Problems you are worried about Slate having with the production prototypes.

[bartflossom]

I'm a worrywart I guess.

But if there's been one constant through my life it's that the things I worry about usually turn out fine, while all hell breaks loose on things I was confident in.

To the best of my knowledge, we have not seen the composite body panels yet. I believe all the beta prototypes have fiberglass panels because that was quick and easy. If I'm wrong, please let me know.

I'm worried they will expand and contract in heat and cold like the Saturn's panels did creating fitment issues. The Saturns also had UV fading issues, but with wraps I don't think that will be a problem.

I'm also worried about this "safety partition" in the cargo kit. I don't want one. I just want an S-10 two door equivalent with no seat in the back. I'm hoping it's just for fleets who will be carrying large loads. I'm worried it might be needed for structural rigidity since the kit doesn't come with the rollbar.

So what keeps you up at night?

 

[Tom Sawyer]

So what keeps you up at night?

Waiting for the Slate to make it to production lol

 

[cadblu]

Well since you mentioned it, I also have a few concerns that keep me up at night.

1. composite panels - UV stability over time, thermal expansion, panel gaps, door alignment, stress concentration and potential cracking near the bolted attachment points
2. weather sealing characteristics of the SUV top where it meets the cab, cargo bed, and rear window
3. battery thermal management
4. how effective is the HVAC system in extreme weather conditions
5. actual and usable range on an 80 percent charge
6. NVH- little or no sound deadening
7. seat comfort on long trips
8. ride quality, composed or choppy
9. Spare parts: e.g. what is the lead time for a new windshield?
10. OTA updates, how easy they will be to download and install?
11. Slate's response time when you have a problem
12. Slate University, what tools will I need for a DIY repair?

There are definitely others, but this is just for starters...

 

[fuzzyweis]

I think my main concern will be the battery/charging. SK On is known, but we've seen other established makes like Hyundai and Ford, that use Sk On batteries, have issues with the batteries and charging.

Notoriously Hyundai with their still haven't resolved ICCU(integrated charger controller unit) issues, which when they announced it was a really fancy piece of tech, AC charger/DC Charger/DC Inverter all in one I was like wow, they're getting to Tesla's level, and then these fancy pants unitsjust fail in different ways, some dc fast charging stops working, some it stops charging their 12v battery and doesn't tell them so the 12v circuit loses power and the car is dead in the water, but that's a Hyundai part, hopefully Slate will stick to their keep it simple, have a separate dc-dc unit, separate AC charger, separate DC-AC inverter. But they may think only having 1 part for all of that is simpler and if so that may not be best for reliability.

Also powertrain type issues. Air conditioning is standard because it's needed for thermal battery management. BUT, with great cooling comes great responsibility. Our 2024 Honda Prologue is built on GM's platform so you'd think they've got some history and know what's up, but they had some valve in the AC system that didn't have proper fitment, so it would cause like a blockage or something in the AC system, and the car would go into reduced power mode as that's what keeps the battery cool. Also with our Honda, the CV joints make a weird noise when it's cold, Honda says it's probably fine but yeah...brand new Honda, ANY unsettling powertrain noise ain't fine.

Most anything else I think may be manageable. The plastic unpainted panels, after years of doing touch up paint jobs on my white 2000 Ranger where it's constantly delaminating would be a welcome relief.

The Infotainment on our Prologue can fritz out but it's a bring your own infotainment on the Slate so not a concern there.

NVH, it's a truck and the simpler inside the easier to pull out the carpet and seats and door panels and dynamat the heck out of it, also would want to do that for the sound system anyways.

Hopefully the keep it simple idea helps reduce points of failure and it has the durability of..you know...a truck!

-Jim

 

[ScooterAsheville]

I feel really bad every time I let my "negative nellie" side come out on this forum. But since you asked...

• The history of first vehicle quality from every single OEM that has ever existed is not a good story.
• The odds that Slate will exist in 2028 are not good. The odds they will exist in 2029 are lower still
• The market appeal of the vehicle itself is untested. OEMs are not stupid. They've been in this business for 100+ years. They know American truck buyers. And they're all building four door pickups.
• The number of people who will mail order a parts bin stripper with no paint and no dedicated service center and no supporting local dealership is wildly unknown. Even Teslas and Rivians come with dedicated service networks and mobile service.
• price, price, price. What is it delivered to your driveway?

OK, negative nellie had her say. Now I hope Slate rocks the automotive world by selling out production for 5 years. Hey, Ford did it with the Maverick. I met a guy at the market last week who surprised me by saying he had to wait for a year to get his 2025 Maverick. I was shocked people are still waiting for that vehicle.

One more positive thing. I hope Slate reads this. Ford recently appeared on Autoline to talk about their nationwide mobile service network. They said they were very happy to support non Ford vehicles. So if I were Slate, I would scrap Repair Pal. I would sign up with Ford for mobile service. Ford's mobile service is wildly successful, growing, and there are thousands of participating dealers and tens of thousands of service vans. I've personally had all my Maverick service (recalls, oil changes, scheduled maintenance, tire rotations) done in my driveway at no extra charge since buying the thing. So Slate - sign up please!

 

[WA8YXM]

I'm a worrywart I guess.

But if there's been one constant through my life it's that the things I worry about usually turn out fine, while all hell breaks loose on things I was confident in.

To the best of my knowledge, we have not seen the composite body panels yet. I believe all the beta prototypes have fiberglass panels because that was quick and easy. If I'm wrong, please let me know.

I'm worried they will expand and contract in heat and cold like the Saturn's panels did creating fitment issues. The Saturns also had UV fading issues, but with wraps I don't think that will be a problem.

I'm also worried about this "safety partition" in the cargo kit. I don't want one. I just want an S-10 two door equivalent with no seat in the back. I'm hoping it's just for fleets who will be carrying large loads. I'm worried it might be needed for structural rigidity since the kit doesn't come with the rollbar.

So what keeps you up at night?

Seems to me we have had plastic/fiberglass cars without issues
Chevy Corvette (Fiberglass)
And the Chevy Lumina APV (all plastic vehicle) i drove one for several years

 

[Sparkie]

>> OEMs are not stupid. They've been in this business for 100+ years. They know American truck buyers. And they're all building four door pickups. <<

Interesting comment.
My fellow truck owners and I use our trucks as daily drivers, not work vehicles.
We have talked about this OEM topic a lot.

You also mention the Ford Maverick (the pickup, not the 1970's car) -- probably the most mentioned non-Slate pickup in this forum.
None of my friends or I own Maverick, but it does come up in our OEM discussions.

@ScooterAsheville , I'm curious what led you to a Maverick pickup over the Hyundai Santa Cruz or Ford's other small pickup, the Ranger?

 

[ScooterAsheville]

>> @ScooterAsheville , I'm curious what led you to a Maverick pickup over the Hyundai Santa Cruz or Ford's other small pickup, the Ranger?

I honestly hated buying my Maverick, but it has grown on me over three years. I drove out of the dealership oozing buyer's remorse. I didn't want a big truck, and the Maverick is a frigging big truck - 200" long. I'd dump it in a heartbeat for a smaller BEV truck that was nicely equipped (I like all my automotive comforts).

I totally considered a Santa Cruz, and test drove one. I actually loved it, especially the tech and interior. What really made me pass on the SC was that I wanted either a full BEV or a turbo engine with a conventional automatic - inexplicably neither was ever offered by Hyundai. I chose correctly, because they had tons of problems with early builds of their CVT. I believe to this day that if Hyundai had sold a BEV Santa Cruz, it would have been a rock star hit in the USA.

The new Ranger was never an option for me, though I owned two old single cab Rangers and loved them. The new Ranger is even bigger than the Maverick.

Aside from the BEV part, the old Ranger is a Slate with paint (I had a two door with manual window cranks and locks). If they had not discontinued that wonderful rolling hunk of junk, I'd still be driving one today.

I notice you have a Bronco. A two door BEV Bronco, maybe tamed down a bit for the street, is my dream ride. But automakers have an ironclad rule: "never build anything ScooterAsheville dreams of buying". Same for the Jeep J6. An awesome two door small Jeep pickup. They displayed it out of cruelty aimed directly at me, I believe. I think there is a picture of me on the wall of every CEO, with a caption "Don't build what he wants".

 

[E90400K]

I doubt there will be any issue with thermal expansion of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic panels as I believe the plastic will be a polypropylene, which have excellent dimensional stability. There will be no fitment issues. In my family we had several Saturns and one Fiero back in the 1980's and 1990's. Neither had any fade, paint, or thermal stability issues.

I think the major concerning issues, which could be an artifact of the Slate's innovative design to be both a near-unibody pickup truck and an SUV (conversion) is the design to prevent water intrusion into the cab (pickup) and SUV interior (sealing of the rear glass and tailgate). Axles, wheel bearings, hubs, differential, and the drive/charge electronics should be fairly worked out as OEM off-the-shelf components from a now rather mature EV supply chain.

The more I think of it, the more I'm leaning to building a temporary paint booth in my shop and painting my Slate, black. I'm not going to screw with the wrap thing.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

If they choose materials well, the body panels should be an absolute non-issue. I suppose you might argue possible vibration and thermal induced cracks at the bolt points, but I sincerely doubt it. That can all be modelled on the computer, and modern materials science can work wonders.

Munro Live just did a teardown of the BYD motor. They talk about a weak point. Engineering moving things is hard stuff. Munro talked about thermal expansion and motor vibration working together to induce cracking. I came from aerospace, where even the most brilliant engineers sometimes get it wrong. Even with periodic inspections, cracks are an always-present thread. They happen after some period of time, often from things that just didn't show up in testing. A harmonic vibration induced by some edge case. And kaboom! You've got an aircraft full of dead people.

Famous case, for those who like these things... The British Comet airliner.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

I'll second most of the initial concerns posted already, and add a long-term concern.

Rust.

It's not always obvious where snow is going to get crammed into, and you might not notice for a decade. Automakers might modify the design or building processes once they realize problem areas, but it can take a while to figure out what's a problem area.

 

[phidauex]

Given my experience with the MachE, my guess will be:

• Fit and finish issues with the panels, doors, tailgate.
• Noise and vibration annoyances.
• Water sealing and gaskets, especially on the SUV kits.
• Weird software bugs "backup camera doesn't turn on sometimes", "12V battery goes dead because DC/DC didn't turn on when expected", "won't go into drive because it doesn't believe the charger door is closed". These cars still have tons of software, even with the relative simplicity, and there are bound to be gaps in module firmware versions and behavior between all the various vendors involved.

I don't think there will be any major issues with the battery or the integrated drive unit, or core vehicle components like suspension or brakes.

 

[null98115]

I'm curious what led you to a Maverick pickup over the Hyundai Santa Cruz or Ford's other small pickup, the Ranger?

I’Il take a crack. I wanted a small pickup and a hybrid. Twenty-seven months and 19,000 miles I still love the truck.

 

[Luxrage]

"won't go into drive because it doesn't believe the charger door is closed"

Seeing the new Ford EV platform unveiling videos and seeing that motorized charge door doesn't fill me with confidence on that one.

I keep up with the Cybertruck owners forums since despite me not liking the truck personally, it is a technological breakthrough in a lot of ways and I do like seeing how it's holding up (and I like reading the arguments), but the Power Conversion System seems to be a very common failure point, and it seems to be happening on all of them. That's the only part on the Slate that worries me, as I can bodge just about anything mechanical back together, but the EV side of it is not my wheelhouse.

 

[Sparkie]

But automakers have an ironclad rule: "never build anything ScooterAsheville dreams of buying". Same for the Jeep J6. An awesome two door small Jeep pickup.<<

Yes!!
That Jeep J6 is absolutely what should have been built instead of the Gladiator.