What type of battery does the Slate Truck use?
The timing is the most telling detail. Announcing a supplier in 2025 and then swapping to a different technology a year later suggests Slate either found a serious flaw in the first approach or got a deal it couldn't refuse. Battery chemistry is not a trivial swap, it changes charging curves, thermal management, and even the truck's payload rating. I'd want to know whether the Georgia company missed specs or the Illinois firm just offered a better price.
Switching suppliers is normal in automotive, but switching technology this close to launch is usually a red flag. It could mean the original battery didn't meet range targets in real-world testing, or that the new one charges faster and makes the truck more competitive. Slate owes customers a clear explanation of what changed and why the new battery is better, because early adopters will be the ones absorbing any teething problems.
I'm not ready to call this a mistake. Sometimes a late change is exactly what a product needs. But I'd want to see the specs side by side before I trust the move.