Slate Auto, an electric vehicle startup supported by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has hired a key Tesla manufacturing executive to oversee engineering at its new pickup truck factory in Indiana.
Napoleon Reyes, a former Tesla lead for Model Y general assembly, will join Slate as Senior Manager, Plant Vehicle Engineering. Reyes, a Purdue University mechanical engineering graduate and former U.S. Marine, previously led the Model Y Refresh production line at Tesla’s Fremont, California facility.
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“A bit late on the post but after nearly 5 years working at Tesla in Fremont, I made the difficult decision to leave the Company and move closer to home with my family,” Reyes said in a statement this week. “It was an incredible experience being part of multiple line expansions and multiple Model Y program launches… I will be taking on a new role as Senior Manager, Plant Vehicle Engineering at Slate Auto in Warsaw, In.”
Slate Auto, which revealed its first electric pickup earlier this year, has raised more than $700 million through two investment rounds and is seeking additional funding. The company’s pickup features modular customization and aims to offer an affordable price point.
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The startup acquired a former printing plant in Warsaw, Indiana, converting it for EV production with a team that includes both legacy automaker personnel and former Tesla engineers. Rich Schmidt, an early Tesla manufacturing director, serves as Slate’s head of manufacturing.
Slate Auto has not disclosed a target production start date but is actively building out its team and facility in preparation for full-scale manufacturing.