Slate first drive review video - Jay Leno's Garage!

[bartflossom]

I couldn't stop yelling, "TURN OFF YOUR DAMN BLINKER JAY!!"

 

[jmcarter]

Those throwing rocks should just go buy a leftover 25 Maverick XL Hybrid for 26K. You either buy the concept or you don’t.

 

[E90400K]

Plastic and metal bits that can be pumped out of the factory, rather than electric motors and switches that have to be sourced externally. Manual window cranks are dead simple.

Easy to repair. Chasing down an electrical fault somewhere in the wiring system can cost hundreds – happened to me. To fix a manual crank you just remove the door panel and look to see what's wrong. Done that too.

The CEO has stated the manual mechanism is from an offshore supplier in Brazil. If the electrical system design is simple, you test for 12V at the switch connector then the at the motor connector (past the switch), and use an independent 12V source to test the motor.

 

[stEVe]

I’m looking forward to the moment when the conversation shifts from reviews to real owners sharing their DIY mods and creative ideas. The collective knowledge and innovation that will grow out of the Slate community is going to be incredible.

 

[enigma9o7]

I couldn't stop yelling, "TURN OFF YOUR DAMN BLINKER JAY!!"

I'm guessing its either broken or just way too quiet, I couldn't hear it at ALL even tho I can hear both people talking just fine, I hope that isn't a design flaw, it's important to be able to hear the indicators....

 

[1yeliab_sufur1]

I’m looking forward to the moment when the conversation shifts from reviews to real owners sharing their DIY mods and creative ideas. The collective knowledge and innovation that will grow out of the Slate community is going to be incredible.

Sameeeeeeeeeeeeee 😭

 

[RCW 85051]

Goes live at 9:00 am Monday!



Jay Leno gets an exclusive first look at the Slate, a revolutionary new electric truck prototype built in Warsaw, Indiana. Designed by industry veterans from the early days of Tesla, Slate is on a mission to rebuild American manufacturing by offering a truly affordable, customizable EV for under $30,000.

With the average cost of a new car hitting $50,000, the Slate cuts that price in half through "Design for Manufacturing"—using a modular, single-vehicle assembly line where every truck comes off identical before being personalized by the owner.

In this episode, Jay, Tisha Johnson, and Jeremy Snyder discuss modular DIY Engineering, how the truck can transform from a standard pickup into an SUV or an open-air vehicle with flat-pack kits you can install yourself.

 

[RCW 85051]

I've been eyeballing the Slate for a while, I aslo saw Jay's Telos video on there truck too.
The Slate fit the bill. I like the idea of buying a bare bones truck and make it my own. and around 20K This was the deal. I dropped my $50 Reservation this afternoon. I know I won't see it for about a year. That's ok with me. I'm glad to be part of this Forum too.
Randy Anderson from Phoenix AZ.

 

[1yeliab_sufur1]

I've been eyeballing the Slate for a while, I aslo saw Jay's Telos video on there truck too.
The Slate fit the bill. I like the idea of buying a bare bones truck and make it my own. and around 20K This was the deal. I dropped my $50 Reservation this afternoon. I know I won't see it for about a year. That's ok with me. I'm glad to be part of this Forum too.
Randy Anderson from Phoenix AZ.

Lol a lot of people from AZ and I love it XD means we can have a blast in the heat

 

[fubarbloke]

The CEO has stated the manual mechanism is from an offshore supplier in Brazil. If the electrical system design is simple, you test for 12V at the switch connector then the at the motor connector (past the switch), and use an independent 12V source to test the motor.

That's a standard, Accounting 101 make vs. buy decision. Cheap metal and plastic can be cheaply pumped out of any factory, not just Slate's. It's not a sophisticated process.

Electric windows are bit more complicated. Besides a switch next to each window, there are switches on the driver's side connected via some kind of harness and/or bus, and fuses along the way. There are also controllers and sensors handling things like auto-up/down. If the fault is somewhere in that path, it takes time and money to find and fix it. You can literally eye-ball a manual window mechanism and see what's wrong. And maybe fix it with a bit of duct tape and number 8 wire.

 

[MotoGary]

It sounds like even those here who didn't expect to learn anything new, actually did discover a couple of tidbits to add to the knowledge base.

In fairness to Leno and Slate, we weren't the primary intended audience. It was for Jay Leno’s Garage 4 Million subscribers who probably know little or nothing about it. So from that standpoint I think this was a huge exposure win for Slate. I'm watching the YouTube view counter and it's already at over 50K and counting quickly. Lots of new eye on the Slate 👀 That has to be a good thing, right?

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Kind of tired of seeing the same old not-production-representative prototypes. The only reviews and videos I will find interesting going forward are actual production-representative builds this summer - the ones coming off the actual production line. So reviewers touching the truck can hear the noise level, judge the ride on washboard roads, determine if the truck feels like a rattly tin can or a slab of steel.

So bring on the real thing! And Slate, you've been awesomely open so far. Please get journalists into those production-representative Slates as soon as you can. Get them into the hands of Inside EVs, Alex On Autos, Savage Geese, and a gazillion others. I'm hoping Slate does a classic release event for journalists - which is pretty standard these days. Get journalists into the production line cars a few months before they go on sale, because there is a lag. And while it may not be free press, it's pretty cheap press.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

It sounds like even those here who didn't expect to learn anything new, actually did discover a couple of tidbits to add to the knowledge base.

In fairness to Leno and Slate, we weren't the primary intended audience. It was Leno Garage's 4 Million subscribers who probably know little or nothing about it. So from that standpoint I think this was a huge exposure win for Slate. I'm watching the YouTube view counter and it's already at over 50K and counting quickly. Lots of new eye on the Slate 👀 That has to be a good thing, right?

Agreed - the forum is not the intended audience!

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Please get journalists into those production-representative Slates as soon as you can. Get them into the hands of Inside EVs, Alex On Autos, Savage Geese, and a gazillion others. I'm hoping Slate does a classic release event for journalists - which is pretty standard these days. Get journalists into the production line cars a few months before they go on sale, because there is a lag. And while it may not be free press, it's pretty cheap press.

After we get ours please; journalists can wait in line like the rest of us.

 

[Bayfire2441]

I noticed excessive ride noise as well as primitive handling over the speed platforms. Did Slate get the suspension components from the Model T, as well? I hope these traits don't make it into production.

Disappointed adjustable regen braking isn't available. The feature is quite easy to implement.

This was one of the biggest takeaways for me. I don't think we have heard before that regen isn't adjustable. That's a shame and I hope that can be changed.