SLATE Truck Debuts as Modular Pickup & SUV

[Fugue]

The Slate will probably MSRP for the mid to high 20's. Add some must have options like the large battery pack, power windows, etc. and it climbs quickly.

I don't see many buyers choosing the standard 150 mile battery pack which equates to roughly 110-120 of "real world" range.

I could see someone buying the cheap battery and adding a combustion engine range extender.

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[hemiarch]

With respect to the title of the thread, what federal incentive?

 

[BlueLightning]

Again, don’t see it competing. Any other Android phone and or the iPhone beat out their first gimmick.

Late to the party!

 

[ChiTownCT]

I don't see many buyers choosing the standard 150 mile battery pack which equates to roughly 110-120 of "real world" range.

Add Chicago winter cold and that cuts it in half, theres no way this succeeds..

 

[hemiarch]

Agree.. putting this on the market head to head price wise with the maverick while requiring a Bluetooth speaker and phone app for gauges in order to “customize” it is a complete fools errand. Surprised with the sign-off from some very respectable investors. Honestly. I’m ecstatic someone is trying to revive American manufacturing, but it’s like watching a train wreck in extreme slow motion.
No thank you. Im not asking college graduates to manually crank windows, wear AirPods and feel cheated for the sheer novelty of it. Not even convinced it’s actually that much cheaper in today’s world than a window motor.
150,000 orders? For what? Golf course use? Possibly for only about 12 holes due to range concerns and only under conditions equally suited to a carnival bumper car. Try to avoid puddles if you can.
Safety is our number one priority? Ok…sure. Whatever you say. Do you think nobody is watching?
I challenge you to find anything in that Jay Leno video about steering, handling, motor, braking, range, suspension or really anything to do with driving it.
Even he, who is a huge car enthusiast and extremely flattering reviewer, couldn’t bring himself to say anything positive about it except “well it’s made in America” and “what a neat concept that is; diy warranty”.
Greatest design feature they could think of to tout is ”we left the screws exposed to encourage you to know what type of screwdriver to use and that you could possibly 3d print your own grill.”
Have a blast with this thing reservation holders. All 150k of you.

 

[Outdoors]

Having been in one. I did order one, and will take delivery. I would expect people in a CT forum to not think the Slate is them or needed. That is why they bought a CT.

My use case is kind of different. Very small town. Will allow us to keep a car there all the time. Having Tesla's scattered around the country is expensive, and an EV just sitting there waiting to be used. We don't drive more than say 50 miles a day, and mainly two track fire roads.

Not getting all the tack on options.

Ford will be getting into this with a newer small EV truck. So is Toyota with the Hilux. Might be a bit of time on the Toyota. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a69306521/ninth-generation-toyota-hilux-revealed/ If you travel much in SA you will see the Hilux everywhere. It is my truck I use in Chile.

With many people not really using a pickup that might want something more than a John Deere Gator or a side by side.

 

[hemiarch]

Having been in one. I did order one, and will take delivery. I would expect people in a CT forum to not think the Slate is them or needed. That is why they bought a CT.

My use case is kind of different. Very small town. Will allow us to keep a car there all the time. Having Tesla's scattered around the country is expensive, and an EV just sitting there waiting to be used. We don't drive more than say 50 miles a day, and mainly two track fire roads.

Not getting all the tack on options.

Ford will be getting into this with a newer small EV truck. So is Toyota with the Hilux. Might be a bit of time on the Toyota. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a69306521/ninth-generation-toyota-hilux-revealed/ If you travel much in SA you will see the Hilux everywhere. It is my truck I use in Chile.

With many people not really using a pickup that might want something more than a John Deere Gator or a side by side.

Glad it’s applicable for you. I just think without the tax credit that the maverick is a much better value proposition. I hope to be wrong on this because I like the concept but from a distance it appears to fall quite short on execution.

 

[Cybertruck2024]

I just don't think the price makes sense versus a used EV that does a lot more than the Slate. If it was one of the first vehicles out the door and especially if the federal tax rebate was still alive, this would've sold a ton. But now you can get a well optioned Lightning used for the same price as a barely optioned Slate. When you don't have a ton of money you look at value, it just isn't there.

 

[hemiarch]

I just don't think the price makes sense versus a used EV that does a lot more than the Slate. If it was one of the first vehicles out the door and especially if the federal tax rebate was still alive, this would've sold a ton. But now you can get a well optioned Lightning used for the same price as a barely optioned Slate. When you don't have a ton of money you look at value, it just isn't there.

Really? How much is a used lightning?

 

[Cybertruck2024]

Really? How much is a used lightning?

Under 40k miles, you can get a Lariat for $37k near me.

Slate starts are $27k/28k are the numbers I am hearing. I assume you need to add $1k delivery to that, so base is essentially $30k. You will have to add absolutely zero options to be cheaper than a slightly negotiated vehicle with an interior I could argue is better than the CT from a luxury standpoint.

Lightning has it's issues, it is a dead platform for one. But I assume Ford will honor repairs for a while, and Ford dealers are everywhere.

 

[Sjohnson20]

I just don't see who gets excited for this. Maybe some EV nerds. Seems very niche. Especially with all the extras that needed to be added in order to get it to the same level as a current vehicle.

I would just get a used Lightning or Silverado.

 

[Jabman]

Under 40k miles, you can get a Lariat for $37k near me.

Slate starts are $27k/28k are the numbers I am hearing. I assume you need to add $1k delivery to that, so base is essentially $30k. You will have to add absolutely zero options to be cheaper than a slightly negotiated vehicle with an interior I could argue is better than the CT from a luxury standpoint.

Lightning has it's issues, it is a dead platform for one. But I assume Ford will honor repairs for a while, and Ford dealers are everywhere.

Well said

 

[Outdoors]

I just don't see who gets excited for this. Maybe some EV nerds. Seems very niche. Especially with all the extras that needed to be added in order to get it to the same level as a current vehicle.

I would just get a used Lightning or Silverado.

Yep. I am an EV nerd. Can buy anything I want in life, which means I should buy whatever I want.
Some want no extras at all. Just a truck with a small bed and a steering wheel. Don't want a gasser.

I am sure some thought the same about a niche Tuk Tuk, and they exist in the tens of millions.

 

[Cybertruck2024]

Yep. I am an EV nerd. Can buy anything I want in life, which means I should buy whatever I want.
Some want no extras at all. Just a truck with a small bed and a steering wheel. Don't want a gasser.

I am sure some thought the same about a niche Tuk Tuk, and they exist in the tens of millions.

I am excited to see what happens here. The public has been vocal about how they want a vehicle with no frills for a decade, since the small car largely stopped being manufactured. Time to see if all the no frills people put their money where their mouth was.

I think that there is a larger overlap than anticipated between the no frills crowd, and the crowd that needs 300 miles of range in 3 minutes. I think that one frill this segment wants is larger battery, which essentially makes shoppers in this segment not exist.

Leaf tried something similar with a limited featured limited range vehicle. It was priced under $20k when the tax rebate existed and they sat on lots. Is the addition of a mini truck bed, removal of lots of features, and addition of $10k of cost going to bring in a bunch of buyers when the Leaf already failed with this strategy? I don't see it.

There may be a market of tens of thousands of DIY fans who want the vehicle for this purpose. But then there's a chicken and the egg scenario where cool mods don't become available until scale exists.

 

[TyPope]

Agree.. putting this on the market head to head price wise with the maverick while requiring a Bluetooth speaker and phone app for gauges in order to “customize” it is a complete fools errand. Surprised with the sign-off from some very respectable investors. Honestly. I’m ecstatic someone is trying to revive American manufacturing, but it’s like watching a train wreck in extreme slow motion.
No thank you. Im not asking college graduates to manually crank windows, wear AirPods and feel cheated for the sheer novelty of it. Not even convinced it’s actually that much cheaper in today’s world than a window motor.
150,000 orders? For what? Golf course use? Possibly for only about 12 holes due to range concerns and only under conditions equally suited to a carnival bumper car. Try to avoid puddles if you can.
Safety is our number one priority? Ok…sure. Whatever you say. Do you think nobody is watching?
I challenge you to find anything in that Jay Leno video about steering, handling, motor, braking, range, suspension or really anything to do with driving it.
Even he, who is a huge car enthusiast and extremely flattering reviewer, couldn’t bring himself to say anything positive about it except “well it’s made in America” and “what a neat concept that is; diy warranty”.
Greatest design feature they could think of to tout is ”we left the screws exposed to encourage you to know what type of screwdriver to use and that you could possibly 3d print your own grill.”
Have a blast with this thing reservation holders. All 150k of you.

Where is the Elio when we needed it? 68 mpg and only $7,000... sigh. Would have made for a great commuter vehicle. Only seats 2. But, it was surprisingly roomy.

(at $3.00/gallon, it's only $.04 per mile to drive - cheaper than my CT)

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