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I still kick myself that I didn't buy the convertible version of the 2-door RAV 4 and keep it. We owned the two door hard top. It was a choppy ride because of that short wheelbase, but we loved it. Perfect vehicle for two.

The good news is that Tesla is slowly retrofitting with longer cables.

https://electrek.co/2026/04/13/slate-auto-closes-funding-round-financial-runway-production/ OK, now I'm significantly less skeptical that Slate will make it to market. They seem to have the cash, and now it's all about execution.

Small convertibles in the vein of the TR6, Sprite, MGB, Fiat X1/9, Honda Del Sol, etc. And all the two door utes. The Samurai and that old 2-door RAV4 (I owned one and loved it). Only problem with the whole convertible thing is that million plus Miatas (I owned three) have sucked that market dry.

If you asked most automotive journalists, they'd ask for an absolutely Blank Slate. I agree with the last posting... Journalists always complain that OEMs send them these loaded vehicles. Hey, the whole narrative of Slate is "just what you need". So Slate should stand behind those...

>> I never had a problem with my 1987 140-horse Ranger STX V6. I loved that Ranger 4 cylinder engine. Gutless, but normally aspirated and it lasted forever. I used to get 30 MPG with a manual, because it had overdrive and would lug along at 1500-2000 RPM on the interstate in 5th gear.

Whereas I consider the Slate to be the inheritor of my 2010 Ford Ranger XL, single cab, manual shift, 4 cylinder, rollup windows, manual door locks, and the cheapest parts and pieces available on the planet Earth.

Sandy Munro had some thoughts on battery swapping years ago. He pointed out that anything mechanical breaks. It is not if, it's when. He also hates fasteners, which are the #1 failure points in automotive. Battery swapping is a lot of fasteners and moving parts. Now if you really want to go...

The long term cost/performance improvement curve in batteries makes this a short term solution at best, just like hybrids and EREVs. They're both engineering dead ends. You can already charge some vehicles in the same time. Charging speed is on a relentless improvement slope. Gravimetric and...

Last time I checked, Slate was a for-profit enterprise. Meaning they're here to empty your wallet just the same as every other company. If Slate can suck you in with their narrative, hooray for Slate. The proof is in the pudding, not the recipe. As of 25 April 2026, we will have experienced a...

It's the standard engineer lament. You design something solid. Then the bean counters take over. Crazily, I saw this as a software engineer. They took a five cent LED out of the disk drives for our high end enterprise storage units. And then we spent millions in man hours on the software side...

I've been following Quantum Scape for years now. They're very real, but also not truly solid state. The good news is that they've been slowly but deliberately marching towards scale manufacturing. The thing about Quantum Scape is that they don't make batteries. They make a production line for...

I'd be very grateful if you could ask your buddy next time you see him for some more details on the Mavericks. Hybrids or the turbo engine? A particular model year? What's he doing to them? I know this isn't Slate-related, but I'll repost your information over on MTC and we'll all benefit...

I love the enthusiasm, but Slate's main product so far has been hot air.

That's a pretty big statement about Maverick engines blowing up before 50K in large numbers. Got any numerical (or even anecdotal) evidence behind that? We'd all love to hear the details over on the Maverick forum. I've been a Maverick forum member (and owner) for 3+ years now and I've seen...

There sure are a lot of Slate sales narratives (both pro and con, and I've spun some myself) on this site. I would posit that trying to predict the behavior of 15.5 million annual American auto buyers in a highly uncertain future (CY 2027 and beyond) is an exercise in futility. What will...

Just an idle thought. It would be cool if somebody eventually starts an online "Slate parts and accessories swap" site. Just not me - I'm far too lazy. Could be part of a "Slate Club of America". As an old Miata owner (3 of them), I was part of the Miata Club of America, which had all kinds of...

New England already has Little Blue People. Watched Blue Man Group in Boston plenty of times.

Let's be honest about Slate. They are very slippery, seemingly coated with oil, when it comes to making any factual statements that can pin them down or obligate them. Not saying that's a bad thing. Just a fact. I can see how they'd be reluctant to make promises they might later have to break...

The Slate comments on battery that I watched were mixed on why they chose NMC. And they also said they were reassessing that choice after "liberation day". They siad it was a mix of capability, specs, cost, and that it had to be sourced in the USA. They really haven't said anything since "we're...