Clean Slate bakkie idea
Is the future a simpler single-cab battery bakkie?
Big tech has capital that dwarfs the automotive industry. Alphabet( Google), Meta( Facebook), and Amazon are all valued at more than R10 trillion each.
Legacy car companies are tiny, with market capitalisations that are mostly 30 to 40 times lower than those of the big tech companies. But despite their gargantuan market capitalisations and deep pools of talented engineers, tech companies have been unable to deliver real-world automotive applications.
Apple cancelled its iCar project after more than a decade of work. Google also abandoned its own autonomous car project to partner with Waymo instead. Big tech has been thoroughly humbled when it comes to building cars. It’ s ironic, because legacy car companies outside of China have been equally humbled when trying to develop their own software and autonomous-driving technology.
But what about Amazon? Jeff Bezos, Amazon’ s founder, has invested in a very interesting Michigan automotive start-up with strong relevance and relatability for South Africa.
Slate is a back-to-basics automotive company that isn’ t trying to do more with less. Its business model is to give buyers the vehicles they actually need, without the superfluous luxury features and tech that have inflated new-vehicle prices to unaffordability.
Engineered by experience
Founded in 2022 by a group of former Ford, GM, Harley- Davidson, and Stellantis employees, with backing from Amazon founder money, Slate Auto has created a single-cab bakkie without electric windows, an in-cab screen, or any other luxury features. It’ s designed to integrate with your Smartphone for all the info, navigation, and connectivity you need.
Slate Auto wants to prove that simple, well-executed vehicles matter. And that even the emerging buyer, in their 20s and early 30s, understands that they don’ t need a flood of tech features.
The Slate single cab is very practical and has enough performance and range to be versatile as an urban bakkie. Its electric motor is rated at 135 kW, and real-world driving range is just over 300 km.
Slate is also proving that smart design and assembly engineering matter. Instead of commissioning its own new assembly facility, it has repurposed a GM R3.2-billion skillet conveyor line for only R200 million.
Paint shops are often the most expensive part of any automotive assembly plant, and Slate doesn’ t have one. It avoids that cost by finishing all its bakkies with grey plastic bodywork panels, giving owners the option to customise the colour with vinyls. In a world where more customers are asking for simpler, more affordable bakkies, Slate’ s minimalist approach could prove to be visionary.
WORDS IN ACTION 44 SEPTEMBER 2026