POLL: What are you most interested about with the Slate?

[Bayfire2441]

Apologies if we've done one of these recently but I'm curious what's most exciting about the Blank Slate for people? I'm wondering if the affordability aspect is as much a top priority or if people are more interested in other things. I'd also like to know if your answer to this poll has changed overtime, but I can only do one poll in a post.

 

[bloo]

I want a small two-door pickup I can commute the hell out of. Nobody else is selling that in the US.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

If it wasn't affordable and electric, I wouldn't be looking at it at all. But the dedication to repairability/longevity is the reason I'm interested.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

I don't mean to trigger anyone. Butwhat most interests me is the question: "Will Slate survive and succeed as an automaker?" Because honestly, that's the thing I find the most important. It can be the greatest vehicle ever designed and built by man, but it means nothing if Slate goes bankrupt a year or two after first delivery.

I guess if that were a poll choice, it would read "Slate's financial stability".

 

[Bayfire2441]

I don't mean to trigger anyone. But could you add an option "Will Slate survive and succeed as an automaker?" Because honestly, that's the thing I find the most important and most interesting.

I guess interesting to Slate was bad wording. I mean, what draws you too the vehicle. Although, I do agree that thats something to think about. I'm not as worried as long as they make it too production considering their focus on repairability and off the shelf parts.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

I think the poll is solid. It's asking what we want Slate to deliver, not necessarily what Slate will deliver.

I think the moment(s) of revelation for a lot of us will be when promises are converted into facts (good or bad). As in, "here's exactly where you can get something serious fixed if it fails" (down the street or out of state). And as in, "here is exactly what your Slate will cost, delivered or picked up at the factory."

It's gonna be fascinating to watch promises converted into facts (good or bad) in CY 2026. I'm hoping the hard working elves at Slate put candy in my Slate Christmas stocking, not coal.

 

[bartflossom]

If there was a choice for "non-dealership purchasing" that would be a choice I might have selected. As it is I could click on all of the choices.

 

[Bayfire2441]

If there was a choice for "non-dealership purchasing" that would be a choice I might have selected. As it is I could click on all of the choices.

Good point, I added it.

 

[SparkYellow]

I was ready for my next car to be an EV but didn't like the existing ones and prices. I only knew that access to the Supercharging network is crucial for the trips I make. If this truck is manufactured and sold by any of the existing EV makers under the traditional dealership/service framework, it wouldn't be under $30K, and I wouldn't make the jump. 😁

 

[Johnologue]

"Pick two"
That's a brutal set of things to choose!
I think I'll have to consider this in the context of used cars, because otherwise it would be dominated by things that disqualify most modern vehicles entirely (like data collection).

I picked "customization/moddability" and an electric powertrain.

The Slate's open and "hackable" design gives it endless potential in my mind. While older vehicles were less "integrated" and had more modularity with things like DIN slots, they weren't designed to accommodate modification.
I consider repairability to be an included/implied benefit of the Slate's openness.

Electric powertrain: There are no mass-produced "low-tech"/accessible electric vehicles. GM started OnStar within a couple years of killing the EV-1. And as EV powertrains go, the EV-1, GM/Ford compact truck conversion, Honda EV Plus, etc. era was relatively primitive (by definition using late-90s tech).
By the time the first-gen Nissan Leaf brought modern electric vehicles mainstream, it was a very modern example of a "connected car". By the second gen, Tesla-imitating focus on driver assistance had taken root. Etc.

 

[Bayfire2441]

"Pick two"
That's a brutal set of things to choose!
I think I'll have to consider this in the context of used cars, because otherwise it would be dominated by things that disqualify most modern vehicles entirely (like data collection).

I picked "customization/moddability" and an electric powertrain.

The Slate's open and "hackable" design gives it endless potential in my mind. While older vehicles were less "integrated" and had more modularity with things like DIN slots, they weren't designed to accommodate modification.
I consider repairability to be an included/implied benefit of the Slate's openness.

Electric powertrain: There are no mass-produced "low-tech"/accessible electric vehicles. GM started OnStar within a couple years of killing the EV-1. And as EV powertrains go, the EV-1, GM/Ford compact truck conversion, Honda EV Plus, etc. era was relatively primitive (by definition using late-90s tech).
By the time the first-gen Nissan Leaf brought modern electric vehicles mainstream, it was a very modern example of a "connected car". By the second gen, Tesla-imitating focus on driver assistance had taken root. Etc.

I was originally thinking of having it just one choice. I mainly just wanted to know if Slate continuing to hammer the price point post credit loss still made sense. The price is the thing I'm taking into least consideration personally. I don't mind the lower price, of course, just that I value the more open, and owner friendly nature more. I think I've gotten my answer though.

 

[mthulhu]

This is a great question. I went with simplicity and design and price would closely follow. It surprised me to realize everything else was just many bonuses.

The rest of this post is a fist shaking rant.

I’m so tired of auto manufacturers chasing trends and treating me like a moron. I don’t want a tv glued to my dash so my souless flat design menus can be as big as my steering wheel. There’s literally no point it just scores with the unthinking majority. Vehicles are cool and they should be designed to look and act the part. Instead it’s all optimized around focus groups and chasing the broadest possible appeal through conformity and complete lack of imagination. Niche design and interesting vehicles are dying and manufacturers have grown too bloated to support anything but a one size fits all product and are too stupid to stand on their own free will rather than just copy the homework of those around them. Many models don't allow you to adjust steering weight, feedback sounds, or driving behaviors outside of overly simplified “drive modes”. People who give a damn should be able to adjust any parameters within acceptable tolerances. Then they scam us out of right to repair. And the worst part is this is a reflection of society's decreasing appetite to want more for themselves. All complexity must be abstracted away in favor of “simplicity” over detail. It drives me fucking crazy. I hope Slate bucks the trends and sticks to its vision and find enough success to keep it alive and prove something different is still viable

 

[Bayfire2441]

This is a great question. I went with simplicity and design and price would closely follow. It surprised me to realize everything else was just many bonuses.

The rest of this post is a fist shaking rant.

I’m so tired of auto manufacturers chasing trends and treating me like a moron. I don’t want a tv glued to my dash so my souless flat design menus can be as big as my steering wheel. There’s literally no point it just scores with the unthinking majority. Vehicles are cool and they should be designed to look and act the part. Instead it’s all optimized around focus groups and chasing the broadest possible appeal through conformity and complete lack of imagination. Niche design and interesting vehicles are dying and manufacturers have grown too bloated to support anything but a one size fits all product and are too stupid to stand on their own free will rather than just copy the homework of those around them. Many models don't allow you to adjust steering weight, feedback sounds, or driving behaviors outside of overly simplified “drive modes”. People who give a damn should be able to adjust any parameters within acceptable tolerances. Then they scam us out of right to repair. And the worst part is this is a reflection of society's decreasing appetite to want more for themselves. All complexity must be abstracted away in favor of “simplicity” over detail. It drives me fucking crazy. I hope Slate bucks the trends and sticks to its vision and find enough success to keep it alive and prove something different is still viable

Having had a newer vehicle, it is by far the most annoying of my vehicles when things break because there is just so much unnecessary stuff and no documentation for it.

 

[GaRailroader]

I think pick-up form factor should be a choice. My (2) primaries would be EV Powertrain and pick-up form factor. If it was a mid-twenties compact hatchback like a Nissan Leaf or Chevy Bolt, I wouldn't give it a 2nd look.

 

[Bayfire2441]

I think pick-up form factor should be a choice. My (2) primaries would be EV Powertrain and pick-up form factor. If it was a mid-twenties compact hatchback like a Nissan Leaf or Chevy Bolt, I wouldn't give it a 2nd look.

You make a good point, I have added it on.