Actively considering cancelling reservation.

[Letas]

Entertaining that those on the Cancel Spectrum feel they have to come here and post their rationale. Doubtful you’ll be missed. Not a big deal, cancel and help someone who really wants a Slate move up the cue and enjoy your choice. We intend to and I seriously doubt we will wonder about those that changed their minds.

This is a forum to discuss the Slate, on a thread discussing canceling reservations. It’s interesting to see why people’s sentiments change, from launch to now. It’s not random people coming into the forum to bash Slate, it’s people who have been supporters since the start. No need to have the sour grapes attitude.

 

[sodamo]

This is a forum to discuss the Slate, on a thread discussing canceling reservations. It’s interesting to see why people’s sentiments change, from launch to now. It’s not random people coming into the forum to bash Slate, it’s people who have been supporters since the start. No need to have the sour grapes attitude.

Wow, sour grapes? Just made an observation, not a judgement. Maybe it’s my long history that if I changed my mind, I don’t feel need to publicize. 99.9% cerain that someone cancels because it wasn’t what they wanted or no longer getting assistance to pay for it. Being a day 2 reserve, maybe a day 1 will help me out 😁

 

[AZFox]

Wow, sour grapes?

Only eat the low-hanging sweet grapes. 😉

 

[E90400K]

Well, if the Donut Labs battery is real, we all should wait until Slate sources its batteries from the to-be-determined US-based Donut Lab manufacting facility.

 

[GaRailroader]

Sorry to say, but I'm much closer to cancelling now. I've not been happy with SLATE hearing about the lack of some things like the blind spot warning feature and powered mirrors.

Today I started the process to purchase a Hyundai Ioniq 6 sedan. It's a Hyundai-certified used '24 Loaded Limited trim with less than 7,000 miles on it. Still has nearly 5 years left on the bumper-to-bumper warranty and nearly 9 left on the 10 year powertrain warranty. It's loaded with all kinds of safety tech, is AWD, screaming fast, and has most of the extra options. Long range too and has super-fast DC charging though we'll never use level-3.

I know it's not a truck and it sure isn't simple, but my interest in the SLATE wasn't for the truck feature, it was for a decent low-cost EV for use around town for just my wife and I do to stuff. so in that regard it's still an apples-to-apples choice based on what I am paying for it. This Ioniq isn't brand new but it depreciated so much the gently used and warrantied example I found is under $28K.. just about half of it's original $55K MSRP. Still a bit more than the original $20K that attracted me to the SLATE, but that ship has sailed.

I'll wait until I put it through its paces before I completely bale on the SLATE and my very early reservation, but right now and in the next year or so the EV market is going to get flooded with lease returns, and there are going to be more low-milage options out there. Slate is going to have to be at the top of their game to compete! I wish them well.

I’ve heard good things about the Hyundai/Kia EVs. If you do go the used route, I’d encourage you to check out Recurrent Auto. It is like a Car Fax app for EV batteries. If a prospect vehicle is registered to the site you can see how battery SOH compares to others in that population. I’ve registered both of my EVs there and it is interesting to see their insights. If I was buying a used EV I would likely limit my search to Recurrent Auto registered vehicles.

 

[SparkYellow]

Appreciate the reasoning behind zipn's decision to move on. During the short time I rented a Nero EV last year, I noticed at a charging station that an Ioniq sedan was charging very fast. I remember looking up the price at the time and realized that it was premium. Do they have access to the Tesla network now?

Edit: Yes they do.

 

[SparkYellow]

Wow, sour grapes? Just made an observation, not a judgement. Maybe it’s my long history that if I changed my mind, I don’t feel need to publicize. 99.9% cerain that someone cancels because it wasn’t what they wanted or no longer getting assistance to pay for it. Being a day 2 reserve, maybe a day 1 will help me out 😁

If YOU ever change your mind about Slate, I absolutely want to hear all about it. 😁

 

[TomFrank]

I’ve heard good things about the Hyundai/Kia EVs. If you do go the used route, I’d encourage you to check out Recurrent Auto. It is like a Car Fax app for EV batteries. If a prospect vehicle is registered to the site you can see how battery SOH compares to others in that population. I’ve registered both of my EVs there and it is interesting to see their insights. If I was buying a used EV I would likely limit my search to Recurrent Auto registered vehicles.

Another good resource is https://www.youtube.com/@TheIoniqGuy. This fellow has leased a couple of Ioniq 5s and a 6, and has driven many press cars. His channel has lots of useful information about things to look out for and details on "technical service bulletins"...you know, recalls, as Hyundai doesn't like to call them.

 

[sodamo]

If YOU ever change your mind about Slate, I absolutely want to hear all about it. 😁

I reserved my Slate because
1. Truck
2. EV
3. Small
4. Economical (mid 20’s price)

Items 1-3 haven’t changed, if they do it eliminates itself. It was always those 3, not maybe.
Item 4 maybe questionable, but while someone else paying $7500 would have been nice, it wasn’t expected. A significant price increase likely a major blow for many. This would be my reason or delivery is significantly delayed. I turn 80 in Nov, my window may be smaller than many.
Please note, my list is specific without including wishlist of stuff Slate never alluded to. Not many reasons to cancel.

 

[E90400K]

I reserved my Slate because
1. Truck
2. EV
3. Small
4. Economical (mid 20’s price)

Items 1-3 haven’t changed, if they do it eliminates itself. It was always those 3, not maybe.
Item 4 maybe questionable, but while someone else paying $7500 would have been nice, it wasn’t expected. A significant price increase likely a major blow for many. This would be my reason or delivery is significantly delayed. I turn 80 in Nov, my window may be smaller than many.
Please note, my list is specific without including wishlist of stuff Slate never alluded to. Not many reasons to cancel.

But Item 4 is significant though because the price increase pushes the Slate into competition with extended-cab base trims of the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier.

Those two trucks have better hauling and much better towing capabilities. If Item #1 is a priority for the prospective buyer, why not buy the best truck that better fits the truck use case when the pricing is so close between the choices?

That is the basis why I am considering canceling my reservation. For a few thousand dollars more, if the Slate pickup with the 84 kWh battery and a wrap is at or near $30K, the choice to buy the Slate must get some reconsideration.

 

[beatle]

Mine would be:

1. Small
2. Truck
3. EV

Price isn't really a factor, but it's certainly nice that it's way, way less than any EV truck currently available. It'll be very interesting to see Ford's offering and how many people then jump from the Slate ship then, and why.

As others have stated, I don't know why anyone would suddenly abandon a reservation now. I was a day 1 reservation holder for the Lightning even though I wasn't sure it was the truck for me. (I bought one, it wasn't.) I also held a reservation for the Silverado EV until the dealer called me and asked to convert to an order. Since they wouldn't even let me look at the options online before coming into the dealership, I told them to kick rocks and give me my $100 back.

Unless you were really budget constrained with the initial $20k price, nothing has really changed about what we were told about the truck since the first announcement.

 

[E90400K]

Mine would be:

1. Small
2. Truck
3. EV

Price isn't really a factor, but it's certainly nice that it's way, way less than any EV truck currently available. It'll be very interesting to see Ford's offering and how many people then jump from the Slate ship then, and why.

As others have stated, I don't know why anyone would suddenly abandon a reservation now. I was a day 1 reservation holder for the Lightning even though I wasn't sure it was the truck for me. (I bought one, it wasn't.) I also held a reservation for the Silverado EV until the dealer called me and asked to convert to an order. Since they wouldn't even let me look at the options online before coming into the dealership, I told them to kick rocks and give me my $100 back.

Unless you were really budget constrained with the initial $20k price, nothing has really changed about what we were told about the truck since the first announcement.

Interestingly your profile says you have a Rivian R1T, so you already have a great EV pickup truck. Why the interest in Slate? Just curious.

 

[beatle]

There's a few reasons. The Rivian is a great truck and the most do-it-all vehicle I've ever had, but it's just too big for the DC area, at least for where I go. It's not as bad as the Lightning that I sold after only 6 weeks, but it barely fits into my parking garage at work, and it accumulates door dings because parking spots are often too narrow. They are also wickedly expensive, and I just don't think I enjoy driving it 3-4x as much as I would a smaller, less expensive truck. I have driven fast EVs for over 6 years, and the novelty has worn off for me. I drove old Ridgelines before the Rivian and they are not far off in size, but I really didn't care if they were dinged or scratched up, and that has its own appeal that I think the Slate will have even brand new. Since Rivian has said they're not making an R2T, the Slate also kind of wins by default. If they don't make it, I will somewhat reluctantly end up in a Maverick.

 

[cadblu]

There's a few reasons. The Rivian is a great truck and the most do-it-all vehicle I've ever had, but it's just too big for the DC area, at least for where I go. It's not as bad as the Lightning that I sold after only 6 weeks, but it barely fits into my parking garage at work, and it accumulates door dings because parking spots are often too narrow. They are also wickedly expensive, and I just don't think I enjoy driving it 3-4x as much as I would a smaller, less expensive truck. I have driven fast EVs for over 6 years, and the novelty has worn off for me. I drove old Ridgelines before the Rivian and they are not far off in size, but I really didn't care if they were dinged or scratched up, and that has its own appeal that I think the Slate will have even brand new. Since Rivian has said they're not making an R2T, the Slate also kind of wins by default. If they don't make it, I will somewhat reluctantly end up in a Maverick.

This is a familiar theme, one that I can definitely relate to. When I owned small, economical cars, I couldn't wait to someday own a large, comfortable luxury car. Looking back and after owning many large vehicles, I longed for having a small, nimble vehicle that I could more easily maneuver in traffic, zip around and park anywhere. That said, the best-case scenario is to have both if you can afford it. Even the folks at Slate claim that this is an ideal second vehicle for many households. We can all appreciate the fact that there isn't ONE vehicle that does everything well, which explains many households with 2+ vehicles in the driveway. The Slate fits the 2nd or 3rd spot perfectly in my opinion.

 

[beatle]

The Slate will be at least a 2nd vehicle for me, if not a 3rd next to the Miatas and maybe another vehicle later. A truck was always at least a second for me, but the Rivian gets driven more frequently due to its low per mile operating cost and ADAS while commuting. It's also just too expensive to sit around while I drive the Miata, but I much prefer driving the Miata whenever I'm not commuting or taking trips. Even then, the new Miata is a lot quieter, more solid, and more comfortable for longer trips than the ones I had from the 90s. I put over 3k miles on it in a month this fall, and getting out, I didn't really feel that much different than when I take the Rivian. My partner has a Mach-E so we'll take her car on most road trips in the future.