Article: "Slate Auto’s Sophomore Album Problem: What Comes Next?" -- what do you think?

[adele]

Given Slate's leanings toward keeping things simple, I'd expect the front of Slate Coupe to be the same as the Truck from the doors forward.

A sedan/coupe should have a lower hood height than a truck though. Lower hood height gives you much better visibility in front of you. That's why my dad taught me to drive in a sedan first, so I could learn how to stay in the lines and not hit curbs, before he let me drive a truck.

The Slate's hood height looks short for a truck, which is good, but too tall for a sedan I think.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

A sedan/coupe should have a lower hood height than a truck though. Lower hood height gives you much better visibility in front of you. That's why my dad taught me to drive in a sedan first, so I could learn how to stay in the lines and not hit curbs, before he let me drive a truck.

The Slate's hood height looks short for a truck, which is good, but too tall for a sedan I think.

Aha! That explains everything! I was driving the 1970 Chevy pickup around the farm at 10 years old. I couldn’t see over the steering wheel, nevermind the hood. I drove slowly and usually didn’t hit curbs hard. Obviously the truck had evidence of my driving lessons.

 

[adele]

Aha! That explains everything! I was driving the 1970 Chevy pickup around the farm at 10 years old. I couldn’t see over the steering wheel, nevermind the hood. I drove slowly and usually didn’t hit curbs hard. Obviously the truck had evidence of my driving lessons.

And that's not even as bad as kids learning to drive in the average 2020s truck.
https://jensorensen.com/2022/12/07/truck-suv-frontover-blind-zone-cartoon/

The Slate truck is obviously nowhere near this level of insanity, but I still feel more comfortable driving (and especially teaching my kid to drive) in a sedan with a low and sloping hood. That's also why USPS recently was in the headlines for redesigning their mail trucks with the goofy "duck-bill" front. The lower hood height lets the mail drivers see small children running around on residential streets.

 

[E90400K]

I know it was a meme but it has grown on me.

Seems AI has a penchant for mid-1980's BMWs.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Seems AI has a penchant for mid-1980's BMWs.

I loved the look of those sedans. I never drove one, b/c, well, my parents weren't rich. There must be an AI hallucination bias in there?

 

[SichuanHot]

Seems AI has a penchant for mid-1980's BMWs.

Front looks more VW Corrado/VW Rabbit MK1 and rear Benz W201 E190E.

 

[Luxrage]

And that's not even as bad as kids learning to drive in the average 2020s truck.
https://jensorensen.com/2022/12/07/truck-suv-frontover-blind-zone-cartoon/

The Slate truck is obviously nowhere near this level of insanity, but I still feel more comfortable driving (and especially teaching my kid to drive) in a sedan with a low and sloping hood. That's also why USPS recently was in the headlines for redesigning their mail trucks with the goofy "duck-bill" front. The lower hood height lets the mail drivers see small children running around on residential streets.

In one of the photos of the Slate at the Detroit showing, there's a kid who looks to be 12 or 13 next to the Slate. The hood comes up to about his shoulders.

Given Slate's own size comparison on their site, he'd be completely invisible to a Silverado.

 

[Bo’sFarmGeneva]

I do wonder what kind of safety rating the Telo truck would get with your legs being right behind the bumper? Modern vehicles have crumple zones for head on collisions that that design just doesn't have room for. Also is there any secure, out of sight storage? if not, it may work for a fleet vehicle, but kind of hard to use as a personal daily driver.

Just like a Volkswagen

 

[catiare]

I do wonder what kind of safety rating the Telo truck would get with your legs being right behind the bumper? Modern vehicles have crumple zones for head on collisions that that design just doesn't have room for. Also is there any secure, out of sight storage? if not, it may work for a fleet vehicle, but kind of hard to use as a personal daily driver.

As per Interviews that I've watched with the Telo CEO, he claims the car will meet the front crash standards and crumple zones despite such a small front.

Regarding the out of sigh storage they will have a gear tunnel like the Rivian.

 

[Dorbiman]

My understanding is that it actually needs a smaller crumple zone since there's no engine block decreasing the ability to absorb an impact

 

[catiare]

My understanding is that it actually needs a smaller crumple zone since there's no engine block decreasing the ability to absorb an impact

Correct. I found the video where this is explained:

 

[KevinRS]

I guess thinking about it, engine compartments have gotten tighter, if the Telo does have 14 inches of space from inside the bumper to the "firewall" that may help, but even with modern ICE vehicles, there is space between the bumper and radiator, radiator and engine, etc that adds up, and each bit hitting the next absorbs energy, some parts may deflect downward, etc. The concern would be in an accident that pushes a bumper 2 feet or more into the engine compartment, what happens to a Telo?
Hood height is a concern with most trucks now, less so with the Slate, main issue with Telo seems to be they seem to plan to keep production low for a while: low enough that it may be years before most of us see them on the road.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I guess thinking about it, engine compartments have gotten tighter, if the Telo does have 14 inches of space from inside the bumper to the "firewall" that may help, but even with modern ICE vehicles, there is space between the bumper and radiator, radiator and engine, etc that adds up, and each bit hitting the next absorbs energy, some parts may deflect downward, etc. The concern would be in an accident that pushes a bumper 2 feet or more into the engine compartment, what happens to a Telo?
Hood height is a concern with most trucks now, less so with the Slate, main issue with Telo seems to be they seem to plan to keep production low for a while: low enough that it may be years before most of us see them on the road.

Well heck, if they keep them rare, it becomes a moot point for us boring Slate groupies. We'll be plugging along and relying on our gauche frunks to catch the brunt of our carelessly rear-ending the cars in front of us.

 

[KevinRS]

Well heck, if they keep them rare, it becomes a moot point for us boring Slate groupies. We'll be plugging along and relying on our gauche frunks to catch the brunt of our carelessly rear-ending the cars in front of us.

yeah, whatever the Telo does with 14 inches, the slate has multiple feet that can crush down to under a foot in a serious crash before the cabin is touched, and the plastic lined frunk and it's contents won't be an issue unless you filled it with concrete blocks or something.