Slate initially planned to use NMC cells for its bare-bones, affordable EV. Then it changed course.

Slate initially planned to use NMC cells for its bare-bones, affordable EV. Then it changed course.

The company also expects owners to perform many repairs themselves and will provide instructions for doing so.

The Bezos-backed EV startup says it has more than 180,000 "reservations" for its stripped-down, bare-bones pickup, with a starting price tag of $24,950.

While there was probably a moment when Slate’s leadership had to green-light the switch from one battery type to another, the momentum toward that decision had been building for…