According to foreign media reports, SK On is passing through the United States, which is supported by Amazon founder Jeff BezosElectric vehicleStartup Slate strikes exclusive battery supply deal to seek business recovery.
Image source: SK On
According to reports, Slate has shown off its new electric pickup truck to the public in Michigan, USA, and this highly customizable compact electric pickup truck will be officially launched next year.
In April this year, SK On and Slate announced a 20 GWh battery supply agreement, making SK On the first officially designated battery supplier to Slate. It is reported that thisCapacityThis is enough to meet the demand for 300,000 electric pickup trucks that Slate plans to produce between 2026 and 2031.
Industry expertsforecastSK On is expected to benefit from Slate’s competitive pricing strategy. In June, the Slate electric pickup truck received more than 100,000 reservations in just two weeks, nearly half of Tesla’s new Cybertruck in a single week.
Slate’s new electric pickup truck is expected to start at $27,500 (excluding tax incentives), which is less than half the average price of existing electric pickup trucks in the United States. In contrast, the starting price of mainstream electric pickup trucks in the current U.S. market is significantly higher: the Ford F-150 Lightning starts at around $55,000, the Rivian R1T starts at around $70,000, and the Tesla Cybertruck starts at over $60,000.
SK On emphasized that Slate’s low-price strategy is expected to capture the United StateselectrificationRapid growth opportunities for the light truck segment. According to the latest report from the American Automotive Innovation Alliance, electric SUVs, pickups and vans will account for about 79% of total electric vehicle sales in the United States by the first quarter of this year.
“Slate’s reasonable pricing strategy provides consumers who cannot afford high-priced EVs with eco-friendly vehicle options, which aligns with SK On’s vision of making EVs accessible to more consumers,” a person familiar with the matter noted. ”
As battery maker SK On breaks through the limitations of the traditional high-end market and expands into the low-end electric vehicle segment, investors and analysts are closely watching whether the company can turn a profit in the second quarter of this year.
It is worth noting that in the first quarter of this year, SK On’s sales reached 1.6 trillion won (about $1.2 billion), a slight decrease of 4.6% year-on-year; However, its operating loss narrowed by 9.7% year-on-year to KRW 299.3 billion.
