No Vehicle to Load or Outlets in Bed/Frunk

[blacksmithtb]

Just heard back on an inquiry about vehicle to load and outlets in the Slate, and I’m a little bummed about the response. I asked if it would have V2L capability and if there would be outlets in the bed or frunk of the vehicle and the vague response was that there would be neither in the initial production model.

That's odd, I emailed Slate the same question last month and got back:
"Our intention is to offer V2L as an accessory on the Slate Truck - indeed an important option!"
I hope they will offer it as a not-too-expensive add-on option...

 

[Benjamin Nead]

That's odd, I emailed Slate the same question last month and got back:
"Our intention is to offer V2L as an accessory on the Slate Truck - indeed an important option!"
I hope they will offer it as a not-too-expensive add-on option...

I think we'll need to make these questions more specific when writing Slate.

V2L (vehicle-to-load, for those not familiar with this abbreviation) can be interpreted to be a number of different things.

Beyond comprehensive systems that allow the Truck's battery to interface directly with a building's 240V service panel and essentially turn it into a home power backup battery (V2H,) or even coordinate further with grid interconnectivity (V2G,) simple V2L can be implemented a couple of different ways. And it's already available commercially on various EV models from Korean OEMs Genesis, Hyundai and Kia.

Most of these Korean EVs have basic V2L available in both the vehicle's interior and the exterior, the latter by way of an adapter plug inserted into the charging port. These two videos, below, from Kia (interior setup on the EV9) and Genisis (exterior adapter on the GV70) illustrate the system's operations and various safety features . . .





Instead of a J1772 interface used on the exterior adapter that you would find on these Korean EVs, the Slate would be using a device terminating on a J3400 plug. Operations would be otherwise identical. The vehicle would turned off and parked while the exterior adapter is in use.

I'm not sure if the interior plug also works while the vehicle is turned on and/or moving. My guess is this plug, for safety reasons, might not be availble while the car is in motion. Either way, these appear to be well thought out systems that one would hope to see on any modern EV.

True V2H and V2G interconnectivity would be a separate and larger set of questions. Perhaps the inquiries posed to Slate so far didn't really explain these differences effectively and contrast them with the much simpler V2L systems shown here. That may explain why we're currently receiving contradictory answers from Slate.

 

[SLATEchad]

I think we'll need to make these questions more specific when writing Slate.

V2L (vehicle-to-load, for those not familiar with this abbreviation) can be interpreted to be a number of different things.

Beyond comprehensive systems that allow the Truck's battery to interface directly with a building's 240V service panel and essentially turn it into a home power backup battery (V2H,) or even coordinate further with grid interconnectivity (V2G,) simple V2L can be implemented a couple of different ways. And it's already available commercially on various EV models from Korean OEMs Genesis, Hyundai and Kia.

Most of these Korean EVs have basic V2L available in both the vehicle's interior and the exterior, the latter by way of an adapter plug inserted into the charging port. These two videos, below, from Kia (interior setup on the EV9) and Genisis (exterior adapter on the GV70) illustrate the system's operations and various safety features . . .





Instead of a J1772 interface used on the exterior adapter that you would find on these Korean EVs, the Slate would be using a device terminating on a J3400 plug. Operations would be otherwise identical. The vehicle would turned off and parked while the exterior adapter is in use.

I'm not sure if the interior plug also works while the vehicle is turned on and/or moving. My guess is this plug, for safety reasons, might not be availble while the car is in motion. Either way, these appear to be well thought out systems that one would hope to see on any modern EV.

True V2H and V2G interconnectivity would be a separate and larger set of questions. Perhaps the inquiries posed to Slate so far didn't really explain these differences effectively and contrast them with the much simpler V2L systems shown here. That may explain why we're currently receiving contradictory answers from Slate.

That may be that we need to be more specific… I did specifically ask Slate about V2L as well as outlets in the bed or frunk. The answer I got back was that neither would be in the initial production vehicle. They did not specify or even mention if it would be an added option or not.

I’ve seen in some other inquiries mentioned on these threads where slate reps have given the wrong information so it’s possible that is happening here. Hopefully some outlets in the bed or frunk will at least be an option to add.

 

[SLATEchad]

That's odd, I emailed Slate the same question last month and got back:
"Our intention is to offer V2L as an accessory on the Slate Truck - indeed an important option!"
I hope they will offer it as a not-too-expensive add-on option...

The rep told me neither V2L nor outlets in the frunk/bed would be included on the initial production, but they didn’t say it wouldn’t be an option to add… so that may be the case. It may also be the case that the rep who responded to me or the one that responded to you doesn’t have completely accurate information.

Things also could change leading up to production. With this being marketed as a work truck, I hope they will at least have an option to add an outlet to the frunk/bed.

 

[Benjamin Nead]

That may be that we need to be more specific… I did specifically ask Slate about V2L as well as outlets in the bed or frunk. The answer I got back was that neither would be in the initial production vehicle. They did not specify or even mention if it would be an added option or not.

I’ve seen in some other inquiries mentioned on these threads where slate reps have given the wrong information so it’s possible that is happening here. Hopefully some outlets in the bed or frunk will at least be an option to add.

Well, I think the point I was trying to make is that the phrase "V2L" can also mean different things to different people. After all, far more technically advance interconnections like V2H and V2G can be generically referred to as forms of V2L. That we have been getting different answers at different times from different Slate representatives in indicative of possibly poor communications, either at their end or ours. I'll try putting an email together for Slate with the above video links and see what they tell me. You can probably tell I like to type long detailed messages.

Also, if they are telling us that it won't be available on initial production samples, does that mean those early vehicles can't be updated later? Often times - and Tesla has been famous for this over the years - a company will ship vehicles with circuitry that can be activated later by a firmware update and the addition of some simple hardware (ie: drill a hole, connect some wires, bolt in some surface mounted gadgetry, etc.) That might be the case here. But If they tell us the first thousand Slates can never be updated, that may keep a thousand potential customers wanting to wait before taking delivery.

 

[Bo’sFarmGeneva]

Just heard back on an inquiry about vehicle to load and outlets in the Slate, and I’m a little bummed about the response. I asked if it would have V2L capability and if there would be outlets in the bed or frunk of the vehicle and the vague response was that there would be neither in the initial production model. I understand the goal is simple and affordable, but it would really increase its functionality as a work truck if it had some outlets in the bed for running power tools. Not a deal breaker for me, but hopefully it’s something that changes. The agent said they’ve heard this request from a lot of people.

I wonder if there is some generic kit that we could run to install an outlet in the frunk and bed?