Dear Slate - you need to show these things before I'll buy

[ScooterAsheville]

Don't get this thread wrong. I'm a huge Slate fanboy. I want them to succeed. I want a 174" single cab truck sold in the USA.

1. Show us the finished, production ready truck sometime in 2026, as promised. With everything working. Including the "app".
2. Test drives for us fanboys are nice. But what I really want to see is Slate delivering these trucks to mainstream auto journalists for weeklong evaluations. Because their job is evaluating trucks. That's not my job, and I'm not good at it (even though I've owned dozens of trucks over 50 years), and I certainly can't do it in a two minute drive around a parking lot. Auto journalists can properly assess it.
3. Demonstrate the financial resources and working capital to give us reasonable faith that you will be in business come warranty time. Because a warranty from a company that no longer exists is a piece of paper.
4. Demonstrate that you can sell the truck in my state (every state). Without me having to travel one state over to do the paperwork and delivery.
5. Clarify the service scenario. Show a nationwide list of service locations. Explain how service will work in detail, including your spare parts strategy.
6. Clarify pricing. Exactly. Not vaguely. And list any delivery and acquisition fees.

I believe that's a reasonable set of requirements for any sane prospective Slate buyer. It's reasonable to want to see professional evaluate a vehicle before you buy. It's reasonable to want to know if you can buy it without a 500 mile drive. It's reasonable to want to know that the company is likely to exist a year after you bought the vehicle. It's reasonable to know where you can get it serviced (and whether that is a 500 mile drive).

Assuming Slate delivers on these, and I believe they will, then I'll sit back and monitor the experience of other buyers for the first six months. I learned that lesson with my Maverick. I waited a year, and read endless horror stories from early buyers.

Repeat: I'm a huge Slate fanboy.

 

[KevinRS]

I think most of those are planned for some time in around 6 months to a year. Not sure on 3 as to how they would do it.

 

[E90400K]

I still want to know about the seal design of the front bed wall keeping water out of the cab.

 

[Mac-Tyson]

Don't get this thread wrong. I'm a huge Slate fanboy. I want them to succeed. I want a 174" single cab truck sold in the USA.

1. Show us the finished, production ready truck sometime in 2026, as promised. With everything working. Including the "app".
2. Test drives for us fanboys are nice. But what I really want to see is Slate delivering these trucks to mainstream auto journalists for weeklong evaluations. Because their job is evaluating trucks. That's not my job, and I'm not good at it (even though I've owned dozens of trucks over 50 years), and I certainly can't do it in a two minute drive around a parking lot. Auto journalists can properly assess it.
3. Demonstrate the financial resources and working capital to give us reasonable faith that you will be in business come warranty time. Because a warranty from a company that no longer exists is a piece of paper.
4. Demonstrate that you can sell the truck in my state (every state). Without me having to travel one state over to do the paperwork and delivery.
5. Clarify the service scenario. Show a nationwide list of service locations. Explain how service will work in detail, including your spare parts strategy.
6. Clarify pricing. Exactly. Not vaguely. And list any delivery and acquisition fees.

I believe that's a reasonable set of requirements for any sane prospective Slate buyer. It's reasonable to want to see professional evaluate a vehicle before you buy. It's reasonable to want to know if you can buy it without a 500 mile drive. It's reasonable to want to know that the company is likely to exist a year after you bought the vehicle. It's reasonable to know where you can get it serviced (and whether that is a 500 mile drive).

Assuming Slate delivers on these, and I believe they will, then I'll sit back and monitor the experience of other buyers for the first six months. I learned that lesson with my Maverick. I waited a year, and read endless horror stories from early buyers.

Repeat: I'm a huge Slate fanboy.

3 is pretty well known already they have raised over $700 million in their first two rounds of funding and are currently undergoing their third round of fund raising. With their excellent marketing campaign and securing big fish investors the will likely be getting a good mix of big fish and small fish investors in this 3rd round. Plus the two co-founders are billionaires in themselves and their leadership team consists of automotive executive veterans. Very confident they will make it to market and manage their funds well.