Article: Slate trucks will cost less than an average used car, even without tax credits

[Milous]

Put another way, the Maverick is a horse of another color.

That it may be, but there will still be people wanting a smaller truck that will be cross-shopping the Slate and Maverick. For some, the Maverick is a much better value. For what minimal features the Slate comes with, it should have a starting price of $20k

 

[GaRailroader]

That it may be, but there will still be people wanting a smaller truck that will be cross-shopping the Slate and Maverick. For some, the Maverick is a much better value. For what minimal features the Slate comes with, it should have a starting price of $20k

I think the 100k people that have reservations for a Slate would have just bought a Maverick if they were just wanting a smaller truck. In 2018 we replaced a Kia Sorento that had a fuel cost of 13 cents per mile and replaced it with a Tesla that has had a fuel cost(electricity)of 3 cents per mile. In 100k miles we will have saved $10k in fuel costs over the Kia. In 250k miles a $25k vehicle pays for itself if the fuel cost delta is 10 cents per mile. It is a fools errand to only consider the price of the vehicle and ignore all other costs when making a financial decision like a vehicle purchase.

 

[Letas]

The cost of [insert $28,000 item here] is only important if it's a substitute product compared to the Slate Truck, which the Maverick isn't.

Put another way, the Maverick is a horse of another color.

This rhetoric is repeated often here, but a key detail is….

For you.

There are plenty of consumers who will compare a Slate and Maverick side by side for their needs. I would argue that most people looking to buy cars are not strictly EV or strictly ICE buyers. Most have some level of curiosity to both.

For me, the maverick and Slate don’t compare, because I’d get a Slate with a SUV kit. So it better compares to the Equinox, blazer, MY, etc in the EV category, and a myriad of others in the ICE category.

This repeated speaking of absolutes is more divisive than it is inclusive.

 

[Letas]

I think the 100k people that have reservations for a Slate would have just bought a Maverick if they were just wanting a smaller truck. In 2018 we replaced a Kia Sorento that had a fuel cost of 13 cents per mile and replaced it with a Tesla that has had a fuel cost(electricity)of 3 cents per mile. In 100k miles we will have saved $10k in fuel costs over the Kia. In 250k miles a $25k vehicle pays for itself if the fuel cost delta is 10 cents per mile. It is a fools errand to only consider the price of the vehicle and ignore all other costs when making a financial decision like a vehicle purchase.

Well those 100k aren’t all going to buy a Slate, that’s a guarantee. I’m sure a large chunk of reservations are people curious and optimistic they can pull it off.
Also, they can’t buy a Slate today, so maybe they aren’t looking today!

My car will be pushing 200k when the Slate comes out, so I’ll be in the market then, but I’m not now.

 

[Milous]

Well those 100k aren’t all going to buy a Slate, that’s a guarantee. I’m sure a large chunk of reservations are people curious and optimistic they can pull it off.

Of those reservations, I'm sure there is a notable number of people who are hoping/planning to flip the vehicles for a potential tidy profit, considering that demand, once launched, will be very high (vs supply).

 

[AZFox]

This rhetoric [about the Maverick being a horse of another color] is repeated often here, but a key detail is….

For you.

Your answer is in your retort. I'm certainly not alone with my oft-repeated observation.

The Maverick and Slate Truck are not substitutes for one another because the Slate is a Unique Proposition and the two vehicles have stark differences. Those differences matter.

 

[AZFox]

That it may be, but there will still be people wanting a smaller truck that will be cross-shopping the Slate and Maverick. For some, the Maverick is a much better value.

Without a doubt! Those people will buy an Maverick and probably be happy about having done so... at least for a while. I wish them the best.

The minimalist nature of the Slate and the ability to reconfigure a Slate and the simplicity of the Slate being an EV and not a HEV don't appeal to those people. That's perfectly fine.

(👆That wasn't an exhaustive list of Slate Advantages Compared To A Maverick, btw.)

For what minimal features the Slate comes with, it should have a starting price of $20k

Yours is a completely valid opinion. Different from mine, but perfectly valid.

 

[mikell]

We'll be keeping our Mavericks. No pluses to the Slate as far as I can see. I have a golf cart for local and I'm fine with that

 

[metroshot]

Of those reservations, I'm sure there is a notable number of people who are hoping/planning to flip the vehicles for a potential tidy profit, considering that demand, once launched, will be very high (vs supply).

yes, always has in the past.

Ocean, Lucid, Rivian and F150 Lightning were all limited production and people did reserve to buy the first model year to flip them.

By sheer luck, I got the first year '22 Lightning 16 months earlier than the Mach E that I also ordered.

Ended up driving the Lightning for a year and then traded her in for the Mach E - made a $10K profit even with 10,000 miles on it.

 

[Letas]

yes, always has in the past.

Ocean, Lucid, Rivian and F150 Lightning were all limited production and people did reserve to buy the first model year to flip them.

By sheer luck, I got the first year '22 Lightning 16 months earlier than the Mach E that I also ordered.

Ended up driving the Lightning for a year and then traded her in for the Mach E - made a $10K profit even with 10,000 miles on it.

Hmm, never considered this! Im a day 1 rez, maybe I can use the Slate as my "trial" EV, realize I want a radio, and make a profit!

 

[fuzzmunky415]

Speaking of the Beetle, I owned some of them.

Someone named John Muir (the engineer one, not the Sierra Club one) published the predecessor to Slate University, but for Volkswagens, and it's a spiral-bound book instead of videos.

"How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive -- A Manual of Step-By-Step Procedures For the Compleat [sic] Idiot"

The book was filled with illustrations and humor that made it worth looking through even if you didn't have the car to go with it.

Still my bible. When my vub (kombi) made a fuss, angry me would punch and break the windshield in frustration. Mr Muir coaxed me into a more harmonious relationship with my ride and life in general.

Edit: Plus a spiral bound Bible is very forward-thinking. Genius.