$25K Electric Truck Brings 2,000 Jobs to Indiana Town

A shuttered factory in Warsaw, Indiana is about to roar back to life with 2,000 new jobs building electric trucks that cost less than most gas-powered sedans.

Slate Auto just locked down $650 million in funding to launch production of its $25,000 electric pickup truck later this year. The Michigan-based startup, backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, will transform the vacant R.R. Donnelly printing plant on West Old Road 30 into a state-of-the-art EV manufacturing facility.

The company plans to open pre-orders in June after taking $50 reservations for months. CEO Chris Barman, a veteran of Fiat-Chrysler, believes traditional automakers and Tesla-style disruptors have both missed a huge market: working Americans who need affordable trucks.

Slate's approach breaks the mold. The base model is intentionally bare-bones, a "blank slate" that lets buyers add only the features they actually need and can afford. Want power windows? Rear seats? An SUV conversion? You can install them yourself.

To make that happen, Slate is launching "Slate University," a free online video series teaching owners how to upgrade their own vehicles. No other major automaker would dare encourage DIY modifications, but Slate can because it's selling directly to consumers without traditional dealership networks to maintain.

The Ripple Effect

Warsaw's reindustrialization story matters far beyond Kosciusko County. Small manufacturing towns across the Midwest have watched plants close and jobs disappear for decades. This factory sat empty for years, a symbol of industrial decline.

Now it represents something different: proof that American manufacturing can adapt and thrive in the electric age. The facility's location next to railroad tracks positions it perfectly for efficient shipping, while 2,000 families will soon have stable paychecks again.

The timing couldn't be better. As electric vehicles become mainstream, affordability remains the biggest barrier for most Americans. At $25,000, Slate's truck costs roughly half what other electric pickups command, potentially putting EV ownership within reach for working families who've been priced out of the green revolution.

Production launches later this year in the town that's betting its future on affordable electric innovation.