pricing, demand next year, not sure about ordering

[awd]

after all the hype wears down, if Slate isn't selling as many they'd like, how low does everyone see pricing dropping to? do you think we'll see the original sub $20k price point, but without any government incentives? do you see discounts or price drops on a lot of the pricey kits / accessories in the future?

i'm hesitant to place an order as the Slate doesn't meet all of my vehicle needs, and am wondering if trade-in value would be quite low (as has been seen with other EV's or less popular vehicles). i made a reservation right before they closed and quickly saw that my 2027 estimated delivery timeframe got bumped up to april to june 2027, which could be logistics with other orders in the area, or may be a sign of weak demand in initial orders if just a few days after orders opening the last to place reservations got moved up in the schedule. it certainly doesn't look like the current demand is anywhere near the production capacity, if the factory has capacity for 150k vehicles annually and someone at the end of 180k reservations could get delivery right after the first quarter..

do you think we may see an AWD and/or cargo van version of the Blank Slate in the future? (ideally a van one can stand up inside of (even if by means of a pop up roof), though something at least the size of the Kia PV5 with reasonable towing capacity could work)

it may be doubtful we'll ever see one, though if it had a gas powered range extender option, i'd be much more likely to consider buying now, as then i know i could make it to the remote places far from chargers that i want to explore or camp in (especially if towing an enclosed cargo trailer).

hopefully they bring back the power window option.. the lack of this option is also a bit of dealbreaker. besides convenience, power windows could be a bit of a safety feature, if one needs to reach over to the passenger side to close (or open) the window while driving (especially if one can't wait to close it, like if it suddenly starts raining a lot, or if there is dust or debris blowing in the air, etc). i know it's not a big vehicle, but any bit of leaning or reaching over while the truck is in motion could be hazardous on busy or winding roads.

 

[tubes]

Welcome to the forum. Your concerns have been shared by others. Ultimately, if you are really uncomfortable with losing $300, just wait. Otherwise, here are my comments:

• Price: highly unlikely to come down, but that's just the majority prevailing opinion here. Keep in mind, inflation continues to boil around us. Staying even is a feat unto itself. Slate also wants each unit to generate gross profit per the tiny part of their business plan that has been shared with us. They are not planning on taking a loss for years and then raising prices aggressively later. I know, we've been conditioned to that business behavior in the last few decades.
• Resale: unknown
• Demand: we have gone back and forth on reading the tea leaves about why some people's deliveries moved around, why some are still not assigned except to "coming soon" and why a tiny slice is in Q3. Nobody without an NDA has any visibility into this. We really don't know the demand. We have zero idea how they are determining delivery windows, although you should be aware Florida appears to have some sort of favored status.
• AWD: they have strongly hinted that is coming sometime, and the frunk area seems to allow it. AWD will have a smaller frunk if it happens.
• Cargo: yesterday the COO said it is coming. Pop ups are on their radar too (I think, he called it a Pop Top, usually means same thing)
• Power Windows: engineers at the NYC event said they continue to work on it. There are technical snags involved so they put it on the back burner while working bigger issues currently. "Stay tuned"

 

[Johnologue]

after all the hype wears down, if Slate isn't selling as many they'd like, how low does everyone see pricing dropping to? do you think we'll see the original sub $20k price point, but without any government incentives? do you see discounts or price drops on a lot of the pricey kits / accessories in the future?

I believe there may have been talk of getting the price lower in the future based on the price of batteries going down; it's something Slate would like to accomplish, at least.

For kits/accessories, I think the bargain hunter's choice will just be to go unofficial. There should be more aftermarket coming out for the Slate quickly enough once the 3D files are public.

i'm hesitant to place an order as the Slate doesn't meet all of my vehicle needs, and am wondering if trade-in value would be quite low (as has been seen with other EV's or less popular vehicles). i made a reservation right before they closed and quickly saw that my 2027 estimated delivery timeframe got bumped up to april to june 2027, which could be logistics with other orders in the area, or may be a sign of weak demand in initial orders if just a few days after orders opening the last to place reservations got moved up in the schedule. it certainly doesn't look like the current demand is anywhere near the production capacity, if the factory has capacity for 150k vehicles annually and someone at the end of 180k reservations could get delivery right after the first quarter..

It's my understanding that EV resale is weird, partly because a lot of those vehicles were sold with tax credits. I wouldn't read into the estimates or the reservation count too much. There's probably a lot going on there, Slate has fleet stuff going on, etc.

do you think we may see an AWD and/or cargo van version of the Blank Slate in the future? (ideally a van one can stand up inside of (even if by means of a pop up roof), though something at least the size of the Kia PV5 with reasonable towing capacity could work)

AWD has apparently been teased as a potential future thing. I wouldn't personally count on it happening soon, but it sounds like it'll happen eventually.
There is a cargo van kit, I don't think it's meant for standing in though. Towing capacity is 2000 lbs.

hopefully they bring back the power window option.. the lack of this option is also a bit of dealbreaker. besides convenience, power windows could be a bit of a safety feature, if one needs to reach over to the passenger side to close (or open) the window while driving (especially if one can't wait to close it, like if it suddenly starts raining a lot, or if there is dust or debris blowing in the air, etc). i know it's not a big vehicle, but any bit of leaning or reaching over while the truck is in motion could be hazardous on busy or winding roads.

I think the idea is that you generally don't crank the passenger-side window while driving on busy or winding roads.
If it looks like rain and you're headed on the freeway, keep the window mostly or completely closed? The safety issue seems self-imposed.

 

[tubes]

I believe there may have been talk of getting the price lower in the future based on the price of batteries going down; it's something Slate would like to accomplish, at least.

Keep in mind there is "cost" (COGS) and consumer price. Copes was pretty clear they are paying a startup tax, so their COGS are higher. He expects that to come down.

Would they lower the price by passing that on? Possible, but doubtful. There are some upcoming possible government requirements that could increase the COGS. For example, the AM radio thing. And then there is inflation.

I would expect they would keep profit and increase value. Perhaps make power windows standard or extend the range with different batteries, for example.

Finally, if they do lower the price, they will have to balance that against pissing off this early adopter community (us here on this forum, and others) which will evangelize for them. That's a dangerous game they would be playing.

And in what world do people expect a USA made vehicle to be under $20k? That price buys you a roof or HVAC system for your house these days, both of which are much less complex.

 

[awd]

Welcome to the forum. Your concerns have been shared by others. Ultimately, if you are really uncomfortable with losing $300, just wait. Otherwise, here are my comments:

• Price: highly unlikely to come down, but that's just the majority prevailing opinion here. Keep in mind, inflation continues to boil around us. Staying even is a feat unto itself. Slate also wants each unit to generate gross profit per the tiny part of their business plan that has been shared with us. They are not planning on taking a loss for years and then raising prices aggressively later. I know, we've been conditioned to that business behavior in the last few decades.
• Resale: unknown
• Demand: we have gone back and forth on reading the tea leaves about why some people's deliveries moved around, why some are still not assigned except to "coming soon" and why a tiny slice is in Q3. Nobody without an NDA has any visibility into this. We really don't know the demand. We have zero idea how they are determining delivery windows, although you should be aware Florida appears to have some sort of favored status.
• AWD: they have strongly hinted that is coming sometime, and the frunk area seems to allow it. AWD will have a smaller frunk if it happens.
• Cargo: yesterday the COO said it is coming. Pop ups are on their radar too (I think, he called it a Pop Top, usually means same thing)
• Power Windows: engineers at the NYC event said they continue to work on it. There are technical snags involved so they put it on the back burner while working bigger issues currently. "Stay tuned"

thank you for sharing all the details. i will continue to watch for now, and look forward to seeing what the cargo topper and camper options offer.

great to hear of a good possibility of AWD being offered. i do recall reading or seeing that there was plenty of room for an additional motor. i've gotten stuck with RWD (more than once) when dirt roads became too soft, and having extra capability would make it easier to get to and through some places.

when i chatted with Slate, it sounded like the cargo topper was designed to keep the window and wall behind the seats in place, which wouldn't work as well for my usage. ideally i'd like something like the fastback SUV kit at a much lower price without any of the seats, airbags, etc. being able to easily hop from the driver's seat to the cargo area like a van would be welcome.

i think i saw in a video that gofastcampers was working on a pop up tent / topper for the slate truck, though seeing how much they charge for their other campers, it may be expensive especially for a product that doesn't really comprise of that much material. for a few thousand dollars one could buy an enclosed cargo trailer with much more room inside (though towing long distances with current rural charging infrastructure (and without a range extender) would be problematic).

ultimately it comes down to overall capability and value. if the Blank Slate with kit / accessories to make it function as needed end up at a price point significantly less than other vehicle options, then it'll make sense to order.

i do like the idea of a small electric truck or van, and it'd be fun to drive around locally, though will probably end up waiting until sometime later to get one. like others, i'm also waiting to see the specs Ford will offer on the UEV truck (and they did show vans as variants they can make on the new platform, which was good to see).

 

[SailorDan]

From the underneath photos of the rear suspension, it looks like a space has been deliberately left for an AWD takeoff to run from the rear end toward the front. So I think they were planning on AWD all along, just not able to build it into the first model. 2028? No idea how they would put a front transfer in without taking some of the frunk space, and they were very adamant in early videos about frunk space being important to the design.

The Pic's of the cargo van shown earlier (and since deleted) showed a regular height cap like the square-back SUV. A stand-up height option might be more practical for a delivery van though. No real hints from Slate recently other than assertion that there definitely will be a Cargo option and it will be available to all customers, not just fleets.

 

[AZFox]

when i chatted with Slate, it sounded like the cargo topper was designed to keep the window and wall behind the seats in place

I'm expecting the Cargo Kit to include it's own bulkhead rather than using the pickup's rear glass and partition as the bulkhead.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

thank you for sharing all the details. i will continue to watch for now, and look forward to seeing what the cargo topper and camper options offer.

great to hear of a good possibility of AWD being offered. i do recall reading or seeing that there was plenty of room for an additional motor. i've gotten stuck with RWD (more than once) when dirt roads became too soft, and having extra capability would make it easier to get to and through some places.

when i chatted with Slate, it sounded like the cargo topper was designed to keep the window and wall behind the seats in place, which wouldn't work as well for my usage. ideally i'd like something like the fastback SUV kit at a much lower price without any of the seats, airbags, etc. being able to easily hop from the driver's seat to the cargo area like a van would be welcome.

i think i saw in a video that gofastcampers was working on a pop up tent / topper for the slate truck, though seeing how much they charge for their other campers, it may be expensive especially for a product that doesn't really comprise of that much material. for a few thousand dollars one could buy an enclosed cargo trailer with much more room inside (though towing long distances with current rural charging infrastructure (and without a range extender) would be problematic).

ultimately it comes down to overall capability and value. if the Blank Slate with kit / accessories to make it function as needed end up at a price point significantly less than other vehicle options, then it'll make sense to order.

i do like the idea of a small electric truck or van, and it'd be fun to drive around locally, though will probably end up waiting until sometime later to get one. like others, i'm also waiting to see the specs Ford will offer on the UEV truck (and they did show vans as variants they can make on the new platform, which was good to see).

Some of us are going to cheat the cargo top code by simply removing the rear seat and rollbar from the full SUV squared/fastback kit. Voila…no bulkhead or truck glass!

You ask lots of valid questions. My view is that $300 is a good bet that it will be a fun and useful little truck.

When Gen 2 rolls out, Gen 1 goes to one of my kids!

 

[KevinRS]

EV depreciation keeps getting brought up, but there are a couple of factors.
One is the instant depreciation in the amount of the incentives.
Another is that most EVs have been tailored for the higher end luxury set, who wouldn't buy used at all. So then when they buy a new one, the market for their used is limited.
Another is there is going to be a floor to pricing in good working condition used vehicles that are useful. Slate is starting out a lot closer to that floor, and with the utility of a truck, it's new price may break that floor. How much are relatively low mileage un-rusted used small pickups going for in your area?
I do see some listed a bit under $20k, but they are basically universally at least close to if not well over 100k miles. Then they are aging, use gas, probably leak oil, and are going to need more maintenance and cost more in gas than the Slate does in electrons to run.

 

[LevelHeaded]

i'm hesitant to place an order as the Slate doesn't meet all of my vehicle needs

Nothing else in the post matters. Unless you plan on having another vehicle to meet the needs the Slate doesn't, buying it is not a good idea.

 

[dmon4u]

One thing is, once they catch up with current demand...deliveries will happen much faster. At least in half the time, I think !

 

[EV Trek]

I'm expecting the Cargo Kit to include it's own bulkhead rather than using the pickup's rear glass and partition as the bulkhead.

I read in one post about they had to change course on the reusing the back window from the truck to the SUV. They could not get it to stop leaking so they made a new design just for the Squareback SUV.

 

[RedJoker]

I'm expecting the Cargo Kit to include it's own bulkhead rather than using the pickup's rear glass and partition as the bulkhead.

I'm leaning towards the SUV kit and a heavy duty cargo net in place of a bulkhead. That way, I can use it either as a cargo van with seats removed or as an SUV with the seats installed and cargo net removed. A minivan version would be optimal for me but alas.... 🤷‍♂️

 

[cadblu]

I read in one post about they had to change course on the reusing the back window from the truck to the SUV. They could not get it to stop leaking so they made a new design just for the Squareback SUV.

So this would help explain why Slate is selling a “conversion kit” (at additional cost) to restore the SUV back to a pickup truck. The concept to reuse the pickup’s rear window and trim to the rear of the SUV didn’t quite work out.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I'm leaning towards the SUV kit and a heavy duty cargo net in place of a bulkhead. That way, I can use it either as a cargo van with seats removed or as an SUV with the seats installed and cargo net removed. A minivan version would be optimal for me but alas.... 🤷‍♂️

I like this cargo net solution a lot. Share which one you end up choosing. I may co-opt this idea for the open-air set up when I want to do truck-ish things.