Open Air Mode Slate Pickup w/ Blue Wrap (from Rhode Island event showing)

[KevinRS]

For mail carriers, I wonder if a slate would fit. Range would be the potential issue. An EV with regenerative braking would probably be ideal for some city/suburban to rural routes. In my area, they are stopping about every 110 feet, then gunning the gas to get to the next box. A slate would need little modification, add the "delivery shell" that's been posted in some images, that looks like the SUV shell with no windows, or maybe a taller version and take out the passenger seat, and probably put in some racks for mail.
Some research, and the NGDV contract specified 90 mile range, including 600 starts/stops, 0-60 in 35 seconds. Some will be built awd, some fwd.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

For mail carriers, I wonder if a slate would fit. Range would be the potential issue. An EV with regenerative braking would probably be ideal for some city/suburban to rural routes. In my area, they are stopping about every 110 feet, then gunning the gas to get to the next box. A slate would need little modification, add the "delivery shell" that's been posted in some images, that looks like the SUV shell with no windows, or maybe a taller version and take out the passenger seat, and probably put in some racks for mail.
Some research, and the NGDV contract specified 90 mile range, including 600 starts/stops, 0-60 in 35 seconds. Some will be built awd, some fwd.

Now you are feeling me!

 

[AZFox]

They never said just under $20k.

The Internet remembers.
Search and ye shall find.

https://tech.yahoo.com/transportation/articles/slate-truck-know-low-cost-080815456.html

The Slate Truck is a simple, electric vehicle made in the United States, with an expected price of just under $20,000, according to its website. Slate Auto is a firm backed in part by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, according to a report by NBC News.​

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/au...e-auto-unveils-affordable-ev-truck-rcna203014

Its starting price point: $20,000 after federal EV incentives.​

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a64564869/2027-slate-truck-revealed/

Nascent automaker Slate is putting a lot of faith in the federal EV tax credit sticking around, because with the $7500 subsidy, the company's battery-electric 2027 Truck will cost consumers a little less than $20,000. Even without that, the Slate Truck will retail for just under $27,500.​

On the bright side, sometimes they left out "just under".
https://www.theverge.com/news/658223/slate-factory-electric-truck-location-indiana

Since Slate Auto came out of stealth mode last week, the internet has been abuzz with speculation about the finer details of the ultra-barebones electric Truck, which is set to cost just $20,000 when it enters production next year -- assuming our [federal EV incentives] are still in place by then.​

 

[Trace26]

I think it's very possible that they intended to sell just under $20k with incentives but they might drop the price to make up for the loss of the credit. "Mid 20s" leaves wiggle room for what that price will be.

 

[danielt1263]

https://tech.yahoo.com/transportation/articles/slate-truck-know-low-cost-080815456.html

Your quotes are not from Slate representatives. When I said "They", I didn't mean just any random internet article.

No Slate company representative ever said "just under $20K". They have always and consistently said either "mid-20k" or "under-20K with 'current' incentives (which they stopped saying once the federal incentive went away.)

And even at $27.5k they are still the least expensive EV that can tow without voiding the warranty. (If I'm wrong on this point, please point it out because that's what I'm lookin for, a new EV that can tow without voiding the warranty.)

 

[AZFox]

Your quotes are not from Slate representatives. When I said "They", I didn't mean just any random internet article.

It's what any random article said.
Because that's what writers were told.
By Slate representatives.

See also Slate's website.

Edit: Mobile version

 

[KevinRS]

It's more what writers calculated. As far as I can tell, no one directly said anything but the "Under 20k with incentives" and later "mid-20s" lines. Of course you, me, and anyone writing an article or making a video can quickly do the calculations and get that 27.5k number. It's still going to be next year before we get solid numbers and accessory prices though, so there is little point in arguing about the price.
In theory, the current make it in America drive in politics would mean some possibility of the return of some incentive, but it seems to be overpowered by an anti-electric anti-pollution control drive.

 

[AZFox]

If the projected price was (just under) $17,500 after incentives they would have said that.

Instead, Slate published on their website headlines with the $20,000 price.

 

[AZFox]

We've seen Slate Auto say "just under $20K after the $7.5K incentive". We all agree on that, right?

Saw an article I had missed in Slate's listing of articles.
Does this Car & Driver article remove any remaining doubts?

 

[danielt1263]

It's what any random article said.
Because that's what writers were told.
By Slate representatives.

No Slate representative has ever been quoted as saying anything other than mid-20s or under 20K with incentives.
Could they have told reporters something they haven't told us? It seems to me far more likely that reporters heard "mid-$20K", and "under $20k after incentives", then added the maximum possible incentive to $20k, and made that their worst case assumption. Frankly, just like I have.

My worst case assumption is $27.499 too, just like everybody else, because that is as expensive as it could be and still fit with what Slate has said. But we are all making assumptions.

If the projected price was (just under) $17,500 after incentives they would have said that.

As I said before, I strongly believe that not even the accountants at Slate know yet what the actual price will be. To expect them to guess to three significant digits (medical grade precision), is just bonkers. I suspect all they know right now is that the price will have five digits and the first digit will be a 2.

Something I've noticed is that now they are pushing the whole "average price of a used car" narrative. Given that, and our agreement that a price that the market will bear is a limit, my guess is that the company has determined that if their truck cost much more than a used car's average price, they will have trouble staying afloat.

Kelly Blue Book says the used car average price is $25,565, CarGurus says $27,958...

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Seems like we have pretty much beat this dead horse to a second death now. $27500…

Game on with accessories prices. That’s the discriminator imho.

 

[Neil Nelson]

No Slate representative has ever been quoted as saying anything other than mid-20s or under 20K with incentives.
...
As I said before, I strongly believe that not even the accountants at Slate know yet what the actual price will be.

You are making the Slate price way too hard. Before the federal EV discount went away (now lasting until the end of this September but Slate can not be bought until the last quarter of 2026), Slate was saying under $20,000 with the $7,500 federal discount. That means without the federal discount, the price would be under $27,500, the price now. How much under is very likely a few dollars but just figure on $27,500.

Slate can change the price whenever they want, but $27,500 is the current price.

 

[motorolas]

Just for fun, and because we know the Slate team scours the forums too.
I'm going to put it out there that the base model be priced at $23,499, and the extended battery be priced at $26,499. And please make the SUV+seats and Fastback+seats at $3,499.
That would be ~$26,998 for the base with SUV, and ~$29,998.
This would give me that psychological push to think the price is lower and justify the purchase in 2027-2028. 😜

 

[Neil Nelson]

The base model price is currently at $27,500. The extended battery is $4,000 giving $31,500.

 

[AZFox]

Shot:

Chaser:

No Slate representative has ever been quoted as saying anything other than mid-20s or under 20K with incentives.
Could they have told reporters something they haven't told us? It seems to me far more likely that reporters heard "mid-$20K", and "under $20k after incentives", then added the maximum possible incentive to $20k, and made that their worst case assumption.

¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯