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Just one day after TechCrunch revealed that Jeff Bezos isbacking a secretive EV startup called Slate Auto , an former interpretation of the company ’s modest - cost galvanising pickup arm truck was spot in the state of nature .
Reddit drug user u / discostranger09 posted aphototo the radius / whatisthiscar subreddit on Wednesday of a small , dark gray-haired , two - seater pickup motortruck on a flatbed . The exploiter said it was being offloaded from a container outside their part in the Los Angeles orbit . The photo was first reported by automotive outletsCarscoopsandThe Autopian .
The motortruck image is , in fact , the one Slate Auto has been working on , according to a person with direct noesis of Slate Auto ’s vehicle design who spoke on the condition of anonymity . This person , whose identity element is love to TechCrunch , said the truck is likely one of the concept vehicle the startup has created to show to likely investors — including thecontrolling possessor of the LA Dodgers — at its invention studio in Long Beach , California .
The truck is simply styled , with a grille that pretty resembles the one on the modern - day Ford Bronco Sport . It also looks a bit like a smaller , simplified Rivian R1 T — which is interesting deliberate that Slate ’s school principal of exterior design had a short stint at Rivian before come to the closelipped startup .
But there are no dramatic tucket , and that ’s by innovation .
As TechCrunchexclusively reportedearlier this hebdomad , the young troupe is attempting to build a business around the hand truck that involve selling it at a crushed cost of around $ 25,000 . Slate plans to upsell customer on customization and accessories of a wide diverseness . The company has filed for a trademark on the phrase “ WE BUILT IT . YOU MAKE IT ” and has mentioned something that sounds like a customization program called “ Slate University ” in job itemization .
Another Slate trademark that has not yet been report is for the musical phrase “ Blank Slate . ” That is one way that the company may look up to the base model of the truck before a customer chooses any customization options , according to the person conversant with the matter . It is ill-defined if the fellowship has settled on a name for the hand truck , despite being a few workweek off from coming out of stealth . The troupe did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
