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For sure. Something is worth what people will pay! I personally get caught up in the eternal battle, knowing I’ll likely need to spend thousands of dollars to make this car “mine”. Impossible to speculate on value until we get pricing for mods too :)

A phrase I see here a lot is “Slate did their research”. But I think it is silly to think Slate somehow did more research than our current automobile market.

A point doug makes that does resonate is about price vs value. The price point is attractive, undoubtedly. But stripping down a car past what is “accepted”, and selling it at this price point does not offer value to a lot of consumers.

Has anyone ever used a bluetooth speaker as their car speaker? It's cool... when your speaker breaks. But it sounds horrible and is NOT a permanent solution

Does this mean I can install a Carplay unit (hard wired into dash) and have it plugged directly into speakers? So it works like a normal car?

Lithium ion batteries experience performance degradation in the cold. To counteract this, companies use heat pumps to keep the battery at a stable temperature. Signs are pointing towards Slate not using heat pumps. 150 mile range means 90 mile effective range in normal temps. Chop off another...

I believe Slate stated that most users have a mobile power bank, so charging ports will not be standard. They will happily sell you one though!

Ah yes, I forgot the ever elusive "this is a low-priced car not designed for lower-earning consumers"

I've spent a lot of time here trying to understand what the target market is for the Slate, and I think I've gathered it all into a flowchart for who the Slate is meant for. Let me know your thoughts below, and/or what I missed :)

I’d agree in principle, but 2 of their 25 prebuilt customizations feature skis/snowboards (ones even called a snow dog! Isn’t that trademarked?!)

the comparison makes sense. I need a car. I can spend X. Here are 3 options under X. Compare.

I believe in myself driving in snow…. Unfortunately caltrans doesn’t seem to agree and requires chains 😂 AWD is a borderline necessity to me to avoid the hassle as a frequent (50+ days a year) skier

"Strip away everything and sell it back at a profit"

Kludge is a great word. I get the idea of trimming back, but users want their audio to work seamlessly with their car. Turn the car on, plug the phone in, music plays.

I think it's going to be a non-negotiable for me. AWD cuts ~10% of EV range, which is already a concern in the Slate, but I drive enough winter mountain passes that I've vowed my next car will be AWD/4x4

Exactly. “We are going to create a car that goes against the grain and is affordable to the masses” but it won’t be suitable for the masses….

I think it is a tough sell to say it is not intended for lower income consumers. Porsche doesn't say their cars are for financially irresponsible consumers with strong lending power. This is the only product the company is selling, they need to sell as many as possible to be successful.

The more I think about it… maybe that’s exactly the business model. Don’t dominate one market group, but offer a low cost option that might work for a wide variety of groups, but most certainly not everyone. Cast a wide net and hope enough fish fall in to keep the company afloat.

I feel like “fun secondary car” and “selling enough volume to support an entire company” are unfortunately contradictory. That’s why I’m struggling to really understand what Slate is trying to do. The market of people looking for fun secondary cars either 1) want it to serve a specific...

The way I see it. 150 mile range, but keeping SOC between 20%-80% effectively gives you 90 miles of range. Urban sprawl is leading to longer and longer commute distances. Average American drives ~50mi each day just to work and back. Slate skimped on the battery coolant, which means that range...