Slate Auto talks "sustainable by design"

In December 2025, Slate's head of design Tisha Johnson had to carry several heavy trophies home following her team's wins at the Car Design News People Awards. 

Sitting down with CDN's deputy editor Freddie Holmes, the former Volvo designer reflected on Slate's recent accolades, the exterior design of its forthcoming electric work truck, and shares some advice for budding car designers. 

Car Design News: Tisha, thank you for joining us here in Munich. You must have sore arms from all of the awards you took home at the People Awards in December. Have you recovered from that?

Tisha Johnson: I don't know if you ever recover from a moment like that. It was so exciting for us at Slate and it was shared not only with the design team, but really as a complete group at Slate. We were all so excited about it.

CDN: And you were shortlisted in the Most Sustainable Design Team category as well. I wonder if that speaks to the work. you are doing around durability, utility, ruggedness, ease of assembly and disassembly.

TJ: Yes, I sure think so. We've always thought about the vehicle in a very complete way. And of course, there are some very obvious practices that are just inherently sustainable. Removal of a paint factory, as one example, having the colour in-tool or embedded within the material itself. That has so many benefits. But then it goes from there. One of the other greatest practices is that we are always designing for manufacturing from a reductive point of view. How can we keep this as simple with as few parts as possible? And then again, that is naturally going to be a sustainable model. 

CDN: The truck has been very well received from an exterior point of view, which is nice for a commercial vehicle where aesthetics isn't usually a priority. Was it fun coming up with that exterior design?

TJ: It was so fun and was exciting for us as a team because we were taking not just the vehicle, but the brand, from words on paper, to the expression, to the thing that we are making. And that is incredibly rewarding. The energy that we have about it -- our excitement, our optimism — really comes through in the final design itself. We were also quite intentional in really making sure it was something that we could be proud of and that people could be proud of. It was about the customers and people feeling like this is something they are happy to own.

CDN: You got the memo today to wear a black work shirt, as I am... Are you trying to build merch and Slate culture into the wider design story?

TJ: That's an interesting question. And it's a very good note that our merchandise is a reflection of the spirit of the brand, and our vehicle, which has always been squarely positioned for a hard working, wage earning individual or family who can see themselves reflected in the design.

CDN: We're in Munich at Car Design Event and students from Pforzheim and Munich are here. as well Is there any advice that you would give to a student coming through or, something you wish you had known earlier on in your design career?

TJ: That's a great question. If we are working with students, if we have interns or we're fortunate enough to be able to look at a student portfolio or have a walkthrough at a school, we get so much from this. As professionals, we are receiving so much inspiration. So that undoubtedly is really an unfair exchange. We're getting so much out of it. 

But the reason why I was so excited by what I saw today [in Munich] was there was true harmony in the form language. The design themes were very cohesive, easy on the eyes. They looked good, they had areas of tension, but they were really in harmony. And that is something that I look for as a designer. My advice through experience is that they know what it's like to work hard and they are stepping into a career that will bring them the most difficult mountains to climb. It will be hard from the very first day until they hang up their hats as designers. But the payoff is that you are pursuing something that you are truly in love with. And that emotional connection creates the most rewarding experience. Therefore, my advice is to pursue it and just keep going.