Carbon fiber body kit for Slate Truck

[bweber22]

Hey all, I reached out to slate about possibly collaborating on manufacturing a carbon fiber body kit for the slate truck! Hopefully the great people at slate agree to supply me with body panels (that i will return) to make a full carbon fiber slate truck!

whether they agree to collaborate or not i will still be making them when i get my personal slate and will likely sell body panels if anyone would be interested haha.

Some of you may ask why?
Lighter slate- longer range
Full carbon would be gorgeous
Could fit some peoples idea for a small RWD drift truck!

 

[1yeliab_sufur1]

Not a bad idea but I wonder just how heavy the original panels will be I could see the hood being significantly lighter but the smaller sides I’d see minimal gains but if we are min-maxing every wight lose counts I’d prefer colored panels instead of a wrap personally but I like the carbon fiber as well I hope they do get back to you

 

[KevinRS]

Same, the plastic panels aren't structural, the structure is steel underneath, so I doubt much weight difference to be had.

 

[Johnologue]

I also doubt the potential for weight savings against non-structural plastic panels. "Carbon fiber" typically refers to a polymer reinforced with carbon fibers, allowing parts to be lighter for a given strength.
I like the idea of saving weight in general, but I also don't think it's going to noticeably improve range. I understand that to be mostly aerodynamics-limited, and the truck would still have a boxy, upright profile dictated by the frame.

Would you need to be sent the panels? Or could you work with the 3D files that Slate has said they'll be releasing (presumably, once things are finalized for production)?

 

[E90400K]

What type of CF forming process are you going to use?

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Just looking back at my youth and VW dune buggy kits... Assuming Slate makes it to market... Even if Slate goes bankrupt after producing "n" vehicles... I could see kit car body shops popping up online, where you can just buy bolt in panels that convert your Slate truck into all kinds of funky creations.

Back in the day, and I mean, mid-last-century, you could open a car magazine (those used to be a bound paper thing that came in the mail, kids), and in the back pages would be a bunch of advertisements to send in $200 to $400 and get a dune buggy kit.

So you'd take your VW bug, rip it apart, attach the body kit, and voila, you'd have a dune buggy. Or a Mercedes front end. They were endlessly amusing and fun.

Yea, if Slate reaches volume production, it kiind of screams for body kits. Kind of a bummer that Slate isn't being built on a non-unibody frame with a detachable bed. Because then it would truly be endlessly flexible.

ps: Anybody remember the ads where you could drop $200 and get an entire WWII surplus Jeep packed in cosmoline?

 

[1yeliab_sufur1]

I also doubt the potential for weight savings against non-structural plastic panels. "Carbon fiber" typically refers to a polymer reinforced with carbon fibers, allowing parts to be lighter for a given strength.
I like the idea of saving weight in general, but I also don't think it's going to noticeably improve range. I understand that to be mostly aerodynamics-limited, and the truck would still have a boxy, upright profile dictated by the frame.

Would you need to be sent the panels? Or could you work with the 3D files that Slate has said they'll be releasing (presumably, once things are finalized for production)?

I think they would need the panels to make a proper mold you could 3d print them but prep,sanding,and all that just isn’t worth the time when you could get the panels from slate and it might even be cheaper over all

 

[Trace26]

Weight has a very small effect on range. Now if enough weight is safed it could help with cargo capacity.

 

[TexasSlate]

Weight has a very small effect on range. Now if enough weight is safed it could help with cargo capacity.

This is correct, but if you are able to fab body panels, maybe you could make an aero package. That could have a huge impact on highway range. And it could look really . . . interesting.

 

[AZFox]

IMHO a better way to improve range and performance will be to install lighter, narrower wheels and EV-specific tires, which will decrease rotational mass, reduce aerodynamic drag, and improve rolling resistance.

Even that won't make a colossal amount of difference.

 

[sidneyhornblower]

I like the idea of saving weight in general, but I also don't think it's going to noticeably improve range. I understand that to be mostly aerodynamics-limited...

This guy showed range to be significantly affected by aerodynamics with weight almost not a factor:

 

[1yeliab_sufur1]

This is correct, but if you are able to fab body panels, maybe you could make an aero package. That could have a huge impact on highway range. And it could look really . . . interesting.

oh dear lord what the hell is that heretical abomination

 

[bweber22]

I also doubt the potential for weight savings against non-structural plastic panels. "Carbon fiber" typically refers to a polymer reinforced with carbon fibers, allowing parts to be lighter for a given strength.
I like the idea of saving weight in general, but I also don't think it's going to noticeably improve range. I understand that to be mostly aerodynamics-limited, and the truck would still have a boxy, upright profile dictated by the frame.

Would you need to be sent the panels? Or could you work with the 3D files that Slate has said they'll be releasing (presumably, once things are finalized for production)?

While i agree that this will not make the car significantly lighter, it will definitely be lighter, just not by a ton.

also the main reason im doing this is for the coolness factor, we can all agree that a beautifully done carbon fiber slate would be amazing…

 

[bweber22]

This is correct, but if you are able to fab body panels, maybe you could make an aero package. That could have a huge impact on highway range. And it could look really . . . interesting.

While i hate this image, it does give me the idea for aero wheel covers…

 

[bweber22]

I think they would need the panels to make a proper mold you could 3d print them but prep,sanding,and all that just isn’t worth the time when you could get the panels from slate and it might even be cheaper over all

Yes i would want the oem panels to make proper molds off of them, while 3d printing is possible id like to finish it this century haha