Documentary: How a Slate beats the heat (hot weather testing / towing)

[jwocky]

AI summary:

• Testing Location and Goal: The team chose the Davis Dam area, described as one of the United States' harshest environments, to test and validate their product, ensuring it is ready for customers [00:15]. A key objective was to confirm the thermal system's performance, allowing the vehicle to make it up the dam and back [00:47].
  
  
• Development Process: The team emphasizes that finding and fixing issues during the development phase is critical, stating that even having problems is a good thing as it allows them to root cause and fix them [00:30]. This physical validation follows three years of designing, benchmarking, CAD, and CAE modeling [01:34].
  
  
• Results: The testing was a success, with the vehicle going up the grade with no challenges to the battery or cabin temperatures [01:20]. The cabin temperature remained stable at 17°C (about 63°F) [01:03].
  
  
• Conclusion: The vehicle's thermal system performed as expected, successfully keeping both the battery and the occupants cool [02:04]. The team noted that everyone is "all in" on making the product great [02:26]. The next step involves getting final runs in before heading to Las Vegas ("Sin City") to gather traffic data in the hot sun [01:47].

 

[RevCaptJack]

AI summary:

• Testing Location and Goal: The team chose the Davis Dam area, described as one of the United States' harshest environments, to test and validate their product, ensuring it is ready for customers [00:15]. A key objective was to confirm the thermal system's performance, allowing the vehicle to make it up the dam and back [00:47].
  
  
• Development Process: The team emphasizes that finding and fixing issues during the development phase is critical, stating that even having problems is a good thing as it allows them to root cause and fix them [00:30]. This physical validation follows three years of designing, benchmarking, CAD, and CAE modeling [01:34].
  
  
• Results: The testing was a success, with the vehicle going up the grade with no challenges to the battery or cabin temperatures [01:20]. The cabin temperature remained stable at 17°C (about 63°F) [01:03].
  
  
• Conclusion: The vehicle's thermal system performed as expected, successfully keeping both the battery and the occupants cool [02:04]. The team noted that everyone is "all in" on making the product great [02:26]. The next step involves getting final runs in before heading to Las Vegas ("Sin City") to gather traffic data in the hot sun [01:47].

. Really happy to see good results with the heat. I live in Florida and heat is an issue. Sounds like the Slate will handle it well! 👍. Can’t wait!

 

[RevCaptJack]

so happy to see the Slate handled the heat so well! I live in Florida and it will see plenty of heat! Can’t wait! 👍

 

[Doctors Do Little]

so happy to see the Slate handled the heat so well! I live in Florida and it will see plenty of heat! Can’t wait! 👍

Agree! Thank goodness I don't have to worry about....oh wait, I'm in GA...yeah, heat.

 

[AZFox]

Where I live 104°F isn't considered "extreme".

I've owned cars with A/C that works fine at 104°F but struggles at higher temperatures.

The Phoenix metro area is called "The Valley of the Sun" for a reason. This year's record-high day was 118°F.

 

[KevinRS]

Where I live 104°F isn't considered "extreme".

I've owned cars with A/C that works fine at 104°F but struggles at higher temperatures.

The Phoenix metro area is called "The Valley of the Sun" for a reason. This year's record-high day was 118°F.

The test, on that particular road, is part of the standard test to certify tow ratings. Must be done with temp over 100, with max payload and max trailer weight, with a bunch of rules about the trailer, and has to get from stop to a certain speed in a certain time limit on a grade, along with making that drive up that road without dropping below 40 mph with full AC on etc. That's just part of it, and part of the tests, it's a 27 page document.

If it maintained 63F in that test at 104F temps, it will probably do just fine at 118 with less load and not climbing that grade. I'd probably be sure to add more window tint if I lived in Arizona though. I'm in southern California, the law is more restrictive on tint, but I do plan to get some level of additional tint here.

 

[HTXSlate]

Video not working for me using the link in post 1. Error has occurred.

Found it on the tubes. Meh. Did not really say much other than they passed the minimum test. Which is good.