Another very optimistic take on Slate from auto expert Sandy Munro

[Swinefuzz]

Not a lot of details here, but Sandy Munro mainly says that he's impressed by how easy it is to DIY disassemble/reassemble a Slate Truck and why he thinks Jeff Bezos invested in Slate Auto and not the others.

 

[Karl Childers]

That was an interesting watch, particularly the discussion about drum brakes. As an EV newb, are disc brakes necessary? I occasionally drive our Maverick hybrid, and I find myself very light on the brake pedal as opposed to our other vehicles.

 

[Whitesands]

I once owned a Chevy Malibu that had both disc and drum (disc in front and drum in back) but primarily used the disc brakes to stop. The drum were only used if really needed. Brakes are needed to keep the vehicle stationary when parked.

 

[Dorbiman]

Our VW ID.4 has rear drums. I think they're a great fit for an EV personally

 

[bartflossom]

Parking brakes are way easier and cheaper to apply to drum brakes, you just need a cable and a lever or pedal to pull it. Disc brakes are hard to engineer parking brakes for.

 

[SichuanHot]

Parking brakes are way easier and cheaper to apply to drum brakes, you just need a cable and a lever or pedal to pull it. Disc brakes are hard to engineer parking brakes for.

It's not that hard. You don't need an extra set of calipers or anything complicated like that to have parking brakes on an all disc brake car. BMW simply uses the inside of the brake disc on the rear axle for the parking brake. You have a similar drum style caliper that's cable driven to compress the shoes against the interior of the rear brake disc. Bloody simple design that avoids any oddities that come with drums.

 

[GaRailroader]

It's not that hard. You don't need an extra set of calipers or anything complicated like that to have parking brakes on an all disc brake car. BMW simply uses the inside of the brake disc on the rear axle for the parking brake. You have a similar drum style caliper that's cable driven to compress the shoes against the interior of the rear brake disc. Bloody simple design that avoids any oddities that come with drums.

What you are describing is a drum brake. On a disc brake rear, they add a smaller drum brake that can be mechanically actuated since the caliper on the disc brake cannot. The beauty of the rear drum set-up is that the parking brake can be done using the same drum and shoes as the hydraulic actuated system. On a rear disc set-up you have a disc and caliper for the hydraulic and then a smaller drum for the parking brake. I find it hard to believe that Slate couldn’t find a drum brake. At least, they need to do it on the rear, like VW has done on newer EVs.

 

[SichuanHot]

What you are describing is a drum brake. On a disc brake rear, they add a smaller drum brake that can be mechanically actuated since the caliper on the disc brake cannot. The beauty of the rear drum set-up is that the parking brake can be done using the same drum and shoes as the hydraulic actuated system. On a rear disc set-up you have a disc and caliper for the hydraulic and then a smaller drum for the parking brake. I find it hard to believe that Slate couldn’t find a drum brake. At least, they need to do it on the rear, like VW has done on newer EVs.

That's what it is, a drum on disc. The discs offer greater stopping power though, no? They look cooler too and are easier to maintain.

 

[Dorbiman]

That's what it is, a drum on disc. The discs offer greater stopping power though, no? They look cooler too and are easier to maintain.

At the end of the day I don't think it matters much. Most BEVs, even ones with relatively weak OPD, have brakes that last far longer than an ICEV. And drums are mechanically pretty simple, as is their maintenance. They're more protected from elements, which is a huge plus for a system that will probably not need brakes before 80,000 miles, and regen + front discs + rear drums offers tons of braking power.

I get you on the looks department though. Rotors & calipers do look much better imo.

 

[1yeliab_sufur1]

Then thing about companies not making any drum breaks is misleading there are plenty that do but it my be a over seas issue maybe not many here but you can buy brand new ones from a looooot of dealers but they are falling out of favor I will admit but diso break do better at stopping a car then drums that’s just fact because of the design plus if your worried about rust if it’s bare metal paint them not on the face though and rust and disk isn’t that big a deal for many many years mostly just surface but if it is on the face but use the breaks and it will come off but if it gets to bad may have have them turned for like 15 bucks at orilleys

 

[E90400K]

It's not that hard. You don't need an extra set of calipers or anything complicated like that to have parking brakes on an all disc brake car. BMW simply uses the inside of the brake disc on the rear axle for the parking brake. You have a similar drum style caliper that's cable driven to compress the shoes against the interior of the rear brake disc. Bloody simple design that avoids any oddities that come with drums.

My 1989 Acura Integra was very simple. A cable-actuated pin pushed the caliper piston against the pad.

 

[SichuanHot]

At the end of the day I don't think it matters much. Most BEVs, even ones with relatively weak OPD, have brakes that last far longer than an ICEV. And drums are mechanically pretty simple, as is their maintenance. They're more protected from elements, which is a huge plus for a system that will probably not need brakes before 80,000 miles, and regen + front discs + rear drums offers tons of braking power.

I get you on the looks department though. Rotors & calipers do look much better imo.

That's true I forgot about regenerative braking. I'm so used to discs all round from all my other cars.

 

[5ohbrad]

I can’t wait for more insight from Sandy Monro. This vehicle seems very near to him and his firm and incorporates many of the principles he preaches. I’m excited that a vehicle like this is being made- seemed like manufacturers had lost sight of building simple, reliable low cost vehicles. Hopefully this inspires more products like it. I’m losing interest in the Scout by the day- the concept seems to bend to much to the demands of consumers and I foresee the costs and complexity climbing out of control. Time will tell.

 

[cvollers]

I can’t wait for more insight from Sandy Monro. This vehicle seems very near to him and his firm and incorporates many of the principles he preaches. I’m excited that a vehicle like this is being made- seemed like manufacturers had lost sight of building simple, reliable low cost vehicles. Hopefully this inspires more products like it. I’m losing interest in the Scout by the day- the concept seems to bend to much to the demands of consumers and I foresee the costs and complexity climbing out of control. Time will tell.

I am also losing interest in Scout. I’m sure they will produce a fine vehicle but it’s more of a Rivian alternative for slightly less money than something completely new and affordable.

 

[5ohbrad]

I am also losing interest in Scout. I’m sure they will produce a fine vehicle but it’s more of a Rivian alternative for slightly less money than something completely new and affordable.

That was kinda my thinking too. I’m keeping my spot in line but it seems like a very complex vehicle with a lot of unrealistic expectations. My guess is it will roll out in more complicated fashion than my Lightning. There are so many variations that it will either take forever to produce or cost a fortune- but something has to give. The retro-nostalgia heritage play for a tech forward mall crawler is kinda gross. Scout is using the same strategy as Stellantis trying to make one platform do too many things. Ask Dodge how that is going!