Slate, an EV start-up backed by Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos, is adding Tesla’s Superchargers to its charging network — confirming that its EVs will adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS).
The startup says its vehicles will have access “more than 25,000 [Tesla] individual charging stalls from coast to coast.”
Slate has become the latest automaker to adopt the NACS charging standard, following US EV makers Lucid Motors, Rivian and nearly all other brands.
Earlier this summer, Rivian began updating its charging stations to integrate the port, which will come standard with the upcoming R2 SUV.
While Lucid’s debut model requires the DC NACS to CCS1 adapter, the company’s second model — the Lucid Gravity — is equipped with a native NACS charge port.
Japanese Honda Motor Co., Detroit automakers Ford and General Motors, German-based BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and Sweden-headquartered Volvo and Polestar also use Tesla’s network.
Michigan-based Slate Auto has operated in stealth since 2022.
Earlier in April, its first vehicle was spotted in California, appearing to confirm the company’s plans to enter the market with a compact, low-cost electric pickup.
“A Slate is a two-door electric pickup truck that’s thoughtfully designed and engineered to be customized again and again to transform into whatever you need it to be: even an SUV,” the EV maker says on its website.
It further adds that the vehicle’s “designed to be radically affordable, expected to be priced in the mid-twenties.”
Slate vehicles will be rear-wheel drive with a single, rear-mounted 150kW motor.
It will not include a built-in infotainment system as, according to the brand, they “raise a car’s price, and they become outdated quickly and have high failure rates.”
According to a TechCrunch report earlier this year, hundreds of employees have been hired over the last few years, including from major automakers such as Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, and Harley-Davidson.
Production is targeted to begin in late 2026 at a facility near Indianapolis, Indiana, according to job postings, state records, and an interview with executive chairman Rodney Copes, the report said.
According to Slate, orders will also be opening in late 2026 in the United States.
As of Tuesday, and through its website, customers can place a $50 refundable deposit to reserve a “spot in line,” with “no need to design anything yet. We’ll let you know when it’s time to order.”
Replying to a user questioning whether the company would open orders in Canada, Slate said “it’s not on the road map right now. Our priority is launching in the States.”
