Troy-based new EV Slate to debut at $20K, allowing buyers to design it themselves

Customizable Troy-based EV Slate lets the buyer design it themselves

A new electric vehicle maker is entering the market which puts buyers design what they want - and lets them customize everything.

TROY, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Big Three is about to have some competition as a new automaker is getting ready to enter the market.

Slate is a Michigan-made company operating quietly since 2022 - but now they are out of the shadows and ramping up production of customizable electric vehicles.

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What separates them from other automakers is the price. The average cost of a new car in the US is about $48,000. But a new Slate EV is expected to start at $20,000.

"What you see on the board - these are the design inspirations," said Jeff Jablansky, Slate Communications. "Slate is so customizable, that it starts as a two-door truck and turns into a five-seat SUV."

Inside Slate’s Troy headquarters is a preview of what’s to come.

"We produce a vehicle in a configuration of one, every one is exactly the same but it’s designed to be open-sourced," said Chris Barman, Slate CEO. "The power is put in the hands of the owner of the vehicle to determine what options and features they want."

Slate is trying to introduce an a la carte model of making electric vehicles that puts the control in the customer’s hands.

You essentially build the vehicle starting with a base template, adding and subtracting what you need vs. what you can live without.

"When we thought of the vehicle that we wanted we asked what are only the essentials that really need to go into the vehicle today to make it safe, reliable, durable and a high quality vehicle," she said. "We went through an exercise where parts had to fight their way to get into the vehicle."

For instance, you can opt of power windows to cut cost and one less mechanism to repair. Barman says there is a big difference between cost effective and cheap.

"Cruise control is standard, air conditioning is standard, windows are an accessory and we don’t have an infotainment system or a radio," he said.

Instead, Slate intends to make it easy to integrate your phone or tablet with an app.

"That can become your navigation and streaming audio system," she said. "In a few years when that is outdated, easy to remove and bring in a new one."

This is all designed to appeal to those who want the vehicle to evolve and change over time. Customization can come long after the vehicle rolls off the assembly line.

And you can leave the modifications to the pros or take a crack at it yourself.

"We are going to offer Slate University and (it is) an online platform where owners can go and understand what it takes to accessorize," Barman said.

Production of the Slate vehicles is slated for the end of 2026, but you can start building your own virtual vehicle right now.

"On Slate.auto we have a Slate-maker and with that, you can take the blank Slate and customize it," he said. "And we have some inspirations that you can start from."

It’s a major undertaking to enter the highly competitive automaker market. But Slate has acquiring talent that they feel will set them apart from competition immediately.

"We are planning to do direct-to-customer sales of the vehicle," Barman said. "So we have had people come from different industries like GrubHub or others where we want to bring a blended experience and the best ideas to the table for the product that we are going to offer."

In 2022 Slate started with 18 people in Troy, now over 400 people work for the company and Slate is still looking to hire more.

Slate announced itself to the world in April of this year and two weeks after that announcement more than 100,000 people put in a reservation for a Slate EV.

You can get one to with a fully refundable deposit of $50.

If you want to learn more, go to slate.auto