If the Slate PU came only as an ICE, I would buy one.

[GoinPostall]

Wait, valve checks? LOL. Seriously what modern ICEV from the legacy OEMs sell a vehicle that has solid lifters these days? Barely any OEM still use a camshaft timing belt (maybe Honda still does). Spark plugs for most current ICEV require 75,000 to 100,000 mile replacements, with 100,000 pretty much industry standard at this point. Despite all the internet arguments, modern ICEV using manufacturer spec'd oil and filters generally can follow a 10,000-mile oil change interval with zero effect to longevity, with 7,500 miles being the norm. Fuel injectors have now been more reliable than carburetors for nearly 40 years. Coolant changes for modern cars is now a minimum of 100,000 miles or 5 years. My 2022 has a 10-year-200,000 coolant change interval.

It's not 1970 any longer. LOL.

Yup, ICE require maintenance, but you make it sound like they are in the shop every three months. Really? Valve checks? Come-on-man.

As odd as it sounds, my 2020 Honda Civic is supposed to have the valve lash checked around 100k miles. Honda is the only company I know of(outside of commercial diesel engine manufacturers) that still wants you to check valve lash.

 

[Sandman614]

Yup, ICE require maintenance, but you make it sound like they are in the shop every three months. Really? Valve checks? Come-on-man.

LOL You're completely reaching LOL. At no point did I speak to the frequency of those items or imply something like a 3 month maintenance schedule, just that they all add complexity and are items that will at some point need to be addressed and are potential points of failure. LOL

Also, the average age of a car on the road today is approximately 13 years old. So maybe you could go ask the millions of Honda engines produced in the last 2 decades if they need valve checks. LOL

And lastly, LOL

 

[Driven5]

However, I still have many concerns about the costly environmental impact of EV batteries to others (that I don't see) vs my "low maintenance".

I still have many concerns about the costly environmental impact of nearly every aspect of modern society too, including even the 'best' solutions we have readily available so far. But all I can do is make the best decisions we can with the information available to us at the time.

Thankfully, reasonable ICE vs EV data is readily available. For equivalent type vehicles, the upfront costly environmental impact of EV batteries are more than made up for by the recurring costly environmental impact of gasoline by ~20k miles... With the subsequent environmental impact gap further widening in favor of EV for every mile driven beyond that.

 

[E90400K]

As odd as it sounds, my 2020 Honda Civic is supposed to have the valve lash checked around 100k miles. Honda is the only company I know of(outside of commercial diesel engine manufacturers) that still wants you to check valve lash.

One out of 130 car models. And a 6 year old design with a 100,000 mile interval. I couldn't find if the 2025 Civic needs a check.

I'll stand with my previous statements.

 

[E90400K]

LOL You're completely reaching LOL. At no point did I speak to the frequency of those items or imply something like a 3 month maintenance schedule, just that they all add complexity and are items that will at some point need to be addressed and are potential points of failure. LOL

Also, the average age of a car on the road today is approximately 13 years old. So maybe you could go ask the millions of Honda engines produced in the last 2 decades if they need valve checks. LOL

And lastly, LOL

Lol. One company and on their old architecture engines. Lol.

And what is complex about valve adjustments?

Moden ICE require oil changes every 7,500 to 10,000 miles up to 100,000 miles, and two airfilters. Not very taxing.

 

[GoinPostall]

One out of 130 car models. And a 6 year old design with a 100,000 mile interval. I couldn't find if the 2025 Civic needs a check.

I'll stand with my previous statements.

I just checked the 11th generation Civic forum, and it's under Maintenance Minder 4, which also says to do spark plugs at the same time. Since they run Iridium spark plugs, it's basically a 100k mile interval. The 11th generation Civic is from 2022 and up.

 

[Sandman614]

Lol. One company and on their old architecture engines. Lol.

And what is complex about valve adjustments?

Moden ICE require oil changes every 7,500 to 10,000 miles up to 100,000 miles, and two airfilters. Not very taxing.

You're hyper focused on one item in a list of examples and completely missing the point of the discussion, we're talking about the overall complexity of the vehicle. There's about a couple dozen possible points of failure in a BEV, vs a couple hundred or thousand in an ICE. It's not even a debate which will require more maintenance over the life of the vehicle no matter how much you try to trivialize ICE maintenance.

To many the appeal of the Slate is the overall package of simplicity. An ICE would be a more complex system in an otherwise simple package. That's all this is about.

 

[Sparkie]

Wait, valve checks? LOL. Seriously what modern ICEV from the legacy OEMs has solid lifters these days? Barely any OEM still use a camshaft timing belt (maybe Honda still does). Spark plugs for most current ICEV require 75,000 to 100,000 mile replacements, with 100,000 pretty much industry standard at this point. Despite all the internet arguments, modern ICEV using manufacturer spec'd oil and filters generally can follow a 10,000-mile oil change interval with zero effect to longevity, with 7,500 miles being the norm. Fuel injectors have now been more reliable than carburetors for nearly 40 years. Coolant changes for modern cars is now a minimum of 100,000 miles or 5 years. My 2022 has a 10-year-200,000 coolant change interval.

It's not 1970 any longer. LOL.

Yup, ICE require maintenance, but you make it sound like they are in the shop every three months. Really? Valve checks? Come-on-man.

I agree.

 

[Sparkie]

...
I'd buy a Slate if it had a gas engine and preferably a manual transmission.

Manual transmissions!
YES!!!
It's how I learned to drive.
Taught it to my wife and kids.
And it's still all I drive today.
If we could have gotten our minivans in MT, we would have been nearly 100% MTs for the past 45 years.

 

[AKrietzer]

I'm still remembering all the grease joints, I think there were at least 12 places you had to grease every 3,000 miles, mostly on the front end. The good old days. 😆

 

[E90400K]

You're hyper focused on one item in a list of examples and completely missing the point of the discussion, we're talking about the overall complexity of the vehicle. There's about a couple dozen possible points of failure in a BEV, vs a couple hundred or thousand in an ICE. It's not even a debate which will require more maintenance over the life of the vehicle no matter how much you try to trivialize ICE maintenance.

To many the appeal of the Slate is the overall package of simplicity. An ICE would be a more complex system in an otherwise simple package. That's all this is about.

Not really, a few respondents have focused on one model, the Honda Civic, that requires a valve lash check at 100,000 miles, BFD. Like I'm way wrong. Not. The Civic is such an outlier in the realm of the entire diversity of ICEV models in the market. That's why its amusing.

And are we Slate Enthusiasts all not excited about DIY modifications? Adding the SUV kit, audio systems, electric windows, drop kits, lift kits, and DIY a wrap to give the truck some color. A valve adjustment (check) is not that complex of a procedure (shims/buckets are a bit more difficult). Oil changes every year, oh THAT'S a deal killer.

 

[GaRailroader]

I see the reduced maintenance requirements of EV to be a major advantage of an EV over ICE. I have done all of my maintenance(both EV and ICE) because I am thrifty not because I really enjoy it. Probably the task I liked the least was oil and filter changes on automatic transmissions. After my '92 F-150 with an AT, every vehicle that was my daily driver had a MT until I switched to EV. Unfortunately, my wife wasn't willing to drive MTs so I have done way more AT maintenance than I've wanted to. Additionally, with AT's the other maintenance that came along with it was front rotors getting warped and needing replacement or turning every couple of years. On my F-150 I bought an extra set of wheel bearings and front rotors so I could swap the warped rotors for freshly turned rotors with freshly packed bearings. With regenerative brakes and 1 speed gear box all of these headaches are gone. If you really like doing all these tasks then an EV is probably not for you.

 

[SichuanHot]

There are cheap, well built modern ICE engines out there. One of my favorites that was recently discontinued in the Chevy Spark mk4 is the LV7 1.4L engine. It's a dead simple inline 4 with port injection. Engines like that cost next to nothing to maintain and it'd definitely be nice to see them in more cars of different body styles. Unfortunately everyone wants big and bigger in the US. A LV7 in a light duty pickup with a manual 6 speed would be amazing.

 

[atx_ev]

LOL You're completely reaching LOL. At no point did I speak to the frequency of those items or imply something like a 3 month maintenance schedule, just that they all add complexity and are items that will at some point need to be addressed and are potential points of failure. LOL

Also, the average age of a car on the road today is approximately 13 years old. So maybe you could go ask the millions of Honda engines produced in the last 2 decades if they need valve checks. LOL

And lastly, LOL

2015 honda odyssey, leaking valves due to eco. I ended up buying a device that tricks the computer into thinking the temp is too cold to go into eco mode.