Slate dedicated fan club

I for one am absolutely head over heals for this little guy. If it's half as cool as they say I win. Its almost exactly the same dimension as a 82 toyota pickup as the website shows. Believe it or not this will be a fun toy to test around. I still daily my 22re because it's just sooo cost effective. This is a true cost beating amazing replacement for up to 25k... If toyota won't try.

 

Huh? What is that?

 

If the actual price is as low as advertised I’ll be interested.

 

ok, here's my rant on the slate, that every tech and auto blog article didn't get because everyone was too busy gushing over the potential, and ignoring reality.

there's still a ton of reality to be answered for. right now, don't let the hype get to you.

but i'd be willing to bet $100 that they don't hit production by "late 2026" as they state. below, i'll break that down some-- take note of the santa cruz' highlighted prototype and production dates. and they had pre-dedicated factories that only needed to be partly re-tooled, and an already pre-dedicated group of employees to do all the work. slate is an entirely new operation that hasn't even officially purchased the shell of a building to contain the machinery that will produce it. they might have some workforce, but they need to assemble a lot of people, equipment, and tooling in less than a year to make their production timeline work.

it should be noted that i was dead-sold on the hyundai santa cruze concept, when they released it in 2015(yeah, that long ago!), when it looked like this, with the integrated bed extender that extended the bed sides and bed bottom backwards to make for one of the only extended-cab-long-bed-trucks on the current market. i was so dead-sold on it, i created a separate savings account to pay for it when it released. i signed up for the forums. i watched for news on it. i was planning my life around that damn truck.


instead, when it finally hit production(2021), and navigated it's way through the US legal-requirements and corporate-appearance hellscape, we were left with a 4-door non-extendable short bed, with none of the cool headlights, a grille that looks like something from a futuristic poorly-reviewed will smith movie, and none of the lights on the fenders like the prototype offered.




to this day, i'm absolutely sold on buying the prototype models extended cab size, and integrated bed extension to make for a long bed, even if it costs $80k. but the models reality is how i ended up in a used 2018 tacoma--but i like a certain appearance. compare the 3rd gen front end to that of the santa cruz prototype, it's not a coincidence i like both...


i'm also watching the slate with bated breath. it fits everything i need from an electric vehicle, and a small truck. i've already watched the nissan leaf market for quite some time as a commuter vehicle for similar reasons. the biggest detractors to the leaf other than selling my soul to buy a nissan, is the air-cooled-only battery pack, which suffers significant degradation in cold weather(which does exist!).


back to the slate, the very first thing they NEED to do before i'm ready to put money down, is to actually offer a real semi-proven product for sale for real money, which, historically, takes a good 5 years minimum from other brands that actually have a history of creating a prototype vehicle and releasing a product.

as a company, they haven't even purchased an assembly plant yet. they actually released the prototype everyone is gushing over before they had details on where it'll be built. now they supposedly have a location, an old printing mill, but seem to be ignoring or brushing over all the modification the facility is going to be needing to spin up a brand new production line. the facilities old job, printing ink on paper, and the facilities new job, plastic injected body panels on top of a a steel chassis, are drastically different production requirements, and it's going to take a lot of new money and new machines to get that spun up. typically, those machines could take 3-5 years to even exist, unless they're buying up surplus, or out-of-spec machines from other mfg's.

the overall concept of being plastic panels on a main frame is actually a well-documented and very successful strategy. saturn used it, with great success. saturn's downfall was mostly on the corporate GM side for the goals they had created for the brand. anyone that actually bought a saturn brand new will still gush over the brands qualities to this day.

the customization part of the slate concept is also well-worn in the automotive world, and as a toyota aficionado, you should even be aware of it. Scion was well into customization. part of scion's demise was in toyota's corporate leadership of the brand. the core goal of scion for toyota was to drop their average purchasing age, but also to try drastic and new ideas.. but in making the xb 'box', as an early cuv, the ease of access for older bones actually raised the average age. it also turns out its really hard to market to a younger age group that has no money. and toyota being toyota, even having an entire brand dedicated to new and funky ideas, really struggled to allow 'funky' to play out to their tried and true strategy of safe and boring.

anyways, i'm getting distracted. scion worked really hard on offering customization options for all of their vehicles, and even highlighted it at shows, sponsoring some really well-known builders to make wild one-off's. but overall, no one does it. for me, a highlight of that was near the end of the scion brand. the fr-s. you'd think a small, nimble, customizable sports car as part of a youth brand would be a highlight. instead, the tires it came with became the laughing stock of the entire automotive world. no one recommended changing them. every review gave negative impressions because of the tires included, and instead talked about entire alternative vehicles with bigger power numbers that couldn't brush the 'small and nimble' part of the car.


slate really isn't trying anything new. they're re-making existing failed recipes. but their timeline to production is so overtly obscene, most media should be laughing, not rooting for them.

the technical and regulatory hurdles they have in front of them are going to take massive time. and i guarantee that the newest governmental regulations means that the interior won't come out unscathed. it still needs lots of airbags that will embiggen the interior parts the prototype has, and crash avoidance(distance, and automatic braking) is now a government mandated feature that will bloat this project. and the sales hurdles they'll need to overcome just to sell it are a whole other bag of worms-- tesla is a great example of all the hurdles they need to deal with there to sell direct to consumers.

it should be noted that i'm also watching the Alpha companies Wolf truck that is 'supposed' to be only slightly higher spec-wise, was 'released' as a 3d render in 2021, and supposedly has a real vehicle built in 2021(they're the only one with press photos), but we haven't heard anything from the company in damn near 4 years outside of wordier versions of "we're working on it". there's not even a price or a real anticipated release date.


i'm still very hopeful for one of these small trucks to make it to market. if i buy, i'll be waiting for at least the second production year, because both being brand new companies, they'll have numerous bugs to work out across the entire process i have little interest in beta testing.

we'll see where it goes, but don't make new bank accounts for it until it's

 

I can't imagine anyone buying one. I don't see a market for a small electric pickup/SUV that you design from the ground up. It's a neat idea I like the truck but I wouldn't buy it and I don't know who would? Rivian sold 15,799 R1Ts last year, I don't see a market for BEV pick ups. If Slate sold one hundred thousand people on the idea of this truck how would they build that many?

 

I like the idea. Hopefully it works out the way they’re saying it will. I’m not holding my breath on the price though.

 

Oh man, where's the emoji for the burst balloon? I did put $50 down for one of these, figured it would be great to get one but would not be surprised if it never happens for all the reasons mentioned. On the one hand, this is the "home-grown" type of business that the current administration ought to be helping in every way possible, but the hurdles (factory?, materials sourcing, meeting safety specs etc) are...high. I just want a tiny little truck for 'round town that I can park outside and write a check for and not worry about hail damage or uncaring folks dinging my doors.

I think there is a market for more affordable basic vehicles than many of the bloated things that are on the market now. I don't use half the features on my Taco and am perfectly happy to have manual windows and door locks. OK, crawling back to cave now.

 

LoL yeah its been 20k, then 25k, now a week ago 28k or ($27,500) by the time it launches in 2029 it'll be $38k. I liked the Maverick when it first came out at a good price with good mpg and then Ford was like nope lets bump up the price. Same with the Santa Cruz would totally have gotten that but it's the same price as a Tacoma and same mpg so why would I get a smaller less capable vehicle?

 

The target price hasn’t changed, it’s just the difference in who wrote the articles. It’s only a $20k truck if the current $7500 federal tax credit remains in effect.

 

Haha I hate that they always factor in the $7500 which may or may not be in effect when the pickup is launched. I'd still wager it's closer to 35k when it does launch even though it doesn't make any sense as to why a basic electric vehicle should cost that much. It's just a motor, batteries, and a controller. Without all the self drive sensor crap it's simple.

I miss the days of a 20k basic pickup that does the job.

 

150-mile range, or 240 miles if you pay more for a bigger, heavier battery? What's that going to be with the bed loaded up, or with it converted to an SUV with passengers and gear, or towing? Hard pass.

 

I’m in.




I just started towing with my electric car over the weekend. Great results. The boat is next…

90% of my needs are around town and short trips and only me, occasionally wife and two kids. 100-150 mile range would not be an issue.


Has anyone seen a pre-order opportunity yet?

 

https://www.slate.auto/en?gad_sourc...t4EwINnU6ldDOTpo0bR_88XCiyNsjW10aArQaEALw_wcB That's the website you can reserve one. I think it's only $50

I"m curious how the SUV conversion works.

 

I’ve spent $50 on worse ideas.

 

I figured with a 1400lb capacity you would have a 3-5k towing capacity. NOPe. Currently listed at 1,000 lbs towing capacity ???

 

As always. Your response is impressive sir. Thank you for giving us the intelligent breakdown!

 

This thing is in theory a replacement for everything that a current 1980s or 90s 2x4 toyota can do. Too bad it doesn't have a long bed option. But light work, electrical, painters, the repair guy, yard cleaners, cleaning companies, package delivery, ranch run around truck, one circle farm bail, grabbing a six pack last second, sneaking out for a cheeseburger late at night, fishin, range day alone, run to the grocery store, pickup at school light duty

 

The looks of this thing remind me of the toys they sell at barnes and noble that remotely almost look like a toy car. By the time this thing is launch any specs published today are going to be obsoleted. It would make so much more sense for them to farm out the parts production and then contract assemblers that can also be distributors. I did something similar when our primary work slowed down but I had a skilled electro-mechanical oriented work force and facility.
When you can get a used tesla with 160k mile warranty for under 20k and the mach e is starting to hit that same price point its going to take a lot to pull in buyers for a single cab truck.

That said, i'm a fan. they should partner with mahindra and make it part of the roxor line up to get things moving.

 

you don't know how hard i've looked into the mahindra roxor... it's basically $32k for a new 1920's jeep with a diesel that's 'street legal' on the whims of local governments. but there's so many gray area's there on making them street legal, the reasons against them start looking like dart board segments.

i've got a massive problem where i adore weird and quirky everything. but i also demand reliable. there's nothing i hate more than an old vehicle that works when it feels like it. the intersection of those two things is almost nonexistent. if i go with old vehicles, there's plenty of weird and quirky, but near-zero reliability. if parts are even available. the mahindra is a great example of a new/old thing-- parts are plentiful thanks to the rabid collector/restoration market of old jeeps, and it's inherently more reliable than the 80 year old jeep rotting in a farmers field, considering it's new steel, with all of the same features. but the licensing is where everything gets mucked up. can i make it street legal? absolutely. there's actual websites and books written on the subject. but every avenue is a gray area, that kei trucks (another weird/quirky avenue!) are currently being legally obliterated in, state-by-state, which makes the likelihood that street-legal roxor's will be next on their kill-list when they run out of kei truck ammo...

i'd love to see one of these mini truck startups succeed. hell, i'd love for toyota to just bring over that barebones tiny truck they marketed everywhere else. i'm really just tired of shopping for old broken crap.