One thing I think might hold Slate truck back.

[Driven5]

Admittedly, I did have a second car... But it was a Miata too.

Winter driving a Miata is at least as fun as summer driving a Miata. And yes, it involved lots of passing 4WD/AWD that slid off the road. It turns out that while 4WD/AWD helps 'go' better than RWD, it does not help stop better.

 

[Daemoch]

I guess you guys missed the part where I said I passed stuck SUVs going over Donner Pass (yes - THAT 'Donner') on my motorcycle with chains on the tires in winter, eh? Amazing what skill plus insanity can accomplish.

Also learned the hard way that you shouldn't put the top down on a convertible below freezing because the top will crack. Damnitall :/

What was this thread about again?

 

[Daemoch]

Oh right -

It may be a "does-everything" but that doesn't mean it does it all "best" either. Whatever you 'think' the best thing for a job is, chances are someone will have a 'better' solution. Now change the metric and suddenly both options suck. I'd rather have something that can just do (darn near) everything "just-well-enough".

 

[OldGoat]

LOL ya got me. I did get my tractor stuck a few times and my Ridgeline couldn’t unstick. A major reason I did get the Tundra and it worked. tractor has not been stuck ever since.
probably should put this in the competing against Slate thread, but about 98% certain this will be showing up shortly

Hold it...forget the SLATE. I want that tractor!! I've seen all the attachments that it will take.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Hold it...forget the SLATE. I want that tractor!! I've seen all the attachments that it will take.

I KNOW, right?! Need to either commit to my dad’s old KY 40 acres, or find my own a bit further south.

 

[sodamo]

Hold it...forget the SLATE. I want that tractor!! I've seen all the attachments that it will take.

Thank fully I have most of those attachments, some from 20 years ago. My two most used will be a 72” rotary mower and a flail mower. Oh and the pallet forks.

 

[sodamo]

I KNOW, right?! Need to either commit to my dad’s old KY 40 acres, or find my own a bit further south.

Hmmm, the 100 acres parents had in Maine, or the 21 acres here on Hawaii. Nope, not moving.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Hmmm, the 100 acres parents had in Maine, or the 21 acres here on Hawaii. Nope, not moving.

Rub it in. You know exactly what I’m dealing with in GA…I know you haven’t forgotten. Ticks, notwithstanding, Maine farm sounds interesting in August!

 

[sodamo]

Rub it in. You know exactly what I’m dealing with in GA…I know you haven’t forgotten. Ticks, notwithstanding, Maine farm sounds interesting in August!

Naaa, too many 100° days in Maine in Aug.
We have had a handful of plus 80° days here last 20 years, but don’t think it’s a double handful yet.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Naaa, too many 100° days in Maine in Aug.
We have had a handful of plus 80° days here last 20 years, but don’t think it’s a double handful yet.

Keep stirring the pot. You’re not helping my envy much with your weather reporting.

 

[sodamo]

Keep stirring the pot. You’re not helping my envy much with your weather reporting.

We are both currently 77°, you 7pm, me 2 pm

 

[Doctors Do Little]

We are both currently 77°, you 7pm, me 2 pm

Freakishly cool in my case at 8p. Freakishly normal in yours.

 

[atx_ev]

The biggest thing holding Slate back will be many people overstating their needs and value of their wants to themselves. Before kids, and in northern Wisconsin, my primary car for a few years was a Miata. 100% would recommend, and 100% would do again.

Even as a primary car, let alone a secondary one, the first Slate still doesn't need to be all things to all people. Rather, it only needs to be enough things to enough people.

Range is overrated. For most people, 2-3 hours from home without taking a break is enough in a primary car. For everybody else, more options are coming.

AWD is overrated. For most people, good tires and good weight distribution are enough in a primary car. For everybody else, more options are coming.

4 doors is overrated. For most people without rear facing kids, 2 doors is enough in a primary car. For most of everybody else with rear facing kdis, more options are coming.

Hell, 4 seats is overrated. For most people without kids at home, 2 seats is enough in a primary car. For most of everybody else with kids at home, Slate already has more options... Just don't act surprised when expanding capabilities adds cost.

Ironically, pickup beds are overrated too. For most people, delivery (especially 'free') and the rare occasion $20 pickup rental is enough for anything as a primary car. As underserved markets go though, the one that can most easily be stretched into an AWD 4-door (longer floor equal...) larger battery, CUV is probably the best bet from a business stand point. Personally, I'd have been even more excited if Slate looked like the Nissan IDx concept, but it's probably not the smart choice...

Crossovers are one of the most popular categories, but companies are already making cheapish crossovers. Even if they are more expensive they still compete. The equinox is 35K. Since it exists now if the slate came as a CUV people can get the EV credit today instead of waiting and get one for 35K (includes ev credit). The blazer EV is available right now in my area for 37K (includes ev creidt) so an SUV wouldnt work either.

There simply is no inexpensive EV pickup truck so if you are in that market, the only option is to wait.

 

[atx_ev]

>> Before kids, and in northern Wisconsin, my primary car for a few years was a Miata.

From 1991 to 2001, I daily drove a Miata in all weather conditions, in both Arkansas and Massachusetts. I used to take that thing, on summer tires, cross country on unplowed back roads for a twenty minute drive to work and back. I used to pass stuck AWD SUVs on snow tires. Top was down, 365 days a year. Rain, snow, whatever. I didn't care. With the top down, I could stuff large loads in the passengers seat.

I don't know what that says about the Slate, except that some of us can be irrational maniacs about what we drive. If Slate succeeds, I suspect we're gonna see people doing crazily inventive and eccentric things with it. It just invites that kind of owner.

Im interested in something that permanently extends the bed walls and uses the original tailgate, brake lights, etc. The interesting thing is that they could 3d print new bed side panels so there is no exterior seam.

 

[KevinRS]

3d printers aren't all that fast, and a big printer that can print a big part like that isn't really faster than a small one, printing something bigger just takes more time than something small. For a prototype, it works to print one of something like that and have it in a few days, it's far faster than setting up and running injection molding for 1 item. But when it comes to making something for sale, making multiple, it's better to mold it.

For the case of a bed extension, it's going to be more critical what is going on under the body panels. Can they make a bolt on frame extension and move the bumper out to the new position and support a load at that extension, and not add crash issues? Seems it might be difficult.