As the EV world continues its game of musical chairs, one startup company thinks it has found a different way to stay standing when the music stops. Slate is betting on a different formula: simplicity over flash. In a market obsessed with massive screens and autonomous gimmicks, Slate thinks there is still room for vehicles that just work.

Read: Would You Really Pay $28K For A Crank Window EV With No Speakers?

CEO Chris Barman, a veteran of Chrysler, says that the startup, which is reportedly backed by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, aims to deliver “fun, affordable EVs that people actually want to drive.” Her goal is to tap into an under-served market, and she just opened up about why she thinks Slate will succeed.

Barman, a mechanical engineer by background, joined Slate as CEO in May 2022. She spent most of her career in product development at Chrysler, eventually rising to vice president of electrical and electronics at Fiat Chrysler. Put simply, she knows how to build vehicles that can handle real-world abuse.

A Truck Without the Tech Overload

Slate’s first offering is a no-frills electric pickup truck priced from “around $28,000.” With current incentives, that could theoretically make a base Slate pickup roughly $20,500. No doubt, that would stand out in the U.S. market and the overall EV segment, though as always, there is no guarantee the $7,500 tax incentives will still be available when the trucks actually hit the road.

“There’s a massive population of people out there when it comes to safe, reliable, affordable transportation; there just really aren’t many alternatives for them,” Barman said in an interview with Business Insider. As of February, an EV costs an average of $6,300 more than a similar gas-powered car. Of course, some gas-powered cars do almost everything Slate offers and then some.

Nevertheless, it sounds like Barman is building this idea off of decades of love for similar vehicles. “I grew up on a farm. My first car was a 1984 Ford Ranger pickup, with a five-speed manual, manual windows, and no air conditioning,” she said. “It was basic transportation, but I loved the freedom it gave me to go places and do things.” That freedom-based thinking bleeds into the design of the Slate pickup.

Modularity Built In

Unlike just about everything else on the market, this thing stands out because of its modularity. Owners can add over 100 different accessories, and we’re not talking about Slate-branded valve caps. We’re talking about infotainment systems, speakers, cupholders, different exterior lighting surrounds, and even a conversion kit that turns the truck into a five-seat crossover.

“It may be, they were single when they first purchased the truck, and they recently got married, and a few years later, they have a family, and instead of having to exchange it out for a completely new vehicle, they can convert it into a five passenger SUV and continue to use the vehicle,” Barman told BI.

How exactly does she see users engaging at such a high level in a space that few people usually do? She says that the automaker will offer instructional videos online in what it’s calling Slate University. It is part of what Barman calls “a complete paradigm change in the car buying experience.” Buyers will not be locked into the expensive, bloated versions dealerships like to push. Instead, they will start basic and add only what they want, when they want.

Direct Sales

To help streamline the process, as with most EV startups, Slate is skipping traditional dealerships altogether and selling directly to consumers. Buyers will configure and purchase their vehicles online, with no showroom upsells or sales pressure to deal with.

Reservations for the EV are already open, with a refundable $50 deposit if you are feeling adventurous. Of course, the company still has a lot of hoops to jump through before any of this happens. Slate is working to secure an old shuttered factory to revive in the Midwestern US, and only once vehicles start rolling off an actual production line will we know if Barman’s dreams for Slate can turn into a reality.

Franz Von Holzhausen and Lars Moravy are among Tesla’s top brass—Von Holzhausen is the senior design exec, and Moravy serves as the VP of engineering. In other words, these two are practically walking encyclopedias of Tesla’s product plans. And now, they’ve decided to spill a bit more of the proverbial tea in a fresh interview with teardown expert Sandy Munro.

More: Tesla Plans Smaller Model Y That’s At Least 20% Cheaper To Produce

In this conversation, the pair delves into the challenges of developing and producing ambitious vehicles like the CyberCab and Robovan. Speaking of the small people mover, expect the CyberCab to continue its march toward a 2026 release date. Both Von Holzhausen and Moravy agreed that Tesla would manage to begin testing for Level 5 autonomy later this year too. Sure, those rideshare cars will use a real human backup working remotely but let’s see how it goes before we critique it.

CyberCab’s Surprising Range and Production Details

Moravy shared that the CyberCab will likely be powered by a battery pack smaller than 50 kWh, and still manage to deliver around 300 miles of “real-world” range. That would be impressive as most cars with that type of range currently have much larger battery packs. For instance, the Model 3 Long Range RWD uses a 79.7 kWh battery and has 363 miles of range.

The production side of things isn’t being left behind either. Moravy mentioned that Tesla will continue to lean heavily on its signature casting process too. The CyberCab will feature a large casting at both the front and rear, as well as door shell castings to help tie everything together. That aids in Tesla’s goal to cut costs and reduce complexity. Another move toward that goal is that the team isn’t going to paint the castings. They say they have corrosion under control so there’s no need.

Robovan Is Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

Switching gears to the Robovan, Von Holzhausen gave Sandy Munro a glimpse into the vehicle’s interior, though it seems Tesla’s still working through the details. The team has tried different configurations, but the one shown in the video features a 14-seat layout, which is a bit… ambitious. It’s easier to pick up on additional details in the light of day too. For instance, the seats look very wide compared to an everyday car.

Read: Elon Musk Sued For Allegedly Using AI Image From Blade Runner 2049

While it’s safe to say the final design could shift quite a bit before the Robovan hits the streets (whenever that may be), this video provides an interesting peek into Tesla’s ongoing projects. And while Elon Musk is off doing, well, whatever it is he does remotely, Von Holzhausen and Moravy are still hard at work shaping the future of the brand.