Slate's Indiana Factory Takes Shape: Robots Installed, Production on Track for 2026
Slate Auto shared a video progress update on its Warsaw, Indiana factory, and it's looking like a real manufacturing facility. The former RR Donnelley printing plant is being transformed into an EV factory with a $383.5 million investment, and the January 2026 update shows significant progress.
What's Happening
The renovation is moving fast. According to Slate's CEO, ink tanks have been removed, printing presses moved out, and walls torn down. New concrete floors have been poured. Most notably, assembly robots are now being installed alongside various truck configuration stations. The facility will house everything from battery-pack assembly to seat manufacturing and final vehicle assembly under one roof.
The Numbers
Slate is targeting production to begin by the end of 2026 at this facility, with an eventual capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year. The project is expected to create over 2,100 full-time jobs in Kosciusko County, Indiana — a meaningful economic boost for the region.
Context
This is the kind of tangible progress that separates real companies from vaporware. Slate now has $600M+ in funding (from Bezos, Mark Walter, and General Catalyst), 150,000+ reservations, a factory with robots going in, and a production target for later this year. The question has shifted from "is this real?" to "can they hit the timeline?"
One Cloud
The loss of the federal EV tax credit in September 2025 did ding Slate's value proposition. The company had been marketing a sub-$20,000 price after credits; now the messaging is mid-$20,000s. Still affordable, but not quite the attention-grabbing number it was.