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

[RevCaptJack]

Well written list and I fully expect Slate to address appropriately.
While a professional evalution may be nice, too often I think they also reflect the writers bias. To be honest, I don’t remember last new vehicle I test drove., definitely not in last 20 years. wife did test drive her Subaru, but that was more a ploy on my part to get her decision.
I’m looking forward to being an early adopter. 2nd day reservation and hoping it’s here for my birthday, Nov 26.

I put $100 down and waited a year for one of the first smarts to enter the country. Only drove one around the block once before that. I’ve really enjoyed it for 17 years! Great little car and so easy to park anywhere. I’m going to miss that and would be keeping it. But the Slate looks too good to miss and I ain’t getting any younger. I hope to enjoy it also for several years before I pass it along to my grandson who is now 10 years old. 😊❤

 

[hbuck]

I put $100 down and waited a year for one of the first smarts to enter the country. Only drove one around the block once before that. I’ve really enjoyed it for 17 years! Great little car and so easy to park anywhere. I’m going to miss that and would be keeping it. But the Slate looks too good to miss and I ain’t getting any younger. I hope to enjoy it also for several years before I pass it along to my grandson who is now 10 years old. 😊❤

Me too. If they can make it a four down dingy behind my every I’m in.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

As long as the head isn't taking home 2 mil a year, I'm sure their financials are looking great.

Which head? The very nice CEO or El Jeffe and his merry band of capitalist investors?

 

[hbuck]

Which head? The very nice CEO or El Jeffe and his merry band of capitalist investors?

The nice ceo I believe head of development

 

[E90400K]

I expect the rear cab panel to be similar to the 4 removable roof panels on my Ford Bronco.

Those panels have overlapping lips between panel and body that sandwich a pair of neoprene gaskets. The panels have alignment pins and compression clips to secure them in place. I have never had a leak and the Bronco has seen extreme weather (torrential rains and blizzard snowfalls) at highway conditions and parked in the driveway.

I have a MIC top too. I'd like to see how the bulkhead gets tied down to the bed.

 

[RevCaptJack]

Me too. If they can make it a four down dingy behind my every I’m in.

I think some kind of autocorrect attacked your comment. ??

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I think some kind of autocorrect attacked your comment. ??

I blame autocorrect on all forms of my own impending dementia. All good.

 

[hbuck]

I think some kind of autocorrect attacked your comment. ??

It’s pretty accurate. I’m in because Slate is designing to disengage the trans so it can be 4 down behind my RV. Once the slate is certified other folks like blue ox will design to e baseplate, and hopefully they work together on the lighting. The brake on the blue ox is portable via Bluetooth

 

[RevCaptJack]

Me too. If they can make it a four down dingy behind my every I’m in.

What?!?

 

[RevCaptJack]

It’s pretty accurate. I’m in because Slate is designing to disengage the trans so it can be 4 down behind my RV. Once the slate is certified other folks like blue ox will design to e baseplate, and hopefully they work together on the lighting. The brake on the blue ox is portable via Bluetooth

Now I get it! 👍😊

 

[YDR37]

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

You won’t get this in every state. Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid all struggle with sales in certain states, due to state laws that restrict or ban direct-to-consumer auto sales. Even Tesla has to jump through hoops to sell vehicles in Texas, where they are headquartered. Slate will be no different — in fact, Slate may well face restrictions in Indiana, even though their factory is there.

If “every state” is a precondition for you, a lot of EV brands (not just Slate) could be out.

 

[KevinRS]

Some states don't allow direct sales at all, some only if they are not competing with dealers selling the same vehicles, and some have carved out an allowance only for Tesla.
Yes Indiana is one of them, they passed al law in 2017 blocking direct sales, but allowed an exclusion for " manufacturers that were granted a license to sell vehicles before July 1, 2015 and established a service center in the state prior to January 1, 2018." which is basically Tesla.

I searched and was kind of surprised just how many states don't allow direct sales. Everyone might want to do the same search and see if their states allow it, or if they will have to get their slate trucks across a border, or even hundreds of miles away.

 

[MIDgrid]

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. Slate has said that $700 million gets them to the first car sold. I want to see more capital injection to survive 2027.
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.
7. Simulation these days is highly accurate. But I still want to see those formal IHS and NHTSA ratings published after crash testing and evaluations are done.

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.

I love this list, but think it needs at least one more item:

8. Slate-backed auto insurance. Otherwise, the cost of ownership could tip in favor of the other established auto brands as they scramble to enter the small pickup market. And low cost of ownership is key to Slate's reservation holders and future buyers.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I love this list, but think it needs at least one more item:

8. Slate-backed auto insurance. Otherwise, the cost of ownership could tip in favor of the other established auto brands as they scramble to enter the small pickup market. And low cost of ownership is key to Slate's reservation holders and future buyers.

That’s a big lift, I’d think. How has Tesla’s worked out financially? (I honestly don’t know)