Actively considering cancelling reservation.

[RetiredOnPaper]

Well stated. I wanted to respond to a few of your excerpts. I fully agree with your 2nd point.

Slate knows:

A) it’s a light duty truck
B) it won’t appeal to construction crews
C) it can’t handle heavy payloads,
D) it’s not designed for off-road users,
E) it’s not meant for those needing heavy tow capability.

Given these shortcomings, I must admit they are doing a rather commendable job in marketing this truck to the widest possible audience. Using classic marketing techniques, they are truly ‘casting a wide net.’ And given the wild colors of the wraps they illustrated in the Slate maker, they are “selling the sizzle, not the steak.” 🙂

Somehow the idea of a pickup truck has become a monster truck that can haul 3 tone of concrete, fit a family of 5 with a dog, and look good in the Church parking lot on Sunday. Slate will be none of that, and it shouldn't...right tool for the job. As a hobby farmer with 6 acers, on a rural road, several fruit trees, bee hives, and a dozen semi-finished projects...and knowing slightly more serious farmers doing small time production...the Slate caught my eye from the word go. Off road? If you mean driving up rocks, through small rivers, and racing ORV trails then Slate is not that. If you mean following a two track to your deer blind, of to get the deer out of the woods, maybe get your row boat to the lake...then Slate is probably a better option that a ATV...even without 4WD. (Says my old Ford Ranger RWD, and my Jeep Cherokee RWD, may they rest in peace.) And I can charge it off my solar generator. I think the market will find them. Assuming that people still shop for utility and not image or politics.

 

[E90400K]

Somehow the idea of a pickup truck has become a monster truck that can haul 3 tone of concrete, fit a family of 5 with a dog, and look good in the Church parking lot on Sunday. Slate will be none of that, and it shouldn't...right tool for the job. As a hobby farmer with 6 acers, on a rural road, several fruit trees, bee hives, and a dozen semi-finished projects...and knowing slightly more serious farmers doing small time production...the Slate caught my eye from the word go. Off road? If you mean driving up rocks, through small rivers, and racing ORV trails then Slate is not that. If you mean following a two track to your deer blind, of to get the deer out of the woods, maybe get your row boat to the lake...then Slate is probably a better option that a ATV...even without 4WD. (Says my old Ford Ranger RWD, and my Jeep Cherokee RWD, may they rest in peace.) And I can charge it off my solar generator. I think the market will find them. Assuming that people still shop for utility and not image or politics.

Agree.

I think if one were to install the 2" lift suspension and add a set of decent ORV tires like the KO3, the Slate would be a decent off-road truck to perform the duties you mentioned. Being the torque is nearly instant, combined with high-traction tires and 50/50 weight distribution I see not much of an issue with light off roading as you suggest. The Truck does have a lot of weight for its footprint, which I think is a good attribute for off road requirements.

The only weakness I really see is the tow rating at just 1,000 pounds. For my personal use case if I were to rent a U-Haul motorcycle trailer, the heaviest bike I could transport would be 450 pounds, which is half the weight of either of the two bikes I have.

I think Slate needs to rethink the tow rating simply because rental trailers are heavy on purpose to endure the service life they must have. If the tow rating is officially listed by Slate at just 1,000 pounds that locks the owner out of most any U-Haul trailer rents.

I know @AZFox started a thread on that topic.

 

[KevinRS]

Agree.

I think if one were to install the 2" lift suspension and add a set of decent ORV tires like the KO3, the Slate would be a decent off-road truck to perform the duties you mentioned. Being the torque is nearly instant, combined with high-traction tires and 50/50 weight distribution I see not much of an issue with light off roading as you suggest. The Truck does have a lot of weight for its footprint, which I think is a good attribute for off road requirements.

The only weakness I really see is the tow rating at just 1,000 pounds. For my personal use case if I were to rent a U-Haul motorcycle trailer, the heaviest bike I could transport would be 450 pounds, which is half the weight of either of the two bikes I have.

I think Slate needs to rethink the tow rating simply because rental trailers are heavy on purpose to endure the service life they must have. If the tow rating is officially listed by Slate at just 1,000 pounds that locks the owner out of most any U-Haul trailer rents.

I know @AZFox started a thread on that topic.

Possibly the reasoning in not going for a higher rating is that towing seriously impacts range on all EVs. Gas vehicles too, but it's not as visible of a problem to just get gas more often.
Here where we are starting with a shorter ranged truck, having to charge twice as often might be unworkable, or at least bad enough that they would get lots of complaints and bad press.
There are multiple detailed articles about the trailering experience with the Lightning, where it tows great, but range is around half. This range hit might be even worse for the relatively small Slate towing a trailer of any real size.

 

[roguewave]

I have an early reservation and I’ll keep it for as long as it takes to get the truck to market. I just thought it was a cool idea for a simple no frills truck that’s made in America……that means something to me.

 

[GaRailroader]

Possibly the reasoning in not going for a higher rating is that towing seriously impacts range on all EVs. Gas vehicles too, but it's not as visible of a problem to just get gas more often.
Here where we are starting with a shorter ranged truck, having to charge twice as often might be unworkable, or at least bad enough that they would get lots of complaints and bad press.
There are multiple detailed articles about the trailering experience with the Lightning, where it tows great, but range is around half. This range hit might be even worse for the relatively small Slate towing a trailer of any real size.

Perhaps they are underpromising and will hopefully over deliver. Heck, they have put a 2200 pound tow rating on a Tesla Model 3. A lot of buyers might be planning to tow locally only. Taking jet skis or a small boat to the lake or dirt bikes to the motocross track where range won’t be a big concern. I think that the current state of the DC fast chargers is not optimal for towing a trailer. Generally when I am on trips in my Tesla I have a bike carrier plugged in to my hitch. I am usually able to back-in and get close enough to connect the charger, on 1 occasion I parallel parked in front of a charger to get the cable to reach. If I had an actual trailer instead of a bike rack, I would have had to disconnect the trailer at many of these charging sites. Fortunately, many of the newer charging sites are pull-in or pull through. 10 years from now I would expect DC fast charging stations to look more like gas stations with islands that you can pull through. This solves the problem of being able to charge with a trailer connected as well as the charge port on the wrong side of the vehicle based on charging station configuration.

 

[KevinRS]

The payload and towing rating have always been estimated, and are definitely something they would not want to overpromise and under deliver on. Since none of the stats have been revised or refined since April, we are all just guessing until we get more info.
For things like towing a motorcycle on a trailer, are there lighter options than the U-Haul rentals that people could purchase?

 

[AZFox]

I were to rent a U-Haul motorcycle trailer, the heaviest bike I could transport would be 450 pounds, which is half the weight of either of the two bikes I have.

Less than 450 pounds, I think. The U-Haul Motorcycle Trailer weighs 870(!) pounds empty.

I know @AZFox started a thread on that topic.

Wasn't my thread, but I've posted about it.

Even having 500 pounds more towing capacity would make a big difference.

I'm probably biased because it would mean I could tow my motorcycle on that trailer if the capacity was 1,500 pounds. I also looked up the weight of teardrop RV trailers and only the very lightest of them weight under 1,000 pounds.

 

[AZFox]

For things like towing a motorcycle on a trailer, are there lighter options than the U-Haul rentals that people could purchase?

Absolutely. I think a typical 3-rail motorcycle trailer weighs about 400 lbs or thereabouts.

 

[E90400K]

Absolutely. I think a typical 3-rail motorcycle trailer weighs about 400 lbs or thereabouts.

My point wasn't to focus on motorcycle trailering but rather to focus on the tow rating of the Slate. I use trailering a motorcycle as an example of a low weight tow activity one would possibly use their Slate for.

Yes, there are many motorcycle trailers available to buy that weigh around 300 to 500 pounds. But that's not my point. My point is if one would need to tow their street motorcycle on occasion for let's say, to get it repaired, or fitted with new tires (my case one time). For such an activity one would rent a motorcycle trailer. As I pointed out and as you noted the U-Haul MC trailer weighs 870 pounds. The U-Haul trailer is heavy because it's going to be in service for decades, so it is built like a tank.

And that's the point, all U-Haul rental trailers are heavy because they have to be built to withstand years and years of abuse. Go look at U-Haul's website and you'll find no box trailer is available for a vehicle class tow rating of just 1,000 pounds. For liability reasons U-Haul is not going to rent a trailer to a Slate owner.

It was amusing to see the video of the Slate thermal testing on the 14-mile dam road pulling an empty U-Haul trailer.

 

[RetiredOnPaper]

Agree.

I think if one were to install the 2" lift suspension and add a set of decent ORV tires like the KO3, the Slate would be a decent off-road truck to perform the duties you mentioned. Being the torque is nearly instant, combined with high-traction tires and 50/50 weight distribution I see not much of an issue with light off roading as you suggest. The Truck does have a lot of weight for its footprint, which I think is a good attribute for off road requirements.

The only weakness I really see is the tow rating at just 1,000 pounds. For my personal use case if I were to rent a U-Haul motorcycle trailer, the heaviest bike I could transport would be 450 pounds, which is half the weight of either of the two bikes I have.

I think Slate needs to rethink the tow rating simply because rental trailers are heavy on purpose to endure the service life they must have. If the tow rating is officially listed by Slate at just 1,000 pounds that locks the owner out of most any U-Haul trailer rents.

I know @AZFox started a thread on that topic.

Slate needs to address this topic. The torture test video was just for overheating situations. They never said what the load weight/distribution/max grade was. I didn't give this much thought since all I tow is a open utility trailer. Also keep in mind they are using a prototype, not a production model. It may be a different story with the actual motor, rear suspension, etc. in place. I see no talk about a specific tow package in the offering.

 

[GaRailroader]

The payload and towing rating have always been estimated, and are definitely something they would not want to overpromise and under deliver on. Since none of the stats have been revised or refined since April, we are all just guessing until we get more info.
For things like towing a motorcycle on a trailer, are there lighter options than the U-Haul rentals that people could purchase?

This is my plan B utility trailer if neither Slate nor Telo comes to fruition. The 8-57 would be the model I would get and it weighs 290 pounds empty. For my use cases, if I have a bed, I don’t need a utility trailer.

https://floeintl.com/trailer/cargomax-trailer/

 

[ElectricShitbox]

I spent a lot of time hauling shit with an old ranger, so I looked at the Slate's bed and towing capacities and thought to myself "*shrug*, guess I'm going to overload it".
Haha

 

[bloo]

Slate needs to address this topic. The torture test video was just for overheating situations. They never said what the load weight/distribution/max grade was. I didn't give this much thought since all I tow is a open utility trailer. Also keep in mind they are using a prototype, not a production model. It may be a different story with the actual motor, rear suspension, etc. in place. I see no talk about a specific tow package in the offering.

Would've been more relavent (and impressive) to load the bed with 1400 punds of desert rocks. Set up a scale, show a couple of beefcakes putting 'em on the scale, then show them loading up the truck. Then show what they look like after the desert workout (sweaty and tired).

An IT nerdyguy with a tablet enters the scene. "Thanks guys, I'll take it from here." He gets in the truck, plugs the tablet in somewhere, then turns on the AC. He drives up the hill, completes the tests, then returns to the starting area only to find the beefcakes are gone. Now IT guy has to unload the truck. He looks at the 50% charge remaining and gives a wry smile.

Show a distant shot of the truck as IT guy starts pulling out rocks. A tagline appears as text.

"Even when you have to sweat, we don't. You can count on a SLATE."

 

[bloo]

I spent a lot of time hauling shit with an old ranger, so I looked at the Slate's bed and towing capacities and thought to myself "*shrug*, guess I'm going to overload it".

I once took out the back seats of my Honda Element and loaded it with 1400 pounds of yard waste and drove it 20 miles to the facility. The guy who weighed me in and out couldn't believe it.

Only damage it sustained was worn rear swaybar bushings at 95,000 miles. It was an easy replacement I was able to do in the driveway.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

I added more power, lower gearing, and better brakes to my MR2. In my mind that's a tow package, so I welded up a hitch for it and towed a utility trailer with it now and then (this was when I was between trucks).