Articles and Videos of Interest That Don't Merit Their Own Threads

[AZFox]

Some content I find is interesting enough to post, but not important enough to merit starting a thread, like this article:

Inside EVs: Rivian, Lucid And Slate Face A Tough Road Ahead
https://insideevs.com/news/767977/rivian-slate-lucid-tax-credit/

Let's talk about newcomers like Rivian, Lucid and Slate Auto. Many of these brands were banking on the EV tax credit to help grow their brands, and now that it's going away in less than two months, these brands will have to compete with legacy automakers who can ride out the storm thanks to a mix of old money and carbon-burning combustion engines.​

 

[ScooterAsheville]

The beautiful thing about time is that it inevitably passes. And after it does, we all see with perfect clarity who was "full of it" and who wasn't. Usually, when I look back at my predictions, I was the one "full of it". Oh wait, I got that wrong. Usually, almost everyone was "full of it".

And "automotive journalists" chasing views? I think they come out of their mothers' wombs already "full of it".

In 5 years we'll look back and know what was BS and what wasn't. I'm content to sit back, grab some popcorn, and watch this crazy show called reality unfold. All the predictions about what's about to happen - which change every six months - that's just background noise.

 

[1yeliab_sufur1]

I reallllly don’t think rivian was banking on that tax credit maybe slate and I don’t know enough about lucid to say but I can bet that rivian doesn’t care since you know the whole already bleeding money thing idk if they are now but I know last year they definitely were

 

[Dorbiman]

Rivians didn't quality for the tax credit anyway

 

[1yeliab_sufur1]

True no one can predict the future but what I hate with a passion is people just straight up saying “oh the slate is just going to fail” because they don’t like it and do t really give a good argument like one is “oh well a lot of past ev start ups failed so this will to” it just seems very pessimistic but then they will rave about let’s say the Chevy bolt or the ford lightning it just annoys me

 

[AZFox]

Rivians didn't quality for the tax credit anyway

Apparently some of of them qualify, some don't. When they do it's partial ($3,750). But wait, there more! There's a workaround to get the full $7,500.

This comes from an AI bot, so it may not be accurate:

Rivian Tax Credit Eligibility​

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Rivian vehicles do not currently qualify for the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit when purchased in 2025.​

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The eligibility for the full credit expired on December 31, 2024, and Rivian has not yet met the stricter requirements for battery materials and components, which mandate that a significant portion of the battery's critical minerals and components be sourced from the United States or its trade partners. As a result, the full $7,500 credit is not available for new purchases.​

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However, Rivian vehicles that meet the $80,000 MSRP cap are eligible for a partial $3,750 federal tax credit when purchased. This partial credit applies to specific configurations, including the base R1S and R1T models with Standard and Standard+ battery packs.​

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For those seeking the $7,500 credit, a workaround exists: leasing a Rivian and then buying out the lease immediately allows the lessee to claim the $7,500 tax credit, as the credit is available for leases regardless of the battery sourcing requirements. This strategy has been successfully used by some customers to secure the full credit.​

What a mess!

 

[AZFox]

Pertinent because of Slate Auto's direct-to-consumer model...

Carscoops: Rivian’s Lawsuit Exposes The Car Industry’s Most Absurd Barrier
The electric carmaker argues that the state's ban on direct sales makes no sense
https://www.carscoops.com/2025/08/rivian-sues-ohio-in-effort-to-sell-direct-to-consumers/

See also:
Automotive News: Rivian sues Ohio over direct-sales ban that exempts EV rival Tesla
https://www.autonews.com/rivian/an-rivian-sues-ohio-over-direct-sales-ban/

 

[motorolas]

Critical perspective of the Slate

 

[Mac-Tyson]

Some content I find is interesting enough to post, but not important enough to merit starting a thread, like this article:

Inside EVs: Rivian, Lucid And Slate Face A Tough Road Ahead
https://insideevs.com/news/767977/rivian-slate-lucid-tax-credit/

Let's talk about newcomers like Rivian, Lucid and Slate Auto. Many of these brands were banking on the EV tax credit to help grow their brands, and now that it's going away in less than two months, these brands will have to compete with legacy automakers who can ride out the storm thanks to a mix of old money and carbon-burning combustion engines.​

The advantage they have though is because of it Legacy Manufacturers are either pumping the brakes on EVS in the US for a slower rollout or pulling out entirely and focusing on ICE sales for the US market. This gives the EV startups breathing room to capture greater market share and achieve their goal of becoming profitable.

The lack of tax credit hurts them and puts them at risk of failing but they might also come out stronger because of it. Unlike other markets that are artificially subsidizing EV's for faster adoption, EVs in the US now need to compete directly against ICE vehicles. Which means the market is going to incentivize them to develop and become even better alternatives for the value than their ICE competitors. Slate is already ahead of the curve on this, they understand that they aren't just competing with ICE vehicles but the used market as well. That's why they are focusing on the critical pieces like a 5 star safety rating to counteract the conception that smaller vehicles are less safe, easy serviceability for the cost savings over the life of the vehicle not just the initial cost (along with all the saving you get from it being BEV), and most importantly being the cheapest pickup truck on the market when it launches.

But the biggest thing that's going to determine their success imo (especially now with the tax credit gone) is timing. Rivian launched perfectly, they launched a full size pickup truck just as the market was about to favor Full Size BEV Pickups. They were able to ride that full wave. But they've kind of dropped the ball on the R2. The market is currently favoring Crossovers/SUVs in the 40-50K range. The R2 is their product for that market but it's still not out. With no further delays it will be released next year at the tail end of this wave and right as the affordable EV wave is coming. Which is Slate's advantage.

Tesla has seemingly abandoned the Model 2/Q for the time being to focus on robotaxi's, but are expected to release a cheaper Model Y instead. The Chevy Bolt is coming back. A new generation Nissan Leaf is releasing. Finally, Ford is set to announce their affordable EV platform next week. Slate has the advantage currently since they were first to announce which made them go viral and created strong brand awareness. That's huge for a startup. But now they need to release on time, on price at mid-20K, and with as little further compromises as possible to achieve said price. If they can, then they can ride that full wave and achieve profitability as quickly as they estimate.

 

[AZFox]

Critical perspective of the Slate

TL;DR: The automotive press will poo-poo the Slate because the automotive press is supported by the established manufacturers.

I've been listening to a podcast about "Media Deconstruction" (the No Agenda Podcast) for 17 years now. Let me jump to the conclusion by telling you this:

All "news" is narrative, at least to some degree.​

For the automotive industry (or any industry, for that matter) the journalists need access. If they don't toe the line of the manufacturers they'll get cut off.

For this reason and others, expect a lot of Narrative Banana Peels to be thrown out there for Slate Auto to slip on.

 

[AZFox]

The advantage they have though is because of it Legacy Manufacturers are either pumping the brakes on EVS in the US for a slower rollout or pulling out entirely and focusing on ICE sales for the US market. This gives the EV startups breathing room to capture greater market share and achieve their goal of becoming profitable.

This is a good way to look at it.

Slate has the advantage currently since they were first to announce which made them go viral and created strong brand awareness. That's huge for a startup.

First Mover Advantage is worth a lot.

 

[Dorbiman]

TL;DR: The automotive press will poo-poo the Slate because the automotive press is supported by the established manufacturers.

I've been listening to a podcast about "Media Deconstruction" (the No Agenda Podcast) for 17 years now. Let me jump to the conclusion by telling you this:

All "news" is narrative, at least to some degree.​

For the automotive industry (or any industry, for that matter) the journalists need access. If they don't toe the line of the manufacturers they'll get cut off.

For this reason and others, expect a lot of Narrative Banana Peels to be thrown out there for Slate Auto to slip on.

It's quite a silly piece, in my opinion. Especially the stance that wealthy individuals only buy EVs to virtue signal. Honestly, just a craptastic article through and through haha

 

[motorolas]

TL;DR: The automotive press will poo-poo the Slate because the automotive press is supported by the established manufacturers.

I've been listening to a podcast about "Media Deconstruction" (the No Agenda Podcast) for 17 years now. Let me jump to the conclusion by telling you this:

All "news" is narrative, at least to some degree.​

For the automotive industry (or any industry, for that matter) the journalists need access. If they don't toe the line of the manufacturers they'll get cut off.

For this reason and others, expect a lot of Narrative Banana Peels to be thrown out there for Slate Auto to slip on.

Almost didn’t want to give the time of day, but thought it was worth a read to get a view on the perspectives of others. At the end of the day, I think there are a lot of things that are done right so far with Slate. Before the idea of the Slate Truck, I didn’t even consider EVs. I was looking at getting another used Honda Fit used car or a used Toyota Prius, and that I missed small trucks.

 

[KevinRS]

Part of the problem with that "wealthy buy EVs" has been that EVs have mostly been priced out of the range of any but the wealthy. Even with the tax credit, you could only apply that credit against your tax liability, so at a bare minimum you have to be making about $75k to get the full credit after accounting for the standard deduction and tax rates. Anything else that brings your taxable income down or other deductions mean you get less unless you make more. So automakers were disincentivized to make and market to anything but the luxury crowd for max profits.

Just before Slate was announced, I'd looked up what was available for EV trucks, it's basically all $70k+, besides a trim package that showed inventory of 1 each at only a handful of dealers in all of Southern California. That seems to be one held so they can say they have it, and not sell it, instead try to upsell you to something else. Tesla should have had a cheaper model years ago, but it wouldn't have made the same profits.