Extended Battery Gone?

[dragondroptv]

The specs no longer show an extended battery option and the Range has increased to 205 miles estimated.

 

[dragondroptv]

Power windows gone too?

 

[EV Trek]

Well they say they listened to us about more standard range, so maybe if we keep asking about an extended range version they will add one before we actually order.

 

[Adam W]

Yes, just one 205 mile battery now. New supplier, and LFP.

From The Autopian:
https://www.theautopian.com/i-drove-the-new-slate-ev-truck-its-insanely-fun-for-24950/

The Slate truck’s battery pack, for example, has a capacity of 65 kWh gross, 63 kWh usable. Assembled in Illinois, the pack’s LFP cells are from Chinese supplier Gotion. This is a significant change from the 52 kWh NMC pack from South Korean manufacturer SK that Slate initially chose.

Slate says it stepped the base battery pack up due to overwhelming demand for the upgraded battery. “[Looking at] online reservations, people were opting up,” President of Vehicles Chris Barman told me. The 52 kWh pack that Slate initially showed at its debut last year promised a 150 mile base range, while a 84.3kWh upgrade was to offer 240 miles on a single charge. Now there’s just that single 65 kWh option whose size — along with some aerodynamic and thermal tweaks to the Slate — has brought expected range up to 205 miles.

 

[EJensen]

I'm torn about this. I was planning on getting the extended range battery and willing to pay extra for it. In reality, it's not like 205 is any different from 240 for a vehicle that will see less than 15 miles a day 99.9% of the time.

Still, it feels like I'm getting less than I expected while also paying less than I expected.

 

[Letas]

Well they say they listened to us about more standard range, so maybe if we keep asking about an extended range version they will add one before we actually order.

The switch to LFP means they can’t add a larger one, more than likely. Unless they did an extended range NMC pack, at the original quoted 240 mi range. The price of those extra 40 miles would likely not make sense for almost anyone

 

[tubes]

What is fascinating to me is that all our tea-leave reading of the "leaks" came true. The price. LFP. ONE SKU. And towing capacity.

 

[mikebreeze]

I am torn as well. 205 versus 240 is not that great a difference. But I would have liked to have gotten 240. So 25K plus 2K shipping plus between 1 and 2K for tax, tags and registration will bring the price to around 28 to 29K. It's probably less than the Ford Ranchero. But not by much.

 

[metroshot]

I'm torn about this. I was planning on getting the extended range battery and willing to pay extra for it. In reality, it's not like 205 is any different from 240 for a vehicle that will see less than 15 miles a day 99.9% of the time.

Still, it feels like I'm getting less then I expected while also paying less than I expected.

Not really, for the base price, you are getting an intermediate / upper range EV.

I think it's great that Slate is offering only 1 battery option and changed battery chemistry (LFP) so that you make most people happy.

My Mach E with 230 mile range is more than enough for daily commutes and long distance road trips, thanks to Tesla Superchargers I use 4 times a month.

I actually get 200 miles of range on the Mach E due to the 2" lift suspension, larger tires, non OEM RFT tires, and 19" wider rims.

 

[Nivek]

So 25K plus 2K shipping plus between 1 and 2K for tax, tags and registration will bring the price to around 28 to 29K. It's probably less than the Ford Ranchero. But not by much.

Yes, but a Ranchero, if Ford hits its 3k target, will still have to add all of those things.. the out the door price difference stays close to the same.

 

[metroshot]

Yes, but a Ranchero, if Ford hits its 3k target, will still have to add all of those things.. the out the door price difference stays close to the same.

My conundrum: get a Slate or wait for the Ford UEV for $30K......

 

[Nivek]

My conundrum: get a Slate or wait for the Ford UEV for $30K......

Well, if you dont need the back seats it should be relatively straight forward (Slate). If you need them, the conundrum starts.

 

[skidoofast]

It would be nice to have an extended battery that got you 300 miles

kind of disappointed if the extended is gone but not a deal breaker

might just allocate my estimated $3k to accessories

 

[bloo]

So the original thread were I complaind about this got locked. So I'll say here what I said there.

Dammit! There'no long-range version. 205 miles isn't enough for me. Winter range will be even worse.

I wanted this so bad and would've paid for the bigger battery. Why, Slate? Why?

 

[LevelHeaded]

So the original thread were I complaind about this got locked. So I'll say here what I said there.

Dammit! There'no long-range version. 205 miles isn't enough for me. Winter range will be even worse.

I wanted this so bad and would've paid for the bigger battery. Why, Slate? Why?

They answered this in one of the articles: the 205 range pack takes up 100% of the available battery room with the LFP cells, so if they wanted to also offer a higher-range option, they’d have to source a pack from a different supplier, with a different chemistry. Plausible in the future but obvious why they wouldn’t do that initially. One supplier, one cell chemistry, maxed out battery volume.