I think I am “over The Slate”

[RetiredOnPaper]

A Slate will not be for everyone. Dark Star seems to have thought this through. In reading the posts in there forums I see many who do not get the concept of the DIY Slate. Nor do they seem to understand where the "value" of the Slate is; Safety and battery temperature management are where the $$$ goes. I look forward to setting up my Slate with what I consider to be essentials. Battery size remains the biggest issue based on my 8 years of Tesla experience. I could limp along with the small battery ( 150 mi = 120 @ 80% charge or 110 after a year...<100 in 7 years) but the 240 mile battery would give it much longer term value. I still look forward to my Slate, but I am being clear eyed about what I am getting. Still I have questions about what electrical "hookups" will be available...this is an area that Slate is not really clear on. (This is something I know I can work around, but if Slate's business model is DIY and after market, then this is critical information.)

 

[drizzle]

I want to love the slate so bad and am still planing on waiting but it is hard to then it has no standard features ( radio power windows) not having the extended battery as the standard and no AWD. These few things would make it a no brainer for me especially if you got that for about 25k. I want to customize it my self and do the DIY work to it as well, but power windows and radio cmon

 

[Kopsis]

Then there’s the fact that I’d need to add at least a few basics just to make it workable for my needs, like the SUV kit and a stereo.

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I feel like the SUV kit is little more than a parlor trick. It makes for a cool demo that gets press coverage, but Slate's biggest selling point it offers something that's been abandoned in the US - a small pickup.

As soon as you give up the pickup form-factor, you have a $30k-ish short-range, barebones, 2-door SUV. There may be a few people that appeals to, but it feels like a niche within a niche.

 

[E90400K]

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I feel like the SUV kit is little more than a parlor trick. It makes for a cool demo that gets press coverage, but Slate's biggest selling point it offers something that's been abandoned in the US - a small pickup.

As soon as you give up the pickup form-factor, you have a $30k-ish short-range, barebones, 2-door SUV. There may be a few people that appeals to, but it feels like a niche within a niche.

Agree. The market is just not going to want a small 2-SUV at $30K and that you have to assemble yourself or pay another $1,000 for an installer to do it for you. The later-in-life SUV conversion? Maybe, but I think that will be a rare occasion and not a sustainable business case.

It's a great small 2-door pickup, though the bed is a foot short IMO.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

All of Dark Star's points are extremely valid, and a good example of what the limiting factors in sales will be.
I don't wander too far into the "value for money" discussion because a lot of what makes the slate valuable to me (repairability) doesn't translate to most of the car market.
Honestly if what you WANT is an SUV, there's a million other options. I DON'T want an SUV, which gives me like 3 options, lol.

 

[RevCaptJack]

The more threads I read and the more I think about it, the more I feel I’m over the Slate.

I really wanted an EV before I leave this world. It seemed like it could be a great second vehicle and a practical everyday car for local driving. But I live in rural upstate New York, with cold winters and hot summers, and the more I look at the reality of this vehicle, the less it feels like a bargain for me.

The small battery and limited range are hard enough to accept, but when you add in just how stripped-down the base Slate is, it starts to feel like very little vehicle for the money. On top of that, this would be a brand-new vehicle coming off a brand-new production line from a brand-new factory, with all the risks that come with that. Rear-wheel drive only is another concern for me.

Then there’s the fact that I’d need to add at least a few basics just to make it workable for my needs, like the SUV kit and a stereo. And now that the $7,500 rebate is no longer part of the equation, the original low-cost pitch doesn’t hit the same way at all.

It starts to feel like a hornet’s nest of possible issues for a vehicle that, in its basic form, offers very little. Sure, you can customize it all you want, but then you wind up paying what many other EVs already cost. Even keeping it fairly stripped down, with just the SUV kit and stereo added, the price keeps creeping up. Then there are taxes, destination charges, and the cost of hiring a licensed electrician to install a proper charging setup in my garage.

I tried. I really did. I put down a deposit on day two because I wanted to stay excited about it. But time and reality have worn me down, and for me, the Slate now feels like an absurd purchase.

I hope the company succeeds, and I hope those of you still on board end up with a vehicle you love. Good luck to all of you, and thanks for making this a fun board to follow.

I totally get it! I too signed up early, and if I needed a 3rd car I’d get it. But as much as I like the idea of the minimalist barebones vehicle (and electric) I really don’t need a 3rd car. We have a nice Lexus for road trips and I need my big old pickup for towing my boats. So, since the Slate can’t replace one of those, at least for now, it would be a fun 3rd vehicle but something I just don’t need. But my best to Slate. And I don’t even plan on getting my $50 back. I’ll just leaving it there as my vote for making such a vehicle.

 

[RedJoker]

The Slate feature I'm most looking forward to is the cargo version. I fully realize that market is pretty small but I think there might be dozens of us that want that. DOZENS!

 

[Masterducker]

I have multiple reservations and will let them ride until prices come out and Ford offers more on its new EV platform for comparison. I still think just the cool look factor of a SLATE will be worth the wait.

 

[drizzle]

I have multiple reservations and will let them ride until prices come out and Ford offers more on its new EV platform for comparison. I still think just the cool look factor of a SLATE will be worth the wait.

Whats the chances of ford making a small EV truck? If they did and had some features I was be interested but I’m sure it will be a huge 4 door truck

 

[AKrietzer]

Whats the chances of ford making a small EV truck? If they did and had some features I was be interested but I’m sure it will be a huge 4 door truck

That is their plan. They are reworking a factory just for a new electric platform that will have a 4 door pickup body first, then later SUV. I think it is suppose to be out in late 2027. It will be bigger than the Maverick.

https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us...ctric-vehicle-platform-midsize-electric-truck

 

[drizzle]

That is their plan. They are reworking a factory just for a new electric platform that will have a 4 door pickup body first, then later SUV. I think it is suppose to be out in late 2027. It will be bigger than the Maverick.

https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us...ctric-vehicle-platform-midsize-electric-truck

Bigger than the maverick, I’ll pass lol

 

[Paul]

Think you have to wait for what's reality when it finally builds and decide. Tiny trucks still won't exist, BEV trucks in general don't seem to exist under $70k. Maybe the Ford $30k EV truck will be a year away, or delayed for x reasons .... I have liked the stream of information as it comes, but they didn't do much for people who want certainty right now and plan a purchase.

 

[smack daddy]

I think a lot of potential EV buyers have been burned by disappointment. Not trying/loving to get political, but I do think the federal government’s lack of real support for EV development has put a cloud over pricing and over whether traditional automakers will keep pushing ahead with affordable new EVs.

Sometimes big changes need a push, and that often means government incentives for manufacturers, infrastructure, and buyers alike. Without that, progress slows and prices stay stubbornly high.

I know some people will disagree, but that is how it looks to me.

Ford is pushing ahead they are going to have a low 30k mini truck at least that is what they say

 

[fuzzyweis]

If you're planning to get the SUV kit I definitely understand the hesitation. That kit is one of the few options they've actually put a number on, $5k, just for that kit, and truck pricing targeting mid-$20ks, so for the SUV and nothing else you're looking at $30k. That's what Ford is targeting for it's mid-sized 4-door AWD truck thing it's making, with stereo, power windows, all the things. And really, if you're looking for a small electric SUV you can get a used Solterra/ID4/Prologue for low to mid-20s now with all the things.

I'm looking for just the 2-door truck, to replace my current 2-door EV truck, that if Slate was available at the time I would have got one of thoseinstead of getting my Ranger Electric for house things, and then Chevrolet Bolt for commuting, combined price of both of them 6 years ago was $25k.

All I'm looking at for options a wrap, power windows and will do my own stereo/speakers like I used to do on all my cars before infotainment was a thing, maybe some aftermarket rims at some point. So hopefully can keep it mid-20s, and there's not really any other option for a 2-door small EV truck...like at all, and that's what I'm looking for.

-Jim

 

[JImmy]

I am still waiting for the blank slate with tablet mount. Don't need or want more than that. Small TRUCK with no frills is want I need to everyday work needs. Charge anywhere for small price compared to GAS WOW. I will continue to wait and see., but my deposit is done.