Disclosure: this is not a new product promotion but rather a study in how to potentially disrupt a very crowded vertical.

“A new American electric vehicle startup called Slate Auto has made its debut, and it’s about as anti-Tesla as it gets,” TechCrunch reported, once again missing the forest through the trees, and proving yet again that the tech media loves to get their digs in, whether it’s appropriate or not.

While there are current Tesla owner who are experiencing buyer’s remorse, or as the New York Times wrote, “In Marin County, There’s Trouble in Teslaville,” is the main selling point of the Slate the fact that it isn’t a Tesla? Or maybe the fact that “It’s affordable, deeply customizable, and very analog. It has manual windows, and it doesn’t come with a main infotainment screen. Heck, it isn’t even painted. It can also  transform from a two-seater pickup to a five-seater SUV,” as TechCrunch pointed out.

“Financially backed by Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, the first trucks will be available to customers for under $20,000 with the federal EV tax credit by the end of 2026,” and so far seems a great study in a newco done right, so pay attention, founders.

The demo is worth watching and note to founders, it’s entertaining, too.  As @Scott Blair tweeted: In short, they nailed it. The naming The visuals The animation The explanation The entire brand And of course the actual vehicles. I’m on my 3rd Jeep Wrangler and nothing up to this point has been that modular/diy. Maybe time to upgrade?

Why ‘Slate?’ The vehicle is literally a basic blank slate that’s seemingly infinitely customizable. “It will launch with more than 100 different accessories that buyers can use to personalize the truck to their liking. If that’s overwhelming, Slate has curated a number of different “starter packs” that interested buyers can choose from.

“The truck doesn’t even come painted. Slate is instead playing up the idea of wrapping its vehicles, something executives said they will sell in kits. Buyers can either have Slate do that work for them, or put the wraps on themselves.

“This not only adds to the idea of a buyer being able to personalize their vehicle, but it also cuts out a huge cost center for the company.”

And as we know, it’s the ‘extras’ that add to the company’s bottom line, such as “the options that let buyers “transform” the truck into roomier SUV form factors…Slate says people will be able to change their vehicle into, and back from, an SUV if they like — “no mechanics certification required.”

Those extras will raise the price tag, but that’s Slate’s superpower, and always important to have that in your arsenal: namely, a well thought-out business model.

Slate is a back-to-basics move that puts affordability/the consumer first. Are high tech bells and whistles really necessary when the idea is to get from Point A to Point B? Founders seem to feel that it’s important to pack more and more features into a product, second guessing what potential customers might want and, unlike Slate, underestimate the adage that less is more. And offer ‘add-ons’ that allow the customers to decide what they want – and will happily pay for.

“The road to making a successful American automotive startup is littered with failures,” TechCrunch cautioned. “In the last few years, Canoo, Fisker, and Lordstown Motors have all filed for bankruptcy. And that’s just to name a few.”

Keep it simple. And speaking of the three-year-old startup being Bezos-backed, when Amazon first debuted, they weren’t selling everything under the sun. Amazon began as an online bookseller and it was heresy back then to believe that people would voluntarily give their credit card information online. Bezos was dismissed as delusional and was the laughingstock of the industry. Considering that he’s now one of the world’s wealthiest men, remember that other old adage: he who laughs, lasts.

Slate may well be a wake-up call to companies who lost focus on what consumers truly want or to put it more bluntly, who fell asleep at the wheel. Onward and forward.