Featured Slate Auto US$28,000 EV

haven't seen crank windows since my '91 miata

 

our neighbor across the street, a retired nurse from the local hospital, has a red one - 1990. haven't seen it out of the garage - but it looks well kept. Next time her garage is open I'll have ito take a picture & put it in the "cars I've seen lately" thread. Never thought about it having crank windows.

 

only the base model. $12,000. new. those were the good ol' days

 

Cautiously optimistic about this.

No need for it myself tonight, but I can see that thing moving like hotcakes if it really is what it says on the tin.

Oh and I love that bit in their website, "if you can charge a phone you can charge a Slate" that resonates with me... I don't need or want a long range liability, thanks. A smaller battery is still very, very useful, and much faster to charge on a regular plug.

But really, who actually eats hotcakes these days? Think about it. When was the last time you yourself had a pancake, hotcake or other sweet pan-fried bread-ish treat?

 

Heavy lifting for the most part is done when it comes to nationwide charging infrastructure. But sales places? Service centers? Won't hold my breath hopping on one leg until that gets shaken out. It's still 224 miles to the closest Tesla Service Center for some ..... including yours truly.

 

I put down a deposit and have a reservation number. Q4 2026 ETD. I expect Q2,3 2027. Regardless I'm hopeful...With a 5 star crash rating and if the airbags are plentiful....this would be a great replacement for a Leaf..(Which I don't own).Around town airport car when my 08 Gen 2 Prius dies.
I'm in. I've spent more on a bar tab.

 

How can you produce at this cost and make a profit and supposedly have so much buyer configuration possible?

As I have said before, let me know when I can buy and maintain one.

 

The dashboard started out as 32 pieces...final design got it down to 7. The left taillight if flipped 180 degrees becomes a right taillight. So you only have to manufacture 1 tail light period. All the body panels are ABS plastic on a steel frame. Very little curves. Flat things are easier to produce than curved things. Front end grill pieces like the interior are a la carte. Buy what you want. The average used car costs??? a corolla, yaris, prius, malibu, 17k to 20k...so for a bit more you get NEW...and any new car for the most part lasts 2 years or more with no issues. power door locks ad a bit of cost but crank windows....what the total cost of those components minus glass? At scale? $17.30? I just hope it has 4 wheel disc brakes..many many airbags...has a rear camera. not even sure if it has cruise control....time will tell. I'm willing to risk 3 glasses of good wine to find out.. LOL

 

How will they implement the add on 2nd row safety equipment? Or test for crash safety?

And the costs of all the overhead to produce to spec orders. I used to do server computer manufacturing and modularization and standardization were your cost savers. The more they could be built to a standard, the lower stocking, labor time and overhead costs. Offering just one option means all the purchasing, inventory, parts delivery to the line, has to look at the order as opposed to just routine, etc.

I used to own Porsches. I recall lists of options/configurations that ran to hundreds. But they are bespoke items, not really mass produced. Paint to sample maybe $7k to the buyer. 6 different seats and then another 6 colors and a few different materials and we haven't even talked about the other front seat. Now priced around $100k base. Up to $300k plus.

Around me, the truck owners are all for the big engine huge body, loud muffler, huge wheels - look at me look and sound. Snicker as I fill next to them at the gas pumps. See very few mid sized trucks. Did park next to a CT yesterday. I'm 6' and couldn't see over it.

 

it's all vaporware until it's not. how do you get the media and public awareness? you copy leon muks

 

Even after it's no longer vaporware there's still the issue of service

 

you can send it back to amazon for repair, or maybe they will train whole foods employees

 

Well, the battery is half the capacity of other EV pick ups. Plastic body panels means no paint shop. Only steel wheels. No radio; speakers optional.

The the profit will come from accessory sales, and the larger battery, which appears to be the only factory option.
"Accessories are the crux of Slate, with the high-margin parts giving buyers the chance to modify the Truck to their personal and budgetary needs. The brand claims more than 100 accessory items will be available when deliveries of the Truck begin at the end of 2026, ranging from power windows to a 2.0-inch lift and 1.0-inch lowering kit, to even an SUV kit, which adds a roof panel over the Truck's stubby bed, and a three-across rear bench seat, roll bar, and airbags aft of the cab.

Adding accessories is a largely DIY affair."
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a64564869/2027-slate-truck-revealed/
And their impression of the truck,
"Taken at face value, the Slate Truck strikes us as just a little too expensive for what it offers. Even though its sub-$27,500 price tag undercuts that of today's most affordable EV, the $29,280 Nissan Leaf S, the Slate's barren standard equipment list will likely make it a hard sell for someone more interested in an EV than a pickup. Those in search of a compact pickup, meanwhile, may find more to like in the slightly pricier five-passenger Ford Maverick."
Of things the Maverick offers not available to the Slate truck, AWD option and higher tow rating.

The company site, SLATE Auto | The Customizable EV That Works for You

 

Plus NO range anxiety - Priceless.......

The crash results should be interesting. The fit and finish of those replaceable panels; will it help or hinder the crash results.
FWIW: there was another plastic body paneled car called a Saturn. When they got into an accident; the panels would break and sharp pieces of plastic would protrude.

 

It does. Uses the screen that is the gauge cluster.

 

Please pair your phone for rear vision. *beep*

 

That’s ours lol. Display about the size of your thumbprint, funhouse mirror wide angle, no guidelines. It’s a novelty.