Electric vehicle startup Slate Auto has appointed former Amazon Marketplace executive Peter Faricy as its new chief executive officer, replacing founding CEO Christine Barman just months before the company’s first affordable electric truck is expected to launch.
Faricy officially assumed the role on Monday. Prior to joining the company, he served as an adviser at McKinsey and venture firm Bessemer Venture Partners. Slate Auto said his experience building and scaling Amazon’s marketplace business played a key role in the leadership change as the company prepares for its next growth phase.
Christine Barman, a longtime Chrysler veteran who served as Slate’s founding CEO, will remain with the company and move into the role of President of Vehicles. In this position, she will focus on ensuring that the company’s upcoming electric truck is delivered on schedule and within budget.
Barman was one of the startup’s earliest hires and had become the public face of the company since it emerged from stealth in 2025. The leadership change comes at a crucial moment as Slate prepares to convert thousands of refundable reservations into confirmed vehicle orders.
The Bezos-backed startup has raised around $700 million from investors and is developing an affordable electric pickup truck aimed at significantly lowering the cost of EV ownership. The company had initially suggested a starting price of under $20,000 with federal EV tax credits, but is now targeting a base price in the mid-$20,000 range after policy changes affected incentives.
Slate Auto is also planning a highly customizable vehicle platform, allowing buyers to modify the truck in multiple ways, including converting it into an SUV-style configuration for additional cost.
The leadership shift occurs as the startup prepares for a major milestone: transitioning its growing list of approximately 160,000 refundable reservations into actual vehicle orders as it moves closer to commercial production.
