Inside EVs: I Saw The Affordable Slate Truck In Person. Now I’m Worried

[AZFox]

Yeah I was being a bit sarcastic there. It's mostly about maximizing the cost of the truck with a minimum amount of variations. And probably because a heavy truck is used as a station wagon. Now, it's more likely to need four doors.

Yeah I meant to agree.

The Automotive Press needs access to the companies they cover. They're unlikely to publish something that's critical of the excessive plenitude of four-door vehicles (and scarceness of 2-door alternatives) those companies are providing if they want to keep having access to those companies in the future.

I'm not even saying the gaslighting is conscious deception. It's just human nature to "go along to get along" when someone is in that position.

Slate Auto is popping a perceptual bubble.

Supply chain problems forced manufacturers to upscale their offerings. Now things like leases and 8-year auto loans are allowing manufacturers to continue offering larger, more profitable vehicles.

The people who conceived Slate Automotive saw this happening and came up with the bright idea of offering a utility-packed vehicle at a price people can afford.

 

[RevCaptJack]

I like how everyone is always so upset that it doesn't have four doors. It's like nearly every vehicle sold in the US has four doors, Every truck here has a bathtub bed with four doors, only the rest of it is giant so you can't fit it anywhere, climb into the bed, and it guzzles a ton of fuel. Somehow this awkward thing has become the standard of what everyone wants. Every SUV looks exactly the same, with four doors. It's just nice to have someone designing something different. If someone doesn't like the Slate, there's 99% of the car market to choose from of vehicles that all look exactly the same. Why make this one of that. There's at least some of the market that wants something different. Configuration is about perfect for me. The philosophy is about perfect for me. I'm sure there are others out there.

Exactly!! 👍

 

[RevCaptJack]

I like how everyone is always so upset that it doesn't have four doors. It's like nearly every vehicle sold in the US has four doors, Every truck here has a bathtub bed with four doors, only the rest of it is giant so you can't fit it anywhere, climb into the bed, and it guzzles a ton of fuel. Somehow this awkward thing has become the standard of what everyone wants. Every SUV looks exactly the same, with four doors. It's just nice to have someone designing something different. If someone doesn't like the Slate, there's 99% of the car market to choose from of vehicles that all look exactly the same. Why make this one of that. There's at least some of the market that wants something different. Configuration is about perfect for me. The philosophy is about perfect for me. I'm sure there are others out there.

Honestly…look around. How many vehicles have more than one or two people in them? I’ve driven a smart for two for 17 years. It’s a second car, but never an issue needing more than a 2 person car.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Some of the comments in this thread are disconnected from reality. The Chinese auto industry, when it comes to BEVs, is significantly ahead of the USA and Europe. The vehicles are insanely high quality and content, and insanely low price. It's a fair observation that they're subsidized and most of the companies are losing money. But the vehicles and tech and content are world beaters. They're not here because we are locking them out. They are taking over the rest of the continent. The Canadians are just now talking about opening the doors. They are growing strongly south of the border. Actually, the Chinese have been in the USA market for some time. China owns Volvo. China has built Buicks for years now.

I avoid politics, so don't misread this. But whatever narratives you folks are reading about Chinese auto - they are way off base. They are in the process of dominating the world's automotive industry. Sticking our heads in the sand - that will just make us fall further behind.

 

[Mac-Tyson]

The relationship between Scout and Rivian is a lot weirder than that.

Scout is owned by VW. And VW has cut a deal to use Rivian's software in VW EVs. As reported last year, that includes Scout:

So the new Scouts are using Rivian software, and are copying Rivian's design language. To a large extent, the new Scout Terra and Traveler are the Rivian R1T and R1S, just under different brand names.

Why would Rivian cut a deal to let VW copy its products? Probably because Rivian doesn't think that the R1T and R1S are important to its future. Those first-generation models are expensive and have never sold particularly well, which is why Rivian has never been profitable.

Rivian is gambling its future on smaller, less expensive SUVs: the R2 and the R3. The hope is that the inexpensive second-generation R2 and R3 will vastly outsell the first-generation R1T and R1S. This strategy worked for Tesla: the inexpensive second-generation Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vastly outsell the more expensive first-generation Tesla Model S and Model X.

Rivian is basically selling off its first-generation EV technology to VW for billions of $$, and using the cash to bring their second-generation EVs to market. Rivian knows that the R1T and R1S no longer matter, their future depends on the R2 and R3.

Rivian loses money on every R1T and R1S they sell (which is crazy and I’m glad Slate isn’t following that strategy). So they are hedging their bets on R2 and R3 for profitability. The main reason they did this deal is that Rivian needed a lot capital to get their Georgia Plant Built for the launch of the R2 and R3. Volkswagen invested a lot of money into Rivian through this project. So that helped. The investment probably also boosted the faith among other investors and shareholders in the long term viability of Rivian

The other factor which could be a bit dirty is if Rivian knew what Volkswagen found out and what Ford couldn’t figure out is matching their software to their hardware. Volkswagen when they gave them a bunch of money probably though they could just easily port their software into the new vehicles but for reasons outside my pay grade of understanding that isn’t the case. So it’s either more time to get it working, Volkswagen will need to rely on an inferior version of the software (what Ford had to do with their Skunkswork Teams software for their Universal EV Program), or use more of Rivian’s hardware.

But Yeah the Scout is a big threat to Rivian since they eat into the same customer base and if people like Rivian’s BEVs more it’s not a big issue for Scout since they can build interest in their E-REVs instead but if people prefer Scouts BEVs that could hurt Rivian if they eat into their small market share even with the R2’s release.

 

[Mac-Tyson]

Some of the comments in this thread are disconnected from reality. The Chinese auto industry, when it comes to BEVs, is significantly ahead of the USA and Europe. The vehicles are insanely high quality and content, and insanely low price. It's a fair observation that they're subsidized and most of the companies are losing money. But the vehicles and tech and content are world beaters. They're not here because we are locking them out. They are taking over the rest of the continent. The Canadians are just now talking about opening the doors. They are growing strongly south of the border. Actually, the Chinese have been in the USA market for some time. China owns Volvo. China has built Buicks for years now.

I avoid politics, so don't misread this. But whatever narratives you folks are reading about Chinese auto - they are way off base. They are in the process of dominating the world's automotive industry. Sticking our heads in the sand - that will just make us fall further behind.

But acting like it’s game over and we already losing when it’s only the 2nd inning of the EV Game is just as ridiculous. Which The other factor is Chinese policies make it impossible for ICE Vehicles to compete. These BEVs appeal highly to EV Enthusiasts but they haven’t been proven to convert over ICE buyers when put on an even playing field. I remember a European Reviewer saying that the BYD was a great price but that the Renault 5 was a better value than BYD’s equivalent. The BYD Shark in Australia has 0 tariffs and is very cheap in their market. The two best selling Pickup Trucks are still the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. The legacy manufacturers are using these ICE sales to fund their development of BEVs and many of them haven’t put their best foot forward yet or just are starting to now do so. The amount of positive news Chinese EVs get especially for US audiences borders on propaganda. Volvo and Polestar EVs don’t sell well here and Geely’s other EVs share the same platforms as them.

So I get your point like the Xiaomi vehicles are phenomenal and actually seemingly live up to the hype that people claim them to be. But the CEO of Xiaomi also praises Teslas and says they still have things they can learn from them.

But I digress my overall point is the path Tesla and Chinese EVs are taking aren’t the only way forward for BEVs. Slate has a unique offering that hasn’t been tried before in this space for building an affordable BEV. The fact that it doesn’t follow the mainstream’s design philosophy shouldn’t count against it. Especially when it’s still tech focused just their software is focused on an app on your phone or tablet instead of an infotainment screen.

 

[YDR37]

But Yeah the Scout is a big threat to Rivian since they eat into the same customer base and if people like Rivian’s BEVs more it’s not a big issue for Scout since they can build interest in their E-REVs instead but if people prefer Scouts BEVs that could hurt Rivian if they eat into their small market share even with the R2’s release.

The Scouts could definitely eat into R1T and R1S sales, but the current release estimate isn't until Second Half 2027. Meanwhile, Rivian claims that the R2 is on track for a First Half 2026 release. So Rivian's switch to second-generation vehicles should be well underway before the Scouts appear on the market.

VW has set target pricing of "under $60,000" for the Scouts. For comparison, Rivian has set target pricing of "under $45,000" for the R2. Take the pricing with a grain of salt, but even so, the R2 should be significantly smaller and cheaper than the Scouts. I don't think they'll compete.

The R3 will be even smaller and cheaper than the R2, but it's not expected until 2027 and details are still hazy. It's too early to say for sure, but the R3 might be in the same ballpark, in terms of size and price, as a Slate with the SUV kit and the large battery pack.

 

[Mac-Tyson]

The Scouts could definitely eat into R1T and R1S sales, but the current release date isn't until Second Half 2027. Meanwhile, Rivian claims that the R2 is on track for a First Half 2026 release. So Rivian's switch to second-generation vehicles should be well underway before the Scouts appear on the market.

VW has set target pricing of "under $60,000" for the Scouts. For comparison, Rivian has set target pricing of "under $45,000" for the R2. Take the pricing with a grain of salt, but even so, the R2 should be significantly smaller and cheaper than the Scouts. I don't think they'll compete.

The R3 will be even smaller and cheaper than the R2, but it's not expected until 2027 and details are still hazy. It's too early to say, but the R3 might be in the same ballpark, in terms of size and price, as a Slate with an SUV kit and the large battery pack.

Yeah I think the key here is if Rivian can solve their quality and reliability issues with the R2. The EV Community and Rivian fans have kept that part quiet for the most part. But if R2 is going to be their mainstream product the honeymoon phase is over and the mainstream will be talking about it in person and on social media with the gloves off. Scout is likely going to have the same quality as any other Volkswagen Product. People who can afford a scout might buy a Rivian just because it’s cheaper to save the money but they will spend the extra money on the Scout if they think it offers better quality. But you are right Rivian does have the price and timing advantages. The two advantages Slate should have over Ford’s Universal EV Pickup as well. Even though they are still two different products.

 

[E90400K]

Who gives a shit about China when it comes to the Slate? Not even on the same page let alone in the same book. LOL

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Rivian and Tesla quality issues being swept under the rug. Yea, I buy that - I've seen a lot of reports about it. It's a fanboy phenomenom. I see it with the Maverick a LOT. On the Maverick forum, anybody reporting an issue is immediately "fan-boy-attacked". It's the fault of the owner, not Ford. You see the same with Rivian and Tesla. I betcha we'll see the same with Slate. Fanboys are gonna be fanboys. They're very intolerant of dissent.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Who gives a shit about China? Anybody who hopes that Slate will still be in business in 18 months.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Rivian and Tesla quality issues being swept under the rug. Yea, I buy that - I've seen a lot of reports about it. It's a fanboy phenomenom. I see it with the Maverick a LOT. On the Maverick forum, anybody reporting an issue is immediately "fan-boy-attacked". It's the fault of the owner, not Ford. You see the same with Rivian and Tesla. I betcha we'll see the same with Slate. Fanboys are gonna be fanboys. They're very intolerant of dissent.

Maybe some rational contrarians will be allowed to post in 18 months here?

I was a Lightning fan boy...until I owned one. Now I'm strike 3 on the same issue that they have had my truck for 8 days for and haven't fixed yet. "Just one more part...". Ford gonna Ford.

 

[moondawg]

I think the fact that Tesla is doing so well in China is a testament to that Chinese EVs ain’t all that. I don’t think the author has anything to worry about with Slate. They are targeting 150k copies per year, I think they will find a market for that volume.

This takes some understanding of Chinese consumers. They are *exceedingly* brand-conscious: they fairly consistently buy sub-optimal products *if* they are perceived as a "good brand." And their perception is based on cultural factors that are somewhat inscrutable to western consumers. When I worked in Beijing in the mid '10s, my company car was a Buick minivan. It was essentially a Pontiac Montana re-badged as a Buick. My co-workers were extremely impressed. I told them Buick was a dying brand in the US and was basically for old men. The look on their faces was priceless. My boss drove a little Buick wagon about the size of a Jetta wagon. He drove it purely for the status.

So, it would be a mistake to jump from "Tesla does well in China" to "Chinese EVs ain't all that." BYD is probably going to eat western EV makers' lunches in any market they are allowed to compete. They make good vehicles and have been at it for a long time.

 

[E90400K]

This takes some understanding of Chinese consumers. They are *exceedingly* brand-conscious: they fairly consistently buy sub-optimal products *if* they are perceived as a "good brand." And their perception is based on cultural factors that are somewhat inscrutable to western consumers. When I worked in Beijing in the mid '10s, my company car was a Buick minivan. It was essentially a Pontiac Montana re-badged as a Buick. My co-workers were extremely impressed. I told them Buick was a dying brand in the US and was basically for old men. The look on their faces was priceless. My boss drove a little Buick wagon about the size of a Jetta wagon. He drove it purely for the status.

So, it would be a mistake to jump from "Tesla does well in China" to "Chinese EVs ain't all that." BYD is probably going to eat western EV makers' lunches in any market they are allowed to compete. They make good vehicles and have been at it for a long time.

Sounds like the same consumerism here in the USA, too.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Sounds like the same consumerism here in the USA, too.

Range Rover, anyone?