Key Reasons: How Slate Can Build an EV Truck That Only Costs $27,000

[cvollers]

Agreed! First, I don't believe that Slate will meet its targeted priced of $27K due to rising costs and continued supply chain pressures. They don't have the economies of scale that large EV companies (Tesla) have developed. The government incentive is not guaranteed beyond the current fiscal year.

From my viewpoint, the targeted price $20K, after incentives, is a supremely clever marketing scheme. I don't believe most buyers will spec the "blank slate" in stripped down version. Either before or after delivery once you add the extras you may be considering e.g. wraps, interior mods, SUV closed roof kit, wheels, tires, etc. and a host of other options still under development, and suddenly this bargain truck will be ~$40K.

I said on another thread that once Slate gets over $35K for a reasonably well equipped SUV, their market opportunity is going to shrink rapidly. Are they not communicating mod prices because it’s early or is it because they don’t want people to start doing the math on what “their build” Slate will cost? I think it’s the latter. It’s like the early days of the internet…win the eyes (unique users) first with free, then monetize once you know you have a customer. All the Slate add-ons will help the company monetize. A sub-$20K EV almost feels free the price is so low. They have a 1-2 year runway to build an audience before starting to actually monetize. At that point paying more just feels like paying something. It’s a brilliant strategy.

 

[cvollers]

I said on another thread that once Slate gets over $35K for a reasonably well equipped SUV, their market opportunity is going to shrink rapidly. Are they not communicating mod prices because it’s early or is it because they don’t want people to start doing the math on what “their build” Slate will cost? I think it’s the latter. It’s like the early days of the internet…win the eyes (unique users) first with free, then monetize once you know you have a customer. All the Slate add-ons will help the company monetize. A sub-$20K EV almost feels free the price is so low. They have a 1-2 year runway to build an audience before starting to actually monetize. At that point paying more just feels like paying something. It’s a brilliant strategy.

Here’s another point: I know that the entire overlanding industry is built on the premise that no one keeps track of how much they spend on vehicle mods. No one. If you apply that same logic to the Slate with mods being an emotional purchase that isn’t tracked, a fully modded Slate cost almost doesn’t matter if the starting point cost is low enough.