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

[Tom Sawyer]

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.

Isn't regenerative braking controlled (adjusted?) using the accelerator pedal?

 

[cadblu]

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

Isn’t this what all old people do? Drive around with the blinkers on all day?

 

[AZFox]

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?

Well said.

This is by far the most important aspect of the video.

Now 86,000 views 5 hours in...

 

[Bayfire2441]

Isn't regenerative braking controlled (adjusted?) using the accelerator pedal?

I meant more like how most other EV's (that I know of atleast) let you change the amount of regen braking. I believe Hyundai (I test drove a Kona once) that let's you adjust between no regen, and then two different levels before having 1 pedal driving mode. Kind of sounds like Slate won't have a 1 pedal driving mode.

 

[bloo]

Isn't regenerative braking controlled (adjusted?) using the accelerator pedal?

Whatever regen you get from simply letting off the accelerator is called neutral braking. It can be anywhere from aggressive (allowing one-pedal driving) to nothing (where the vehicle simply coasts recapturing no energy). I guess Slate chose some middle ground.

Footbraking is what you get when you step on the brake. Ideally, a lighter touch on the brake pedal will engage mild regen which gets progressively stronger as you push down. This feeds power back into the battery. Somewhere below the bottom half of travel, the hydraulic brakes kick in. This significantly reduces the amount of regeneration.

I'd hoped both neutral braking and footbraking levels would be user adjustable. It's unfortunate they won't.

 

[nevermindkid]

I'm still not believing the manual window mechanism is less expensive than electric.

Manual mechanism is literally a gear and toothed arm to lift and lower window. Electric has motor, drive belts, buttons, wires, etc. More parts, more money. Worked on both in my days. Glad they're offering power windows as option. I'll keep the cranks.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Only new bit of info I got about the car truck was the extended battery range has been reduced to 230 miles.

Extended range is now down to 230 miles.

That stood out to me too. Not something I was expecting to have the extended range go from 240 from the beginning to quoting 230. I don’t take it to be a mistake, but we’ll have to see.

The extended range battery is still listed as 240 miles on the Slate.auto website.

SLATE’S APPROACH TO RANGE
Slate offers a projected 150 miles with its standard battery pack and up to 240 miles with its extended battery pack (EPA-estimated figures pending). While some competitors chase 300+ miles, we’re focused on practical, everyday driving that balances range with affordability, efficiency, and capability.

Any official range changes should be posted on this page.

 

[JCsTruck]

I hope they get a handle on those rattles and clanking plastic body panels before the production models are finalized. I could hear the rattles and see the panels moving in the video. Even Jay Leno made a comment about it. They need to get the fit and finish to a higher standard too. Even on my iPad I could see the misaligned panels. Looks promising but it needs polish.

 

[South Whitley Bulldog]

Great Jay show good to see someone with common sense in show biz still I bet he buys one for himself or they give him one to torture test met him once at Auburn car festival dang nice guy.

 

[motorolas]

The extended range battery is still listed as 240 miles on the Slate.auto website.


Any official range changes should be posted on this page.

It’s interesting if it’s the case that their COO Jeremy Schneider would slip with regards to the details of extended range being 230 miles. I’ll personally go with it being a slip of the tongue, but if it is, it’s a heck of a slip to mention this on a video platform like Jay Leno.

 

[AZFox]

One advantage to going with hand-crank windows is the opportunity to sell high-margin Electric Window Upgrade Kits.

If the cost is the same, the hand crank wins.

 

[South Whitley Bulldog]

Well I hate to tell everyone about the range estimates but the truth is nobody knows for sure and will never know due to weather influence it has been under 20 degrees here in Indiana for almost 2 months I bet range would suck right now I worked in RV industry and Auto before that In Rv I was involved with the EV warranty side and in talking with the engineers the honest ones would tell you they were estimating at best after 10 more years we might know more maybe I have a neighbor with Tesla and his range is way down right now Sorry to anyone I have offended just my experience

 

[SichuanHot]

The marketing jargon and poor chemistry with Jay was strong with this one. Not saying Slate needs to hire influencers (gross) to talk about the car youtube channels, but they could have picked more personable people to actually talk about the car instead of giving an investor pitch deck to one of the most popular automotive youtube channels out there. The driving segment was so awkward; it felt like the Slate guy was going interject at any moment and sell me protein powder.

 

[bloo]

It would be so simple to add a couple of physical three-position switches for regen...
Neutral braking - light, medium, aggressive.
Footbraking - light, medium, aggressive.

Seriously easy to do. Give me the source code, and I'll assign some inputs to the VCU.

It's low-hanging fruit, Slate. You can do this.

 

[bloo]

And while you're at it, how about GLASS headlights. I'm sure there are plenty of glass factories that could spare a few beer bottles for this. Glass doesn't fog like plastic and is more durable in this application.