New TFL Truck Slate video from LA

[ScooterAsheville]

Tommy share sentiments with a few of us on this forum. We love the idea of the Slate, but we question whether or not there are enough buyers. Remember that it doesn't matter in the least if tghere are 5,000 of us small BEV truck fanboys. What matters is that Slate can sell it at a hundred thousand units a year. Because below that, they lose money - auto plants typically have to reach 80% utilization rates before they make a penny.

I was most interested by the large number of comments. Which were all over the place.

 

[BigB]

I just reserved mine yesterday and I have been obsessively watching every YouTube video I can find including this one this morning. I can see large slate clubs forming off-road groups and meetups all over the country this is going to be a big thing if they can Mass produce these things extremely quickly and it shouldn't be difficult with less than 6,000 parts I think you should be able to build it yourself and buy the whole truck as a flat pack think about that

 

[cadblu]

Hey Tommy, please return the goody bag to the Slate girl. You lost me when you mentioned that it should come with an ICE engine sourced from Toyota or GM. Also, you are a bit too animated for this video. Of course, we can argue until the crows come home.

 

[KevinRS]

Tommy share sentiments with a few of us on this forum. We love the idea of the Slate, but we question whether or not there are enough buyers. Remember that it doesn't matter in the least if tghere are 5,000 of us small BEV truck fanboys. What matters is that Slate can sell it at a hundred thousand units a year. Because below that, they lose money - auto plants typically have to reach 80% utilization rates before they make a penny.

I was most interested by the large number of comments. Which were all over the place.

Considering in the first 2 weeks they passed 100k reservations, and only 479 people here have gone to the effort of posting in the reservation thread, and there are only about 1560 registered users here, the vast majority of those who thought it was worth putting $50 down aren't even here. They've probably got enough registrations in that if they all converted, it would take several years to fill all the orders at full speed production.
Once people start seeing them on the road, I can see it being extremely popular for local work and delivery trucks. Think landscapers, painters, plumbers, florists, auto parts chains, city work trucks, on and on. Anything where you drive around town and plug it in when you get back or overnight. Half of those people are driving older trucks you can't get anymore, the others have had to go with trucks bigger than they need, that are hard to park, or a few have just dropped down to a car.

 

[E90400K]

I think he is wrong about the need for 4x4 or AWD. With the weight balance anticipated to be near 50/50 because the battery placement will be in the center of the chassis and with a proper set of winter tires or snow-rated ORV tires (think KO3's) this pickup will be a good driver in snow. It won't need sand bags (who does that these days anyway?).

I think people still do road trip. I think he's wrong about that. The interstates are still full of cars and the hotels at major interstate junctions are not dropping out of business.