Yes, the Slate DOES compete with the Maverick (and more!)

[AZFox]

The only areas where the slate beats the maverick are price under 30, size small, and gas mileage EV. But if those are the priorities, then the slate wins.

EV was only two letters in that sentence, so let me point out that the slate won't require the expense and hassle of maintaining and repairing a lot of extra moving parts. In the long run that adds up to a big difference.

Initial price is only part of cost-of-ownership.

Another important distinction was omitted: You can reconfigure a Slate, either initially or later if you decide.

 

[Whitesands]

For me the Mav isn't even on my radar for many reasons, such as reliability and extra tech. The one I have now is better than the Maverick since it can tow the Slate ON a trailer.

 

[AngryMedic]

Total cost of ownership, cost of getting me from A to B. Nothing more…..nothing less.

 

[AZFox]

Total cost of ownership, cost of getting me from A to B. Nothing more…..nothing less.

I suppose. If you're traveling via Uber, maybe.

Total cost of ownership is the cost of getting from "all of the letters" to "all of the other letters" over a period of time.

Depreciation (Price at purchase minus value at sale)
Insurance, Registration, etc.
Fuel / Energy
Maintenance and Repairs
...

I'm just pointing out that extra maintenance and repair costs that are related to the extra moving parts are a gotcha for non-EVs, especially if you keep the vehicle for a long time. Say, past the warranty period.

Savings on "energy vs. fuel" and "zero vs. much-more-than-zero" required maintenance and repair costs are parts of cost-of-ownership that many of theses comparisons seem to be ignoring.

Extra moving parts cost extra money.

I would guess that even upgrading to a brand new battery after the warranty expires still leaves you money ahead.

Now do you understand why I say "initial price is only part of cost-of-ownership"?

And let's not forget: Those mandatory maintenance and repairs also require time spent and a Hassle Factor as well. Those are worth something. Factor that in.

 

[AngryMedic]

I didn't mean to sound like I was calling you wrong.... my personal logic when purchasing a vehicle is the total cost of ownership.... I apologize for the way I worded that.

 

[inline_five]

I find towing a weird criteria. Like if you're towing often enough to warrant a bigger truck then that means it's business related and that's a different class of truck. If you might tow a trailer once a year, just rent one, it's so much cheaper.
Exp: I had a college friend who said they wanted to get rid of their car for a truck. I asked why? She replied "I move every year and having a truck bed would make it easier" I said in return, you could just rent a truck for a day. Instead of having to pay for more gas. She graduated, only moved once after that and bought another car.
My point is, people have a problem wanting a vehicle that does EVERYTHING, when all they need as a Honda Civic because they live alone, work an office, and sit on their couch the rest of the time.
Or people that think they need road trip range, when they've done one road trip outside the Slate's range in the last 10 years. Rent a car or just slow down and enjoy the stops.
For me, my wife has a 3row SUV and we have a old farm truck that can tow. I just want something reliable to make supply runs to town without messing up the wife's car.
Okay, my babbling is over. I'm sure the forum grammar nazi will find something. lol

That's what is so great about the Maverick. 38-40 mpg while you commute on weekdays, and you can tow your camper to the lake on the weekend. Or do a Home Depot run w/ 4x8 sheets without renting a trailer. Or bring home a pallet of flooring.

It hits all the boxes especially in 2022-2023 when the prices were much lower. Something like 60% of buyers have never owned a Ford before, me included. They are stealing a lot of business from other manufacturers.

I drive 400 mile round trips every few weeks, sometimes as often as 2x a week. It would be annoying to spend hours charging when I can just quickly fill up and go. I'm doing it for work, I don't have time to slow down and enjoy the stops.

Could I make it work? Yes, but I'd be leaving my house hours ahead of when I normally do. Time is a consideration - for those who are retired I suppose it isn't (I'd actually argue it's more important, tbh).

 

[Dorbiman]

Dont disagree as a whole, but this one’s off base a bit. Lots of people have toy haulers they’re taking out monthly, big boats, etc.

If you're towing a toy hauler, you're not looking at the Slate as an option anyway. Most people run a 3/4 ton for that, and if it's a 5th wheel trailer, then you're definitely not considering a Slate lol.

 

[Trace26]

That's what is so great about the Maverick. 38-40 mpg while you commute on weekdays, and you can tow your camper to the lake on the weekend. Or do a Home Depot run w/ 4x8 sheets without renting a trailer. Or bring home a pallet of flooring.

It hits all the boxes especially in 2022-2023 when the prices were much lower. Something like 60% of buyers have never owned a Ford before, me included. They are stealing a lot of business from other manufacturers.

I drive 400 mile round trips every few weeks, sometimes as often as 2x a week. It would be annoying to spend hours charging when I can just quickly fill up and go. I'm doing it for work, I don't have time to slow down and enjoy the stops.

Could I make it work? Yes, but I'd be leaving my house hours ahead of when I normally do. Time is a consideration - for those who are retired I suppose it isn't (I'd actually argue it's more important, tbh).

Oh yeah, the Maverick is a great truck! If you like Ford.. lol

 

[null98115]

I own a Maverick and will be keeping it even after my Slate is delivered. Two completely different use cases for me.

 

[SLATEchad]

That's what is so great about the Maverick. 38-40 mpg while you commute on weekdays, and you can tow your camper to the lake on the weekend. Or do a Home Depot run w/ 4x8 sheets without renting a trailer. Or bring home a pallet of flooring.

It hits all the boxes especially in 2022-2023 when the prices were much lower. Something like 60% of buyers have never owned a Ford before, me included. They are stealing a lot of business from other manufacturers.

I drive 400 mile round trips every few weeks, sometimes as often as 2x a week. It would be annoying to spend hours charging when I can just quickly fill up and go. I'm doing it for work, I don't have time to slow down and enjoy the stops.

Could I make it work? Yes, but I'd be leaving my house hours ahead of when I normally do. Time is a consideration - for those who are retired I suppose it isn't (I'd actually argue it's more important, tbh).

Not sure what camper you’ve got, and I guess if it’s real small and you’re staying in a close area you might be alright. If I was towing regularly though, I would not be using a Maverick for that. The whole towing argument applies to a very limited number of people who tow something small enough for the Maverick to handle safely and reliably with its 4-cyl hybrid powertrain. I can accept that it is a small advantage of the Maverick, but at the same time, if I was looking for a vehicle to tow regularly with, even a fairly small trailer, Maverick would not be the option I would choose.

Regardless of all that, the Maverick isn’t even an option to me because it’s an over complicated powertrain from a company who can’t seem to make reliable engines, and even if it’s hopefully limited, it spews out toxic fumes every time you run the thing. If I really needed to tow, I think I’d find a way to stretch my budget for a used F-150 Lightning.

 

[Susan]

I own a Maverick and wouldn't buy a Slate as is right now. In no way does the Slate compete with the Maverick IMO as a truck.

Maverick $30k / $34k:

• 600 mile range / 5 minute "recharge"
• 2.000 lb / 4,000 lb tow capacity
• FWD / AWD
• 4 doors / 5 seats right out of the box, no addons needed
• $0.08/mile direct running costs, about as cheap as an ICE can get
• Established manufacturer, lots of support

Slate $27k:

• 150 mile range (optimum, not in winter)
• 1,000 lb tow capacity
• RWD
• 2 doors
• $0.055/mile direct running costs (in my area, around $0.16/delivered)
• New manufacturer/lack of dealer support

The Slate is a fun second vehicle but will not replace a primary car for households. My guess is it will be mostly a vehicle purchased by those wanting to tinker and have on the side for fun, like a Miata or such. The lack of an EV credit really did it in. I wish them luck! Hope they can succeed, as competition is great for everyone.

The Slate will be my primary vehicle. I won't have another car.

I don't want 4 doors. One of the reasons I don't have a truck is that it's hard to find a 2 door model. I'd rather have the 5' bed than a row of seats. I don't want a giant truck that won't fit in most parking spaces.

I plan on getting the extended range, because I plan on road trips of 170 miles at a time. Not a big deal to recharge on route, but I'll have gear, including a roof rack with kayaks. I'll also use it for errands, where the range won't matter, of course.

I don't plan to tow anything. Except a bike rack on the hitch, which will be way under 1,000 lbs.

I've been buying used cars because nobody makes what I want. And the new cars are too expensive. Including the price of gas.

I'm glad that there's a company that's considering people like me.

 

[RevCaptJack]

Before I get into this, let me just clarify- this is MY opinion, and you are entitled to yours as well.

I’ve seen frequent repetition floating around that the new Slate electric truck is “not a competitor with the Maverick/Tacoma/whatever other ICE) I think that completely misses the point of what Slate is doing — and why it absolutely belongs in the same conversation as trucks like the Ford Maverick, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline, and even Rav4, Trax, etc.

Here’s why:

​

1. Price Point & Utility First, EV Second

Slate’s real innovation isn’t just being electric — it’s bringing real utility at a price that undercuts or matches gas competitors. If the base model comes in around $25K you’re suddenly talking about a truck that can be cross-shopped aggressively with Mavericks and lower-end Tacomas.

It’s a no-nonsense work/play truck, not a luxury lifestyle EV like the Rivian. That’s the Maverick/Tacoma audience. It just happens to be an EV.

​

2. Market Share

I did some quick research of car sales in the US. Numbers might not be spot on, but they work for napkin math.

In 2024, there were ~16m new cars sold in the US. Of that, ~1.5m were EVs. Slate is trying to sell 150,000 a year.
The EV market share is growing rapidly, certainly in part due to improving battery tech, as well as the EV tax credit. If we accept this rhetoric that Slate is “only competing with other EVs”- you are denying 90% of the market! Now Slate has to capture 10% of EV sales, vs just 1% of total car sales to succeed.

As of today, most consumers do not own an EV. People have many reasons for why not, but one of the largest is simply price. The lowest cost new EV (that isn’t a Bolt) is ~$35k. There are still decent ICE crossovers in the low and mid 20k range. Why put the Slate in a box and pretend it doesn’t attract those buyers?

​

3. It’s not just a truck.

Something I think is often forgotten here is the fact that the Slate is not just a truck. It can be configured to be an SUV (hopefully for not too expensive)- which directly opens it up to significantly larger market pools. Sure, it’s not a great solution for a family of 4 with two car seats, but for the occasional trip? It’ll do the trick.

​

TL;DR:

Slate will win by casting a wide net of potential buyers, and skimming from that, rather than trying to deeply penetrate and win one very specific market. It can and should pull from current ICE buyers, as this directly competes with ICE vehicles of today.

Well put! 👍

 

[RevCaptJack]

Not sure what camper you’ve got, and I guess if it’s real small and you’re staying in a close area you might be alright. If I was towing regularly though, I would not be using a Maverick for that. The whole towing argument applies to a very limited number of people who tow something small enough for the Maverick to handle safely and reliably with its 4-cyl hybrid powertrain. I can accept that it is a small advantage of the Maverick, but at the same time, if I was looking for a vehicle to tow regularly with, even a fairly small trailer, Maverick would not be the option I would choose.

Regardless of all that, the Maverick isn’t even an option to me because it’s an over complicated powertrain from a company who can’t seem to make reliable engines, and even if it’s hopefully limited, it spews out toxic fumes every time you run the thing. If I really needed to tow, I think I’d find a way to stretch my budget for a used F-150 Lightning.

My son in law was ready to get a Lightening but when he found the range when towing (he pulls a camper) was about 80 miles, he opted for a Chevy Silverado 6.6 V8 and is happy.

 

[SLATEchad]

My son in law was ready to get a Lightening but when he found the range when towing (he pulls a camper) was about 80 miles, he opted for a Chevy Silverado 6.6 V8 and is happy.

Yeah, unfortunately about the only good electric tow vehicle right now is the Silverado EV with the extended battery, where you can do about 200 miles on a charge (while towing, 400ish not). The RV industry will need to start making more aerodynamic campers as electric vehicles become more common and popular.

I’m sure the 6.6 V8 is nice while towing, but I’d hate it every time I went to the fuel pump. I had a 6 cyl turbo diesel I was towing with and it was very efficient (15 mpg towing, 28-30 not towing) but maintenance and the emissions were a massive pain. We loved our camper but until there are some reasonable options for electric towing I’m not going to get another one.

 

[dcgray2]

Maybe I'm really misreading things but I see the consumer retail market as about half the slate success equation.

The other strikes me as a utility/delivery/gopher vehicle for businesses. Retail businesses, Utilities, Construction... basically anyone that needs to maintain a fleet of small trucks / SUVs today.

Wrap 'em in the branding, plug them in at the building / facility and be done with a LOT of vehicle maintenance, refueling, etc.