News: Slate exploring different battery supplier. SUV kit price to be $5000 range

[sodamo]

Seems like a pretty easy challenge! Do yall really not keep tabs on your fuel level until the light comes on?

I agree. I know thr approx level of mine as they sit in garage.
I check my solar electric SOC etc every morning and keep a spreadsheet. Probably will do same for my Slate.

 

[cadblu]

Seems like a pretty easy challenge! Do yall really not keep tabs on your fuel level until the light comes on?

I was referring to knowing your SOC when you’re NOT in your car. Quick- what’s the available range on your Silverado 🙂

 

[Dorbiman]

I was referring to knowing your SOC when you’re NOT in your car. Quick- what’s the available range on your Silverado 🙂

I think it's about 212 miles. Though I'm probably the weird one, as I *try* to drive it as efficiently as possible, so I'm always keeping an eye on my fuel consumption

Edit: I know this seems like I'm just throwing an oddly-specific number out there.

 

[cadblu]

Looks like I’m challenging the wrong crowd

 

[sodamo]

I was referring to knowing your SOC when you’re NOT in your car. Quick- what’s the available range on your Silverado 🙂

Interesting - But
In relation to my solar electric system, being aware of my SOC is two fold, a check on immediate past usage and basis for projected use over next 24 hours, for instance if my morning reading is in the 40’s and wx is overcast I should anticipate a generator run. I fully expect my Slate thinking will follow suit.

 

[sodamo]

Looks like I’m challenging the wrong crowd

Nah, happy to expand your thinking 😁

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Agree
My uneducated hope is to keep my Slate charged every day. Being totally off grid AND retired my approach may be a bit different from some. My preference, based on my limited knowledge, is to set up a level 2 charger that charges daytime on my excess solar production. Likely I won’t need 80% every day as the vast majority of my trips will be around 50 miles and even those not every day, so even if it takes. 2 or 3 days for a full recovery it will be OK. as I’ve said before, one of my primary goals is to never have to pay to charge. I do make approx 5-6 trips a year that would be about 160 miles round trip, but still haven’t determined if that makes the extended battery attractive. Definitely would depend on the price.

I bet you'll be great on solar day-time direct charge....even with a few cloudy days thrown in.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Looks like I’m challenging the wrong crowd

Yeah, I can usually tell you with at any given time what my SOC is without referring to my phone...but, I'm a huge nerd like that.

 

[sodamo]

I bet you'll be great on solar day-time direct charge....even with a few cloudy days thrown in.

I’m hopeful. Even still hopeful someone makes the peace available (Aptera) to charge directly from my solar bypassing my house batteries.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I’m hopeful. Even still hopeful someone makes the peace available (Aptera) to charge directly from my solar bypassing my house batteries.

Could you do a dedicated array for the Slate into a L1 solution? (I'm remarkably ignorant on solar).

 

[sodamo]

Could you do a dedicated array for the Slate into a L1 solution? (I'm remarkably ignorant on solar).

Yes, I could and that is on the table, but I would want to have a separate battery for it to achieve what I want. When I upgraded my Outback FX3048s to Outback Radians, I dedicated an FX for an additional charging system in parallel, but it uses common battery system. That FX would produce a separate 120v. One of my goals is to take my house batteries out of the EV loop if possible and just use any excess pv production. That FX needs a battery connection to function. That FX is 3kw. i think I could expect hours = 12kwh or about 30 miles/day, on a good day.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Yes, I could and that is on the table, but I would want to have a separate battery for it to achieve what I want. When I upgraded my Outback FX3048s to Outback Radians, I dedicated an FX for an additional charging system in parallel, but it uses common battery system. That FX would produce a separate 120v. One of my goals is to take my house batteries out of the EV loop if possible and just use any excess pv production. That FX needs a battery connection to function. That FX is 3kw. i think I could expect hours = 12kwh or about 30 miles/day, on a good day.

Separate battery to be safe?

 

[sodamo]

Separate battery to be safe?

Not safe in traditional sense, but safe in minimizing stress/impact on my house batteries. While they would share PV input, essentially it would function as 2 systems, my house Radian 240v system with own battery bank and the FX 120v with own battery. No output interconnection at all.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Not safe in traditional sense, but safe in minimizing stress/impact on my house batteries. While they would share PV input, essentially it would function as 2 systems, my house Radian 240v system with own battery bank and the FX 120v with own battery. No output interconnection at all.

I like this idea with temptations to share, notwithstanding.

 

[AZFox]

As you already know, there will always be the little unplanned trips to the grocery store, pharmacy, emergencies, and chores that inevitably arise from home, work, school etc. And many other spontaneous trips that pop up. Then you get home and realize, you need to go ‘out’ again. All of these situations are range killers for your regular routine.

In the rare event of that happening I'll just drive the other car.