Article: Long Beach studio is designing America’s cheapest EV truck

The Weatherman

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First I ve heard of an option to paint. I’m guessing their assuming a buyer my elect to have it painted. Not a Slate Auto direct option.
 

bloo

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First I ve heard of an option to paint. I’m guessing their assuming a buyer my elect to have it painted. Not a Slate Auto direct option.
Same thoughts here.

A number of us have talked about painting these. I wonder if someone from Slate has been browsing the forums.
 

Johnologue

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Saw "colored wrap or paint" in the article when I double-checked, but I really thought they were just referring to the wraps incorrectly.
It's weird that the top of the article emphasizes paint without mentioning wraps.
 

ScooterAsheville

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I think it would be interesting if Slate just changed the color of the panels each model year. Gray year one. Subtle colors each following year. Won't bother the folks who wrap. Will make it more interesting for those who don't. I'm assuming there are other dyes that can be mixed into the panel material before molding, but I don't know that or how much it might cost.
 

GaRailroader

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I think it would be interesting if Slate just changed the color of the panels each model year. Gray year one. Subtle colors each following year. Won't bother the folks who wrap. Will make it more interesting for those who don't. I'm assuming there are other dyes that can be mixed into the panel material before molding, but I don't know that or how much it might cost.
I like it. Color coded by year.
 

KevinRS

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The article may have gotten wraps and paint confused.
On the grey color, it's probably mainly a mix of carbon black and titanium white, both of which should be stable in sunlight and UV, and absorb/reflect the harmful frequencies thus protecting the plastic. Other colors will tend to fade much more over time.
 

E90400K

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I think it would be interesting if Slate just changed the color of the panels each model year. Gray year one. Subtle colors each following year. Won't bother the folks who wrap. Will make it more interesting for those who don't. I'm assuming there are other dyes that can be mixed into the panel material before molding, but I don't know that or how much it might cost.
I brought this exact topic up several months ago and people tried to explain to me IDKWTF I was talking about. I suggested Slate can offer several molded-in-colors without much additional cost. I suggested pallete of 5 colors.

The "conversation" turned into a bisected GTFO because offering five different color choices was a manufacturing logistics nightmare (it's not) and the MIC pigment MUST only be slate gray because any other pigment would chemically not allow the plastic panels to survive the environmental assault from our beloved sun (it's not an issue).

https://www.slateforums.com/forum/t...blansky-motoman-podcast-006.13529/post-192868
 
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sodamo

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Don’t quite see changing color every year as being same as doing 5 colors same year. Still only building a single color blank Slate until the following year.
 

KevinRS

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I brought this exact topic up several months ago and people tried to explain to me IDKWTF I was talking about. I suggested Slate can offer several molded-in-colors without much additional cost. I suggested pallete of 5 colors.

The "conversation" turned into a bisected GTFO because offering five different color choices was a manufacturing logistics nightmare (it's not) and the MIC pigment MUST only be slate gray because any other pigment would chemically not allow the plastic panels to survive the environmental assault from our beloved sun (it's not an issue).
It's more that 1 color is simplest, and grey is the simplest to make relatively consistent and fade free cheaply. Color is an after purchase change you make.
Maybe in the future they will offer differently colored panels, but for now, no variations, the only thing the VIN number will tell you is the battery size and production order.
With other vehicles VIN tells you engine, transmission, and other variations on a model.
 
 
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