Bigger may not be better when it comes to the battery.

[RevCaptJack]

My understanding is that the Slate comes with a 52.7-kWh battery which can be upgraded to an 84.3-kWh battery. That adds an additional 302 pounds to the little truck.

Range increases from 150 to 240 miles. So there is that.

The electric motor rated for 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, however, remains the same.

In my opinion, the heavier battery will make the handling feel sluggish, decrease acceleration and reduce the towing capacity and payload.

Because 98% of my time behind the wheel will be local, I think I will pocket the difference and on the rare occasion I choose it to take a long trip, use the money to buy snacks at Buc-ees while I charge up.

Makes sense to me. My slate would just be an around town truck anyway. We have another car for trips and a full-size pickup for pulling the boats.

 

[sodamo]

I already own a Honda CR-V. I needn't another one.

And I agree with the postulation that this company is starting with simple, and adding additional options later, similar to Volkswagen in prior decades. Slate is already rumored to be eventually offering AWD, for instance, and hope would be they'll eventually offer industry conquerable range as an additional option.

But what I'm saying in all this is, the vast majority of customers are going to want accessories and options along the lines of that which I previously outlined. And for those additions, Slate is going to have to offer them at a price point the same as, or better than, what competitors offer for the same components. For instance, eventually I'll likely be able to option/accessorize a Slate similar to what my present CR-V offers. And that will need to cost $38,667.25 or less, in present dollars, for those capabilities. I'm betting it'll cost more, which is not good. While we as enthusiats of modularity might be willing to pay more, most everyday plebes would not. And to survive, Slate must appeal to the masses, not just we niche customers.

So anyway, despite what many may believe, I'm very much a Slate proponent, and am willing to pay a bit more, give up some range, and live without four doors for the benefit of being able to change my vehicle to suit my wishes at any time (as long as I can get AWD, and it offers 1985 Toyota truck reliability). But I think Slate is going to have to offer closer to what my 2006 CR-V offers if they're going to survive as a company. I hope I'm wrong, but the market over the past 40 years hasn't shown that to be likely.

A possible difference. You got your CRV options together, installed as a package whereas the Slate has the flexibility to add after the initial purchase, hopefully as funds and desire changes. I’d suspect that even if you could get a bare bones CRV and then add those amenities after the fact the cost would increase dramatically. I know from following the Tundra forum after market mods get expensive fast.

 

[AZFox]

I just personally feel it suffers from some serious, potentially fatal flaws.

Pardon me for noticing something...

They're exaggerating the range.​

Additions will make it expensive.​

Range is poor.​

Lack of AWD is a daft, brain-dead omission. (<-- seriously?)​

Reduced confidence.​

Disappointment.​

Shortcomings could kill the company.​

It will cost $35 - $40K.​

EV incentive will not be there.​

And then...

​

"Anyway, none of this is meant to throw shade"​

Oops! Any solar panel you could put underneath that post would generate pretty near zero volts.

But what I'm saying in all this is, the vast majority of customers are going to want accessories and options along the lines of that which I previously outlined.

We can't know, obviously, but I'll speculate.

The vast majority of customers will want to leave their Slate as an inexpensive-to-operate and enjoyable little runabout pickup.

There are some hints in the Reservation Tracker, currently at 253 entries. Admittedly the tracker group may not a globally-representative sample group:

SUV - 14.2%
Cargo - 1.2%
Multiple - 34.0%
Pickup - 50.6%

Wrap 33.6%
Factory Gray - 66.4%

Regarding the thread's topic, the range is kinda skimpy when you consider that the state-of-charge should be kept between 20% and 80%. That's 90 miles Standard and 144 miles Long-Range. In mild weather. Unladen. With brand new batteries.

 

[metroshot]

.......

SUV - 14.2%
Cargo - 1.2%
Multiple - 34.0%
Pickup - 50.6%

Wrap 33.6%
Factory Gray - 66.4%

Regarding the thread's topic, the range is kinda skimpy when you consider that the state-of-charge should be kept between 20% and 80%. That's 90 miles Standard and 144 miles Long-Range. In mild weather. Unladen. With brand new batteries.

I agree the Slate is more of a basic mini pickup truck for daily chores/commuting. My order will be basic w/ extended range battery which will rival that of my current EV with a 240 mile range.

As for the battery range and charge I disagree.

I have never believed in under charging my EVs since all of them have SOC buffers built in and advanced BMS. Sort of like I don't believe in filling my ICE tanks to 80%.

Even charging to 100% does not mean the cells are truly going to 100%; there's a buffer built in - my Mach E has about 7% buffer built in so even when I charge to 100%, it's less than that in reality.

Never had an issue charging to 100% - always do it at home on L2 and on the road at Tesla Superchargers 5 times a month.

 

[E90400K]

I agree the Slate is more of a basic mini pickup truck for daily chores/commuting. My order will be basic w/ extended range battery which will rival that of my current EV with a 240 mile range.

As for the battery range and charge I disagree.

I have never believed in under charging my EVs since all of them have SOC buffers built in and advanced BMS. Sort of like I don't believe in filling my ICE tanks to 80%.

Even charging to 100% does not mean the cells are truly going to 100%; there's a buffer built in - my Mach E has about 7% buffer built in so even when I charge to 100%, it's less than that in reality.

Never had an issue charging to 100% - always do it at home on L2 and on the road at Tesla Superchargers 5 times a month.

But the charging curve for a gas tank is linear. That's the difference.

 

[SichuanHot]

I wouldn't be worried about charging to 100% battery nominal voltage either, usually ~4.2V. I've used and abused Lipo batteries on my RC planes for ages now and to my surprise a very cheap set of Lipos that I've had for almost 10 years still charges and discharges well and powers my fun little parkflier with no issues.

 

[AZFox]

Even charging to 100% does not mean the cells are truly going to 100%; there's a buffer built in - my Mach E has about 7% buffer built in so even when I charge to 100%, it's less than that in reality.

No doubt there will be a hidden buffer. They'd be crazy not to do that.

The reason I wrote that state-of-charge should be kept between 20% and 80% is because I looked it up and that's what I discovered.

I just looked it up again.

Question​

What kind of battery chemistry does a mustang mach e have?​

Answer​

The Ford Mustang Mach-E can have either a Nickel Cobalt Manganese (NCM) or a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry. The choice of battery depends on the model year and the specific range variant. [...]​

​

Question​

What kind of battery chemistry will a Slate Truck a have?​

Answer​

The Slate Truck will use nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries rather than the cheaper lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries. [...]​

​

Question​

Should an EV with nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries be charged to full capacity and/or discharged to near-zero capacity?​

Answer​

For electric vehicles (EVs) equipped with nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries, it is generally recommended to avoid charging them to 100% capacity and discharging them to near-zero capacity to maximize battery longevity.​

​

Charging NMC batteries to 100% every now and then is acceptable, but they should not be left at full charge for extended periods.​

​

It is also advised to keep the battery state of charge (SoC) within a moderate range, typically between 20% and 80%, to prevent excessive stress on the battery.​

​

Discharging NMC batteries to very low levels can also be detrimental to their health. Most EVs have built-in battery management systems (BMS) that prevent the battery from being completely discharged, but it is still best to avoid letting the battery drop below 20% if possible.​

​

Regularly charging and discharging NMC batteries within a narrower SoC range, such as between 40% and 80%, is believed to be better for the long-term health of the battery compared to frequently discharging it to very low levels or charging it to 100%.​

​

In summary, for optimal battery life, it is advisable to charge NMC batteries to around 80% and avoid discharging them below 20%, unless necessary for long trips.​

As an EV n00b I can't vouch for the veracity of this. Source is Brave Search. Popup links to web sources are provided in the answers there, but those didn't transfer to here.

 

[bartflossom]

My dream plane if I win the Lotto:

If I win the lottery...

 

[cvollers]

No doubt there will be a hidden buffer. They'd be crazy not to do that.

The reason I wrote that state-of-charge should be kept between 20% and 80% is because I looked it up and that's what I discovered.

I just looked it up again.

Question​

What kind of battery chemistry does a mustang mach e have?​

Answer​

The Ford Mustang Mach-E can have either a Nickel Cobalt Manganese (NCM) or a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry. The choice of battery depends on the model year and the specific range variant. [...]​

​

Question​

What kind of battery chemistry will a Slate Truck a have?​

Answer​

The Slate Truck will use nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries rather than the cheaper lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries. [...]​

​

Question​

Should an EV with nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries be charged to full capacity and/or discharged to near-zero capacity?​

Answer​

For electric vehicles (EVs) equipped with nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries, it is generally recommended to avoid charging them to 100% capacity and discharging them to near-zero capacity to maximize battery longevity.​

​

Charging NMC batteries to 100% every now and then is acceptable, but they should not be left at full charge for extended periods.​

​

It is also advised to keep the battery state of charge (SoC) within a moderate range, typically between 20% and 80%, to prevent excessive stress on the battery.​

​

Discharging NMC batteries to very low levels can also be detrimental to their health. Most EVs have built-in battery management systems (BMS) that prevent the battery from being completely discharged, but it is still best to avoid letting the battery drop below 20% if possible.​

​

Regularly charging and discharging NMC batteries within a narrower SoC range, such as between 40% and 80%, is believed to be better for the long-term health of the battery compared to frequently discharging it to very low levels or charging it to 100%.​

​

In summary, for optimal battery life, it is advisable to charge NMC batteries to around 80% and avoid discharging them below 20%, unless necessary for long trips.​

As an EV n00b I can't vouch for the veracity of this. Source is Brave Search. Popup links to web sources are provided in the answers there, but those didn't transfer to here.

I think multiple sources have confirmed that a 20-80% charge cycle is ideal for NMC.

 

[evtruth]

Slate hasn't been exactly clear about the range. It says the smaller battery is "good for 150 miles". Does that mean useable range down to a 20% SOC or is 150 miles at a depleted 52.7 kWh. If the latter, that's just a 120 miles of range if one takes the battery down to 20% SOC. Keep the battery on a trip with DCFC and 20% - 80% depletion cycles is just 90 miles. And that is in temperate weather.

Pretty much every manufacturer does 100% to 0% when stating range. I would bet on that being the same for Slate.