Mike the Car Geek: Slate Up-Date May 2026

[CorvusCorvax]

I replied SPECIFICALLY to Tyson's statement: "...but the cheapest Pickup Truck in general on the market, and the next cheapest Single Cab isn’t even close." My statement is accurate and material to the discussion.

Hmmm, it looks like you quoted the whole comment. So, I guess that *really* means "generally" and not "specifically."

It's the doomsayers that want to lump all these vehicles in the same category. "Hey, there are existing vehicles that will get the job done."

BEV pickup? Where?

Simple, no infotainment and no reporting back to the mothership.

A vehicle you can work on yourself, with ease.

If you want a 2-door electric SUV, where do you get one of those guys for $30k?

The idea that a Frontier or a Bolt or a Prius or a Maverick and a Slate are all in the same market niche is silly. They are not. While I think there is some amount of people cross-shopping because they have more generalized requirements, I think that group is currently small. And from how Slate is marketing themselves, I think *Slate* considers the cross-shopping group small as well.

 

[CorvusCorvax]

Who is thinking about "gotchas"?

You are, obviously. I currently own an F-150, and the Slate will be able to do EVERYTHING I use the F-150 for. AND it can be a BEV commuter.

So, it can not only do Bolt work, it can also do Frontier work. See, I don't want a sedan or a coupe, because it's hard to take yard waste to the dump in one. And I don't need a different ICEV. I'm not towing, and I'm not needing a full ton of payload. So, neither the Bolt nor the Frontier are going to fulfill the needs I have.

Can I turn the Bolt into a pickup? Not without spending a giant pile of money. Can I turn a Frontier into a 2-door SUV? Not without spending a giant pile of money. The Slate is being aimed at a certain market. And I don't think either the Frontier or the Bolt are in those markets, except in the very broadest sense.

 

[CorvusCorvax]

Guess some of us have a different perspective. I’m only interested in the Slate because it is a small, 2 door EV truck. I have another friend the same, doesn’t want larger, 4 door, nor ICE. Two other friends recently got Siverados, again EV, didn’t consider ICE, another with a Tacoma, cancelled Lightning due to price increase, considers Slate would be perfect if towing was better.

EXACTLY.

There are plenty of us who want a pickup truck format for the stuff that pickups do, and don't want all the junk that most new vehicles have these days. I also don't want a sedan, and I DO want a BEV. That REALLY narrows down the choices.

There are plenty of us that remember the small trucks from the 80s and 90s. They sold just fine. In fact, they sold WELL. And the naysayers always made the same arguments that are being given here - "They can't do [insert some full-sized pickup truck thing here]."

Let me say it one more time, for those in the back: I don't need a full-sized pickup. I don't need a bunch of tow capacity. I don't need sedan seating (4-door). I want a vehicle that is easy to repair and service. Very much like those 2-door small pickups of yesteryear.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I just want an affordable EV. That, and I don't expect anyone else to really care what I want. If I can get one, then great. If not, oh well - no great loss.

 

[E90400K]

You are, obviously. I currently own an F-150, and the Slate will be able to do EVERYTHING I use the F-150 for. AND it can be a BEV commuter.

So, it can not only do Bolt work, it can also do Frontier work. See, I don't want a sedan or a coupe, because it's hard to take yard waste to the dump in one. And I don't need a different ICEV. I'm not towing, and I'm not needing a full ton of payload. So, neither the Bolt nor the Frontier are going to fulfill the needs I have.

Can I turn the Bolt into a pickup? Not without spending a giant pile of money. Can I turn a Frontier into a 2-door SUV? Not without spending a giant pile of money. The Slate is being aimed at a certain market. And I don't think either the Frontier or the Bolt are in those markets, except in the very broadest sense.

Lol. Turn a Bolt into a pickup truck. Turn a Frontier into a 2-door SUV. Pure pointless blabber. With a pile of money anyone can transform any vehicle into anything he wants, so what is your your point?

Again, it's not about you, it is about what the Market wants and sees as value of the Slate. You don't tow, you don't want connectivity, all good, but other's may want those attributes in their inexpensive BEV daily commuter. Those people may not want to DIY the body color, or DIY an audio system, or DIY electric windows. They will make a trade off decision regarding the extra effort required (that can also mean extra expense) to get the blank Slate tailored into the vehicle they want. That's where the Frontier and Tacoma, for not much additional price, those two pickup trucks may meet more of the Market's wants and needs. Are they BEV? No, but the Market may not care. It is clear the US automotive market hasn't really accepted EV. That is why I discuss the Frontier and Tacoma in their extended 2-door cab configurations as the Slate's competition. To try to state the Toyota and Nissan are not competitors of the Slate because they are not EV and you and @Susan only have interest in the Slate because it is a BEV is nearsighted.

 

[CorvusCorvax]

Lol. Turn a Bolt into a pickup truck. Turn a Frontier into a 2-door SUV. Pure pointless idiotic blabber. With a pile of money anyone can transform any vehicle into anything he wants, so what is your your point?

The Bolt isn't a pickup truck. For people who want a BEV pickup, what are the choices? As current speculation goes, the Slate will be the lowest-cost small pickup available in the U.S.

The point is, that you can turn the Slate into a 2-door SUV for short money, and back into a pickup at the cost of time spent in your own garage. You're talking value for dollar spent, so surely the ease at which you can have different configurations factors into the discussion, right? Or did you just happen to miss that "point" (on purpose)?

I agree that one of us is engaged in idiotic blather. I'll let others decide which of us that is.

 

[Shrink36s]

Again, it's not about you, ...

Says the guy who tries to turn every single thread into how much smarter he is than ... *gestures generally out to forum participants*

 

[E90400K]

The Bolt isn't a pickup truck. For people who want a BEV pickup, what are the choices? As current speculation goes, the Slate will be the lowest-cost small pickup available in the U.S.

The point is, that you can turn the Slate into a 2-door SUV for short money, and back into a pickup at the cost of time spent in your own garage. You're talking value for dollar spent, so surely the ease at which you can have different configurations factors into the discussion, right? Or did you just happen to miss that "point" (on purpose)?

I agree that one of us is engaged in idiotic blather. I'll let others decide which of us that is.

Point to where I said the Bolt is a Slate competitor. I haven't; Mike "The Car Geek" said it in his video. I have said the Tacoma and Frontier are Slate puckup truck competitors. In other threads I have said several EV SUV are Slate SUV conversion competitors; mainly I've pointed to the Chevrolet Equinox EV is a Slate SUV conversion competitor. I don't think the converted Slate SUV makes for a compelling competitor to the Equinox EX because it will be nearly the same price when the Slate is equipped with the larger battery and a wrap. And I think it loses to the Equinox because the Slate SUV conversion will be a 2-door. Why Mike "The Car Geek" thinks the Bolt is a Slate competitor must be because the Bolt is an EV CUV. If Mike "The Car Geek" thinks the Bolt competes with the Bolt because they are both BEV, then my initial assessment of Mike holds even more true.

Just because the Slate is a BEV doesn't take it out of competition with similar vehicle types (pickup trucks) just because it is an EV. If that were true then no ICEV and EV are competitors that are the same vehicle type. That is not how the automotive market works.

 

[CorvusCorvax]

Point to where I said the Bolt is a Slate competitor. I haven't; Mike "The Car Geek" said it in his video. I have said the Tacoma and Frontier are Slate puckup truck competitors. In other threads I have said several EV SUV are Slate SUV conversion competitors; mainly I've pointed to the Chevrolet Equinox EV is a Slate SUV conversion competitor. I don't think the converted Slate SUV makes for a compelling competitor to the Equinox EX because it will be nearly the same price when the Slate is equipped with the larger battery and a wrap. And I think it loses to the Equinox because the Slate SUV conversion will be a 2-door. Why Mike "The Car Geek" thinks the Bolt is a Slate competitor must be because the Bolt is an EV CUV. If Mike "The Car Geek" thinks the Bolt competes with the Bolt because they are both BEV, then my initial assessment of Mike holds even more true.

Just because the Slate is a BEV doesn't take it out of competition with similar vehicle types (pickup trucks) just because it is an EV. If that were true then no ICEV and EV are competitors that are the same vehicle type. That is not how the automotive market works.

Oh, I see. Now it's an Argument from Authority.

Some internet dude says it, so it *must* be true.

Keep flailing.

 

[cadblu]

To clarify- Mike the Car Geek put up a chart of the most “affordable EVs“ currently available, in which the Bolt showed up. This in itself does not classify it as a Slate competitor. Now having said that,

 

[CorvusCorvax]

To clarify- Mike the Car Geek put up a chart of the most “affordable EVs“ currently available, in which the Bolt showed up. This in itself does not classify it as a Slate competitor. Now having said that,

I think MOST of us are having a great time.

I think ONE of us is not having a very good time.