2008 Ford Ranger vs Slate

[phidauex]

I think a lot of people have a misconception that "Early Adopters" simply throw all caution to the wind and jump on a new product just to be seen as cool and trendy. Sure, there are always those guys, but most Early Adopters are rational people at their core. It's perfectly reasonable to have questions and concerns about a startup company developing a new product.

Early Adopters seek as much information as they can about the company and product in advance, and move forward with excitement despite all the unknowns and with full expectation there there will likely be some issues. They enjoy being among the first to discover and share the quirks, issues, tips, tricks, hacks, etc. They're not just looking for a product, they're looking for an experience, a hobby, a community, a topic of discussion. People who aren't interested in that just go out and buy a proven product from an established company like a Honda Civic.

And btw, "Early" doesn't mean "First". You don't have to be among the very first customers. You can wait for the first deliveries and decide after real-world reviews drop. For most of us with normal jobs who don't have the luxury of owning multiple vehicles but are intrigued by the idea of the Slate, it is perfectly reasonable to be a "Late Early Adopter" or even part of the next group (Early Majority) to limit some of the risk.

Exactly, I'd put myself in this bucket - I'm in a related industry, I'm comfortable diagnosing issues, and I find it a little fun to participate in advancing the industry by working out bugs, sharing information about the design and operation of the vehicle, etc.

The first year with the Mach E was fun - we were capturing data, working out how to do suspension mods, subwoofer installs, etc., reverse engineering the drive unit parameters and battery health, etc. Now that the vehicle has been around for 5 years it is less exciting, just truckin' along.

I'd say to be a good early adopter candidate you need to have some resources at hand for investigating issues yourself, some interest in the technology, and enough flexibility in life (time and financial) to not be put in dire straits if the vehicle ends up grounded for a while.

 

[Susan]

That might have been true years ago, when the prevailing speed was around the speed limit of 55, but the prevailing speed is now likely often edging into the squirrelly range for some of the vehicles on the road, and some may seem stable, while driving straight, but when they need to correct course, they aren't.
I've seen the results of accidents on surface streets, where you can't really tell what kind of car it was just from driving by or photos. Color of car, yes: there are some mangled painted parts. Oh, engine and transmission are half a block down the road, here's a chunk that looks about the size of 1/4 of a car, and there is another completely separate chunk about the same size, and there are smaller bits of debris scattered between and down to the engine. And it was a solo crash, car vs pole.
Crash tests are mainly done at 35-40 mph, into a deformable barrier. All those safety ratings are based on those. Damage to vehicles and passengers goes up geometrically with speed.

Just wanted to give you a big thank you for saying this. I see speed demons passing and weaving and wonder if there is going to be a huge traffic pile up down the road due to those self-centered fools. Sometimes there is. I always hope that they don't hurt anyone, besides themselves.

Wish we could go back to 55. Wish we could have a high speed rail system connecting the whole country, and reliable public transportation too. 🤷‍♀️

 

[danielt1263]

Meanwhile the Florida House just passed a bill allowing interstates to post 80mph signs...