AWD! Please!

[Letas]

Those other manufacturers have been around for 50+ years and have a diverse product portfolio, a mature supply chain, brand recognition, actual revenue, etc.

No one has said that Slate won't eventually offer all kinds of drivetrain options. Slate themselves has clearly said they plan to offer more configurations in the future. But waiting for all that to be available before they ship the first truck would be financial suicide.

"We are going to build a super customizable car that people have been wanting! Just buy this completely not-customizable one to give us some money, we promise it will be customizable in the future! You may or may not have to but an entirely new truck to get said customizations"


They don't get brownie points for being a startup. They need to compete in the market.

 

[Kopsis]

They don't get brownie points for being a startup. They need to compete in the market.

They need to compete in a market -- it doesn't necessarily have to be the one you want them in. I've had a single-digit employee ID number at a VC funded startup, so I know first-hand what it's like trying to get to sustainability before the VC money dries up. You don't try to match the 800lb gorillas. You target an underserved niche and offer a very focused solution. It doesn't matter if 99% of the market is out of your grasp if you can get to sustainability on that 1%. Many tallented startups have failed by trying to offer too much, instead of being hyper-focused and getting minimum viable product out the door quickly.

Slate has done the research, crunched the numbers and determined that what they have planned for their initial offering is the best path to sustainability. I think they got it right. Clearly you don't. The next 12 months will tell us who's right, but either way the initial offering isn't going to change.

 

[Driven5]

Trim levels and packaged options are commoditization, not customization.

I really don't get the RWD vs AWD angst... Most want it, many pay for it, and few need it. It'll be shortly to follow regardless of any individual feelings either way about it. So aside from outrage for outrages sake, there really should be nothing to get worked up about.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

I'm a long time automotive forum veteran, so I know better to than to wade into any argument about whether or not you *need* AWD. Everyone's use case is different, and no one will change anyone's mind about it. (I live in one of the snowiest areas of the country, and there's only rare occasions I would *need* it)

So leaving that alone, it's worth remembering that the Slate's front end is designed to accept a front motor. So there will absolutely be an AWD Slate eventually. The only open question is if a front motor can be added after the fact.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

Ok fine, I'll pick a fight

2wd with a locker > awd with open diffs

Gimme a locker option slate

 

[Letas]

Trim levels and packaged options are commoditization, not customization.

I really don't get the RWD vs AWD angst... Most want it, many pay for it, and few need it. It'll be shortly to follow regardless of any individual feelings either way about it. So aside from outrage for outrages sake, there really should be nothing to get worked up about.

Offering options, even if bundled with other less desirable options, is a greater form of customization than not offering options at all.

 

[Driven5]

 

[smack daddy]

How much extra should the mandatory optional AWD cost?

250$

 

[smack daddy]

The sad thing is I need true 4 wheel drive not awd I like to ride on the beach and every now and then I have to drive off road in mud

 

[GaRailroader]

The sad thing is I need true 4 wheel drive not awd I like to ride on the beach and every now and then I have to drive off road in mud

I would think a dual motor EV would operate more like 4WD and not like AWD on an ICE vehicle. Typically on an AWD ICE vehicle there is a differential between the front and rear axles to allow different rotational speeds of the axles without putting the drivetrain in a bind on dry pavement. On a dual motor EV the motors can spin at different speeds and there is no connection between the axles like on an ICE vehicle. Likely would have open differentials on both axles though but that is probably pretty typical of an ICE 4WD as well.

 

[TomFrank]

2wd with a locker > awd with open diffs

Gimme a locker option slate

I think instead of the locker option Slate will use the ABS to lock the slipping wheel. Electronic limited slip, aka traction control. It'll get the job done and will save weight...the ABS hardware will be there already

 

[sodamo]

I think it has to be mandatory to have an option for a four-wheel-drive all-wheel-drive for a truck. I think I would be on the fence and would mostly like bail on my reservation without all-wheel-drive and I think there are many others that feel the same.

Mandatory??? Hardly realized such a thing was available my 1st 50 years of driving. And I grew up in Maine, plenty snow.

 

[Susan]

Guess I won’t be driving my Slate up the mountain.

A true 4WD (Four-Wheel Drive) with low-range capability is mandatory for driving past the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station (VIS) to the summit, as AWD (All-Wheel Drive) vehicles lack the necessary low-range gearing for safe descent, and 2WD vehicles are strictly prohibited due to the steep, unpaved, and rough summit road.

For a minute, I was thinking of Haleakala, on Maui, where people descend on bikes. Haven't done it myself though it sounds marvelous.

 

[E90400K]

Ok fine, I'll pick a fight

2wd with a locker > awd with open diffs

Gimme a locker option slate

I think you mean "limited slip". No street vehicle that is 2WD has an electronically locking differential.

Modern vehicles with ABS now use the ABS system to mimic a limited slip differential.

 

[beatle]

There are plenty of 2WD vehicles still made today with a mechanical LSD, though I agree that Slate specifically will almost surely use electronic ABS to transfer torque. Porsche/Audi and Hyundai/KIA are some of the only manufacturers to use a mechanical LSD, though it's still electronically controlled.