Article: Slate 'Aspires' to Launch More Vehicles After Two-Door Pickup Truck

[Mac-Tyson]

Maybe combine the first two (AWD Option + 4 Door Slate XL) on a
longer Slateboard chassis that will accommodate the four doors and a necessarily bigger battery.
• Second motor & AWD
• Heavier-duty suspension
• More weight capacity
• More towing capacity
• Parts and Accessories sharable with the OG model

Agreed but the Slate is already clearly been built with the idea of adding an AWD/4WD Option in the Near Future don't think we will need to wait for a Gen 2 or Slate XL for it. Question is should a Slate XL be a Full Size, Mid Size, or Maverick sized vehicle? Either way definitely think they should keep the SUV Kit. Since having it have a potential 3 Row option will definitely help it's future sales.

 

[AZFox]

What I'd like to see in a new model is a two door truck, pretty much the same as the original model, but with a longer bed.

👍 I forgot how many people there are who want a longer bed.

I'd personally prefer that over four doors.

Extended Cab would be cool.

 

[AZFox]

Agreed but the Slate is already clearly been built with the idea of adding an AWD/4WD Option in the Near Future don't think we will need to wait for a Gen 2 or Slate XL for it.

I don't think AWD will be an option for the Blank Slate 1.0. We'll find out!

The main reason I think AWD is being reserved for future offerings, not the first one, is because of what Eric Keipper said in the Rich Rebuilds video when Rich brought up the topic.

 

[Mac-Tyson]

I don't think AWD will be an option for the Blank Slate 1.0. We'll find out!

The main reason I think AWD is being reserved for future offerings, not the first one, is because of what Eric Keipper said in the Rich Rebuilds video when Rich brought up the topic.

From what I remember from the Rich Rebuilds video it felt like a maybe. There’s been multiple videos of people getting hands on with Slate and saying that there looks like there’s room for a front motor already built into the Slate Prototypes design. Jay Leno also mentioned something about the wheels that hinted at a future AWD option. I think we will get it for Slate 1.0 or a refresh but definitely not in the first couple of years. Which is why they are being vague about it.

 

[AZFox]

From what I remember from the Rich Rebuilds video it felt like a maybe.

Anyone interested can decide for themselves.

 

[KevinRS]

AWD may be a Slate 1.1 item, but the tradeoffs may be too harsh without making more changes than just adding a front motor and axles. Range and payload may go down too much for the taste of most.

 

[AZFox]

AWD may be a Slate 1.1 item, but the tradeoffs may be too harsh without making more changes than just adding a front motor and axles. Range and payload may go down too much for the taste of most.

This. Everything is dialed down pretty far on the OG model.

• What does a whole front powertrain weigh?
• How would it affect energy efficiency / range?
• How much extra software, etc. would be necessary?
• ???

That's why I was suggesting it would be more likely / appropriate for AWD to appear in an HD Truck with a longer Slateboard chassis with moar grrr all around.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Anyone interested can decide for themselves.

here's a link to the video starting at the point of the discussion about all wheel drive:



Eric Keipper is very tight-lipped about the future possibility of all wheel drive - so, no guarantees.

I suspect that this is for a couple of reasons:
1. Some interested purchasers would hold off for the all wheel drive version, and that would hamper their startup progress.
2. If it is announced as a future option that never materializes, Slate would suffer significant damage to their reputation.

His comments in the video certainly suggest that future all wheel drive was part of their design thinking but ongoing replies to the question point to rear wheel drive only at this point. Which makes sense to me because they haven't yet sold a single unit.

 

[1yeliab_sufur1]

do we think the next vehicle will the the complete opposite of the slate truck, a car with everything would be interesting, but i think it will be a slight if not substantial update to the at this point very loved truck

 

[atx_ev]

Agreed but the Slate is already clearly been built with the idea of adding an AWD/4WD Option in the Near Future don't think we will need to wait for a Gen 2 or Slate XL for it. Question is should a Slate XL be a Full Size, Mid Size, or Maverick sized vehicle? Either way definitely think they should keep the SUV Kit. Since having it have a potential 3 Row option will definitely help it's future sales.

I think AWD/4wd is next

Then a longer bed option - very easy to just tack it onto the existing structure

Anything after that is a major revision - car/4 door and starts to compete with existing brands.

 

[Sojourner]

The thread pic is of one VERY nice vehicle. Here's to hoping!

 

[AKrietzer]

My Dad had a '98 era Ranger, standard cab with the long bed. He had a large toolbox behind the cab, so the rest of the bed was more like 5.5 foot. I think if Slate (for a future model) would extend the bed to about 7 foot, add a slightly larger battery, part time AWD, and beef up the suspension to haul more, it would be a good seller. They could also add two doors on this same platform in the future for people who need that. People aren't likely to take a Slate off road so they wouldn't need full time all wheel drive. This would help if you wanted to tow or haul occasionally, but give a longer range when you aren't hauling anything.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

My Dad had a '98 era Ranger, standard cab with 8 foot bed. He had a large toolbox behind the cab, so the rest of the bed was more like 6 foot. I think if Slate (for a future model) would extend the bed to about 7 foot, add a slightly larger battery, part time AWD, and beef up the suspension to haul more, it would be a good seller. They could also add two doors on this same platform in the future for people who need that. People aren't likely to take a Slate off road so they wouldn't need full time all wheel drive. This would help if you wanted to tow or haul occasionally, but give a longer range when you aren't hauling anything.

Ranger long bed was 7', standard was 6'.
As for part/full time AWD, the way EVs usually handle it is with one motor being an induction motor so it can be turned off, or if they have dual permanent magnet motors they'll use a clutch disconnect.

 

[AKrietzer]

Ranger long bed was 7', standard was 6'.
As for part/full time AWD, the way EVs usually handle it is with one motor being an induction motor so it can be turned off, or if they have dual permanent magnet motors they'll use a clutch disconnect.

Corrected. I should have looked at more than one source for the Ranger. The first one said standard bed was 6 foot, long bed was 8 foot. Also his toolbox wasn't 2 foot wide, more like 18". It still had plenty of usable space behind the toolbox, plus there was some space under the toolbox for long items.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Auto industry history is inescapable. Slate doesn't "aspire" to have more models. Slate "must" have more models. Because "a stripper two-door truck is all we sell" company ain't gonna survive long. You need scale and products that address more than a teensy-tiny segment of the market.

I think the people at Slate are focused on at least getting a first product rolling off the assembly line. Then they have to sell it to 100,000+ people a year before they start making a penny of profit. Because a rule of the auto industry is that plants lose money below 80% utilization.

So we should all be cheering for Slate to scale, and scale fast. In our own self interest. Because we want Slate to still exist when things start breaking.