recent legislation, such as the “One Big Beautiful Bill