PSA: Extended Range Battery can NOT be added / retrofit installed after purchase (confirmed by Slate)

[Trace26]

That's not going to stop me from buying one from a salvage yard and installing it myself. Haha

 

[zipn]

My guess is the battery assembly itself is the same size for both the small and large battery options. The small unit has (I think) 6 internal pouch cells , and the larger pack has (I think) 9 cells built into the assembly.

The large final assembly itself probably designed to be part of the structure of the vehicle so it's the same in crash test, rigidity, etc regardless of the number of internal cells. The high voltage, low voltage, and cooling lines are all connected to the external ports on the battery assembly. Doesn't seem to be anything that an owner would be able to remove, add cells to, and re-install. Too risky to screw things up!

Personally, with the loss of the tax credit, I think the smartest move by Slate would be to just standardize on the single, fully-loaded long range battery pack for the base price.
Internally, I think the cost to go from 6 to 9 packs is pretty minimal during the manufacturing of the part, so having the base model with ~250 miles of range in the mid-20s would put it in a better competitive position.

The main competitors for the SLATE aren't just small pickups... it's ALL the upcoming entry level EVs. No doubt they'll all come standard with at least 200+ miles range (and a radio/car play, power windows, 4 doors, etc).
A bare bones SLATE EV with only 150 miles range will be a tough sell at ~$25K when its going against the next-gen BOLT, the low cost Kia/Hyundais, and the Ford skunkworks project (among others) that include all the extra bells and whistles.

 

[sodamo]

Zipn, would appreciate link to your battery configuration. Coulda sworn I saw one but hadn’t relocated.

But I agree the marginal cost should be minimal.
I also remember a 6/9 one, but it wasn‘t a Slate, another make, and just a depiction not actual.

 

[zipn]

Zipn, would appreciate link to your battery configuration. Coulda sworn I saw one but hadn’t relocated.

But I agree the marginal cost should be minimal.
I also remember a 6/9 one, but it wasn‘t a Slate, another make, and just a depiction not actual.

I think I picked up the 6/9 pouch from one of the video tours of the factory. I'm just speculating regarding the single-sized battery pack, but from what I saw on the vid, the battery assembly is secured mid-vehicle with the power wiring a short hop to the rear motor. Clean, simple, low-cost design but doesn't really lend itself to adding more externally to the pack.

 

[cvollers]

Zipn, would appreciate link to your battery configuration. Coulda sworn I saw one but hadn’t relocated.

But I agree the marginal cost should be minimal.
I also remember a 6/9 one, but it wasn‘t a Slate, another make, and just a depiction not actual.

I think the marginal cost is roughly $3.5K. Definitely not minimal.

 

[zipn]

I think the marginal cost is roughly $3.5K. Definitely not minimal.

That's more than I expected. That would definitely will put the Slate at a disadvantage compared to other low-cost EVs.

 

[cvollers]

That's more than I expected. That would definitely will put the Slate at a disadvantage compared to other low-cost EVs.

My wild ass guess is that the extended battery cost per unit is about $9.5K based on the SK-On info shared publicly. That’s $39.58 per mile of range quoted by Slate. That’s just under $6K for the standard range. Thus the delta is roughly $3.5K.

 

[cvollers]

My wild ass guess is that the extended battery cost per unit is about $9.5K based on the SK-On info shared publicly. That’s $39.58 per mile of range quoted by Slate. That’s just under $6K for the standard range. Thus the delta is roughly $3.5K.

You could calculate it per kWh but I think the result will be the same.

 

[KevinRS]

I think there are multiple levels of DIY involved in the discussion. From what I've seen, most of the truck is designed to be worked on with a minimal handful of tools, and should be in reach of just about anyone to do in their driveway.
How much do those batteries weigh anyway? Sure, if you know what you are doing, you might be able to swap one as "DIY" but do you need some kind of lift to get the battery out and the new one in? I think most who would even think of it who know what they are doing are beyond the DIY level slate is talking about.