Why get this instead of a maverick?
Possible advantages of the Slate:
The Maverick and Santa Cruz both have internal combustion engines, right?
Slate is finalizing a deal for an empty factory site in Indiana:
Of course, even when the deal is closed, the factory will be totally empty. But setting up vehicle production may go faster than one might expect, because Slate will be using a lot of plastic instead of metal:
Historically, the plastic bodies of Saturns were prone to brittleness and damage in cold weather, so hopefully modern composites are better in that regard. And they have the advantage of being of 100% rustproof. There is a perception that plastic bodies "look cheap", but who cares if you have a wrap?
If they come in at or near the target price, then I agree. But we'll see.
Agreed, it's all vaporware today. Targets are nice, but they are not achieved results. Will save my $50 until they are a few months into production and I get a look at the service footprint.
I don't see it that way. Tesla has already indicated they get much lower cost of production with greenfield factory builds. No existing factory footprint can meet all the needs of an EV maker.
That's one reason why I'm not a fan of wraps (the "plasticky" look).
No one will be surprised if the delivery date slips. If so, it wouldn't be the first time that an EV truck manufacturer has blown a deadline. For example, when the Cybertruck was announced in late 2019, deliveries were supposed to start in late 2021, but of course it didn't happen until late 2023. My guess is that we won't have to wait four years for Slate deliveries, but we'll see.
I wouldn't mind if the project was on track for all but the date of deliveries, but it has bigger problems than that if it wants to amount to anything more than a historical footnote.
LOL at that picture....
