What's the Slate's maintenance like?

[AZFox]

And zero people on this Forum can answer that question because (a) the truck hasn't yet been built and (b) the manufacturer hasn't published the maintenance requirements.

To the contrary, It's been answered pretty well.

As a former Tesla master technician, I would compare the Slate to a 2018-2020 model 3 in terms of complexity.

Tires and cabin filters should be the only maintenance items for the first 100k.

I suspect that the slate will be similar. tires, cabin filter, washer fluid, wipers, and just inspections for the first few years, then change the coolant and gearbox oil.

Normal ICE-related automotive maintenance expenses and hassles (oil changes, transmission service, timing belts, etc.) won't be necessary. Brakes probably won't wear out, too.

If Slate does what they're setting out to do, we should be able to expect very low maintenance requirements for a good long while.

@Trace26 provides a bonus salient point:

But if you did zero maintenance on both, the EV could be perfectly fine for more than 100,000, but the ICE engine will probably seize up after 30,000miles.
The

To me, this insight means a used Slate Truck is a less risky used-car purchase than one with an ICE engine because lack-of-maintenance risk exists for the ICEV that doesn't exist for the EV.

(b) the manufacturer hasn't published the maintenance requirements.

Are you speculating that the Slate will require some maintenance that other EVs don't require?

 

[AZFox]

Ironically, this thread wouldn't have gone so far off-topic if not for your posts trying to keep it on-topic.

Hate to admit it, but you have a point there.

 

[SlatePossible2028]

Let's be clear here though. Sure plenty of engines are capable of achieving unnecessarily (from a manufacturer perspective) high mileage... But all of that moving part longevity comes at a not insubstantial lifetime preventative maintenance cost.

BMW has some of the neediest engines I've experienced from a preventative maintenance standpoint. Beyond the typical (many) oil/filter changes and whatnot, never before owning an N52 did I have ANY engine need an 'oil filter housing' (dumb non-integrated design) gasket, valve cover gasket, and oil pan gasket replaced every 100k or so. I'm not sure why, but they couldn't engineer a gasket rubber to save their lives, despite other manufacturers having figured it out decades ago. Same with the ~100k limited-life electric water pump and thermostat. The whole ownership experience was best summed up by 'so close, yet so far'.

I mean, Subaru fanbois can brag that their EJ25 has 300k longevity too... It just needs to be fed a steady diet of head gaskets.

My E46 ate thru gaskets and plastics like there was no tomorrow. My old WJ had 300k+ on it and my E46 had only 220k and was babied prior to me owning it, and after every spirited drive something would break/leak lol.

On the plus side, it was quite modular in many aspects. Water pump in it only took me like 20 min

I regret selling that car, solely because I miss having an AutoX/Drift pig. But now I have an RX8 for that lol

 

[SlatePossible2028]

Something about these discussions people seem to miss

The only "less moving parts" things that EVs have over gas vehicles is generally an engine and a traditional transmission setup. And in a gas vehicle, generally these are not an issue unless there's a defect or mishap which usually falls under a recall/warranty, and isn't yours to pay. See current GM oil and bearing issues, Kia/Hyundai engine issues, Toyota engine issues, etc.

Electric cars still have ball joints, axles, various suspension components, brake lines and components, etc. Some have a sort of gearbox setup. And then of course there is the battery, which is the big failure point of most EVs and generally isn't something one can do on their own, unlike most work on gas vehicles. The battery also has some...questionable disposal practices, whereas all of the fluids from a gas car are easily recycled

Generally speaking the only real savings over time with an EV is gas. Also I don't think the Slate will suffer from the brake/tire degradation that plagues other EVs, since iirc its relatively light for an EV.


And then you get into the whole "yeah if Slate flops in 3 years you're left with a nice pickup truck shaped doorstop if something manufacturer specific fails"

 

[Trace26]

And then you get into the whole "yeah if Slate flops in 3 years you're left with a nice pickup truck shaped doorstop if something manufacturer specific fails"

Luckily Slate uses all "off the shelf" parts and says they will release the documentation, so you will be able to find parts. It won't be as easy as calling up a dealer but it should definitely be doable.

 

[AZFox]

The only "less moving parts" things that EVs have over gas vehicles is generally an engine and a traditional transmission setup.

True, but that's a pretty significant difference, don't you think?

Generally speaking the only real savings over time with an EV is gas.

Fact Check: False

 

[GaRailroader]

True, but that's a pretty significant difference, don't you think?



Fact Check: False

I think E90400K had referenced a Forbes data point that said 10 cents per mile for maintenance on an ICE and 4 or 6 cents per mile on EV. Let’s just call it 5 cents a mile on maintenance savings and 10 cents a mile on fuel savings. 15 cents a mile is $15k difference in 100k miles. A $25k Slate could pay for itself in reduced maintenance and operating costs over an ICE vehicle in 167k miles.

 

[JoeUser]

Something about these discussions people seem to miss

The only "less moving parts" things that EVs have over gas vehicles is generally an engine and a traditional transmission setup. And in a gas vehicle, generally these are not an issue unless there's a defect or mishap which usually falls under a recall/warranty, and isn't yours to pay. See current GM oil and bearing issues, Kia/Hyundai engine issues, Toyota engine issues, etc.

Electric cars still have ball joints, axles, various suspension components, brake lines and components, etc. Some have a sort of gearbox setup. And then of course there is the battery, which is the big failure point of most EVs and generally isn't something one can do on their own, unlike most work on gas vehicles. The battery also has some...questionable disposal practices, whereas all of the fluids from a gas car are easily recycled

We're talking about maintenance. As someone who did that for a living, let me just repeat that an EV has minimal maintenance requirements. It's essentially tires only. I don't see why Slate should be different. ICE engines are more than 'just' an engine and transmission. Fuel systems require maintenance, frequent extreme heat cycling affects rubber/plastic longevity, and the high temperatures of the fluids in a combustion system leads to drastically reduced replacement schedules. This is before the unavoidable brake pads/rotors/oil changes.

NMC batteries are extremely valuable on both the second-hand market and the scrap market, and there are companies already set-up to handle that waste stream. EV batteries are the least likely of all to end up landfill.

 

[mthulhu]

Solar charges at a very slow rate. Most charge by plugging in to the grid, and most of the grid is electrified via coal and fossil fuels.

Luckily my resident state, Iowa, gets most of its power from wind!

 

[brian10x]

Luckily my resident state, Iowa, gets most of its power from wind!

Windmills have problems too. They kill hundreds of birds and I have read that the maintenance issues are enormous.

I guess there is no such thing as a free lunch!

 

[Adam W]

Windmills have problems too. They kill hundreds of birds and I have read that the maintenance issues are enormous.

As we all know, oil never kills birds.

 

[brian10x]

As we all know, oil never kills birds.

Birds LOVE oil. I rub 5W30 on my parakeet daily. He LOVES it.

 

[Bud The Elder]

Solar charges at a very slow rate. Most charge by plugging in to the grid, and most of the grid is electrified via coal and fossil fuels.

One hill to die on at a time. No, an EV is not a perfect solution, but it's certainly an improvement. It's about progress,not perfection. Coal is bad, but so is drilling, transporting, refining, transporting and burning gas and diesel.

Where I live we also have nuclear (which has different issues) and hydro generated electricity, and wind is being developed. There are also enough homes with solar putting electrons back *into* the grid to create a small but still significant difference in the supply side pollution equation.

To me the zero emissions from my vehicle is only one small benefit of the vehicle as a whole. The fact is that even if it were an ICE truck, the Slate just fits my needs better than most of the rest of the market.

 

[Bud The Elder]

Windmills have problems too. They kill hundreds of birds and I have read that the maintenance issues are enormous.

I guess there is no such thing as a free lunch!

Windmills kill birds, as do skyscrapers, houses, deforestation to mine coal, and the garden variety house cat. All of these have a greater impact on the avian population than windmills.

From MIT: "A 2012 study found that wind projects kill 0.269 birds per gigawatt-hour of electricity produced, compared to 5.18 birds killed per gigawatt-hour of electricity from fossil fuel projects. That’s in part due to collisions with equipment (wind turbines aren’t the only energy infrastructure birds can fly into), but mostly because of the environmental impact of fossil fuels." https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/do-wind-turbines-kill-birds

Honestly I can't tell if you're a troll, a killjoy, a (bad, juvenile) comedian, or someone who just likes to crap on other people's optimism. For someone who's supposedly looking forward to owning a Slate, all your comments on this thread seem to be hyper critical and designed to tear down the entire concept of an EV.

 

[Luxrage]

I'll throw my hat in the ring and give some examples of ICE-specific failures on my cars, specifically emissions controls.
My Thunderbird had an EGR valve fail a little after 100K miles, my first LTD had a smog pump problem and needed a new one* (that may have just been a bearing failure IIRC), and I know I've had at least one PCV valve go bad as well. Just some little things the EV won't have to deal with, and don't get me started on CARB compliant catalytic converters VS "49-state" versions. My Element is not on its original and if I had to move to California I have no clue if it would pass.

I fully expect the Slate, being the first vehicle from a new automaker, to have all sorts of random, weird problems for the first 10K of us that buy em. And just like every other EV / new car out there I'll be like "well, I was stranded for ten hours on the side of the road, missed my daughters wedding, and was mugged, but I love my Slate and would never get rid of it!"

*Knowing what I know nowadays I would have just removed it.