Early deliveries to be region based, with early reservations prioritized

[pendek244]

Where is this juicy detail from ? Do tell.

Hey Kevin,

My name is Katie, I am part of the team here at Slate Auto. We wanted to take the time to say thank you for submitting a question to Chris! We got so many amazing questions and were so thrilled you all were excited to learn more about us and what we are doing here. Therefore, we wanted to take some time to make sure each one of you got an answer to your questions.

We are still finilazing some details on our accessories such as trailer hitched, so stay tuned for more details. Additionally, we will not be offering the option of picking up your vehicle at this point in time. All vehicles will be delivered directly to your doorstep.

Thank you again for submitting your question. Also, don’t forget to update your address in your account so we can let you know when we’ll be in an area near you.

If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out to us via our contact us page, Or just hit reply and let me know what’s still on your mind. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Cheers✨
From Slate

 

[Doctors Do Little]

"Additional fee"...how bad do you want it delivered to you like Carvana?

I'm good to roll down to ATL and pick it off of some nondescript lot - perhaps akin to selecting a personal Storm Trooper out of a see of clones? Or, if they can get the Indiana politics sorted, maybe I'll roll up to Indiana and pick up my clone off of their non-descript lot? Lots of speculation.

Happy New Year, Slaters.

 

[sodamo]

Other than price, the delivery details are becoming the item of greatest interest to me. Ideally, delivery to a California location where most likely I‘d have to get topper and other accessories installed and then the extra delivery charge to get dropped off at shipping point either LA or San Diego. OR, depending on the cost, I fly LA, pickup Slate, install accessories myself, drive it to shipping point and fly back home. Will be interesting to figure which option is more cost effective and hope Slate allows time between ordering and delivery to figure out.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Other than price, the delivery details are becoming the item of greatest interest to me. Ideally, delivery to a California location where most likely I‘d have to get topper and other accessories installed and then the extra delivery charge to get dropped off at shipping point either LA or San Diego. OR, depending on the cost, I fly LA, pickup Slate, install accessories myself, drive it to shipping point and fly back home. Will be interesting to figure which option is more cost effective and hope Slate allows time between ordering and delivery to figure out.

So you are NOT coming to ATL for your pickup, David?

 

[sodamo]

So you are NOT coming to ATL for your pickup, David?

Think Slate would give me a better option, delivery Atl vs LA?

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Think Slate would give me a better option, delivery Atl vs LA?

I was going to offer my driveway (and a Coke) for you to make your mods!

 

[The Weatherman]

I have family living about 30mins away from the factory. Wonder if I can use that as my delivery address?

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I have family living about 30mins away from the factory. Wonder if I can use that as my delivery address?

If that works, you could lease their address for an even smaller delivery fee to impatient Slaters! I like the entrepreneurial spirit…

 

[sodamo]

I was going to offer my driveway (and a Coke) for you to make your mods!

Doing mods myself vs paying.

Challenge is with shipping to Hawaii. Normal mode is shippers do not allow anything extra inside a vehicle, meaning I couldn’t order SUV top as a flat pack and just ship in bed. Choices would be installed it ships as part of the truck or separately, meaning additional cost. Choices to evaluate. And then Sales Tax, sure don’t want to have to pay California sales tax and tax again in Hawaii. Hopefully I can get Slate to invoice me to Hawaii.

 

[KevinRS]

On the accessories, it may be a matter of just getting them shipped direct to Hawaii. It may cost more than a mainland delivery, but might not be enough to make it worth getting them installed before reshipping the truck.

The FAQ still says what it did originally

Slate has partnered with a national logistics and distribution partner making picking up your Slate friction free in most areas.​

​

For an additional fee, your Slate can be dropped off right at your door. ​

My hope would be that picking up the truck at whatever regional sites the partner has would be included in the price, if it isn't, it will probably be a standardized destination fee, which is legally required to be the same across the country with rare exceptions in AK and HI.
So most likely picking up the truck at or near the factory won't save anything compared to picking it up in Florida or California.

Mention of Carvana made me wonder if they could be the partner, but they only have 37 locations in 20 states, seems a bit thin. The partner could be one of several other national used car chains, Carmax has 259 locations in 42 states for example. It could also be someone else who ships cars and has storage space that we wouldn't think of.

 

[sodamo]

You got it Kevin. The only accessory that concerns me is the topper option, be it the SUV without seat and rollbar or the cargo top due to size and weight, both major factors in shipping anything here.

 

[cadblu]

Mention of Carvana made me wonder if they could be the partner, but they only have 37 locations in 20 states, seems a bit thin. The partner could be one of several other national used car chains, Carmax has 259 locations in 42 states for example. It could also be someone else who ships cars and has storage space that we wouldn't think of.

If Slate could strike a deal with Carmax, it would be a huge ‘win-win’ for all parties. Carmax is currently experiencing financial difficulties; a new deal to handle logistics for Slate could represent an infusion of cash it desperately needs. It would actually complement their used car sales and expand their business portfolio. There‘s likely to be a Carmax within driving distance for a majority of folks in this community, and they have the real estate to stage Slate trucks prior to delivery. The partnership would position Slate with better market penetration and visibility in major regional hubs around the country.

 

[KevinRS]

If Slate could strike a deal with Carmax, it would be a huge ‘win-win’ for all parties. Carmax is currently experiencing financial difficulties; a new deal to handle logistics for Slate could represent an infusion of cash it desperately needs. It would actually complement their used car sales and expand their business portfolio. There‘s likely to be a Carmax within driving distance for a majority of folks in this community, and they have the real estate to stage Slate trucks prior to delivery. The partnership would position Slate with better market penetration and visibility in major regional markets around the country.

The wording in the FAQ makes me think they already had a partner selected back when they posted it, in April? The reason they haven't announced would be a mutual NDA. I expect some time in the middle of next year, they announce it, along with lots of the other stuff everyone wants to hear.

 

[bloo]

If Slate could strike a deal with Carmax, it would be a huge ‘win-win’ for all parties. Carmax is currently experiencing financial difficulties; a new deal to handle logistics for Slate could represent an infusion of cash it desperately needs. It would actually complement their used car sales and expand their business portfolio. There‘s likely to be a Carmax within driving distance for a majority of folks in this community, and they have the real estate to stage Slate trucks prior to delivery. The partnership would position Slate with better market penetration and visibility in major regional hubs around the country.

Holy shit... I was thinking the exact same thing.

 

[LoneWolfo6]

Take all as a grain of salt…

This talk seems like similar 2019-2020 speculation and wishful thinking like CT Owners did before the supposed 2021 release of the CT.

All that changed in 2021 and everyone was wrong in the end with the new 2024 releases.

Tesla is still attempting to figure out efficiency in getting the CT sold and delivered.

Amazon please do not make that same mistake, only get us the facts!