Slate isn't building the truck for us

[beatle]

Okay, clickbait title, but it's still kind of true.

In the "Blank Slate" narrative thread, I mentioned how good the truck would be for fleets, including Amazon, and that a lot of the things Slate is doing are geared for fleets, but are being marketed to everyday car and truck buyers.

1. Fleet vehicles are typically strippers. The Slate obviously falls into this category. This lets the fleet owner upfit the vehicle however they want, and not pay for features that don't bring value to the vehicle's use as transportation. The SUV kit without seats may make for a great delivery platform, perhaps with a slide out drawer. A cover that opens on the sides will be even more useful. For everyday buyers, they just add seats.

2. Two-door pickups are dead for consumers, but the added utility of a larger bed and a smaller size make it ideal for urban delivery. The Rivian EDV has only 160 miles of range - right around where the Slate base range is. Yes, the Slate is much smaller, but I also see people delivering Amazon packages in sedans and crossovers. These small "last mile" deliveries can be offloaded to a fleet of smaller vehicles, perhaps vehicles that Amazon mandates their contractors use - just like Fedex. Or maybe Amazon vertically integrates them into their fleet like UPS. Not to mention an EV has huge advantages for stop-and-go deliveries that eat up both brakes, starters, and gas.

3. Do your own warranty work, we'll show you how. This sounds a little silly to a regular car owner, but a fleet owner would generally love to take care of all of their own maintenance. The biggest companies already do their own work, and Slate wants to encourage companies to transition to them by allowing them to retain most of that control. A fleet owner adopting an EV fleet can otherwise be a hassle because EV manufacturers like Tesla and Rivian are notorious for their walled-garden approach that discourages owners from doing their own work.

4. You're going to wrap it anyway, why paint it? So many businesses will wrap their vehicle for brand identification, at least in part. Why pay for paint that will never see the light of day?

5. Why pay for your people to listen to the radio? The lack of infotainment reduces driver distraction (good for everyone) and cuts out an unnecessary expense. I do think Slate should put some R&D into making a very robust mounting system for all sorts of screens. Think in-house RAM Mount or ProClip. A decent sized logistic company will run their own software anyway.

As much as I love the idea of a Slate for my own vehicle, I do think that Slate probably won't survive without a good percentage of trucks going to fleets. I just don't think the form factor and stripped features will otherwise appeal to enough people, especially given that the SUV kit will push it into some pretty stiff competition. A lot of people also just never modify their cars. I do think I probably just scratched the surface on fleet advantages though. Part of me thinks the market for a small fleet vehicle was the seed that started the Slate in the first place, and they are just doing a lot of clever marketing to make it seem otherwise.

 

[Imhotep]

I will never buy a 4 door pickup. They look stupid.

 

[Driven5]

I will never buy a 4 door pickup. They look stupid.

From follows function. There is no other vehicle type that can do the combination of things I do with my 'stupid looking' 4-door truck.

And yes, fleet sales is part of the quiet brilliance of the Slate plan... Something I'm very interested to see how it plays out.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

I've been saying since the beginning that the biggest potential market is fleets. Do you remember how popular the Ford Transit Connect was with businesses when it came out? It was around the time that printed wraps became cheap enough too, so suddenly it seemed like every business had a Connect out front with a wrap advertising the company.

It'll probably be popular in certain sections of the gig economy, like amazon flex drivers.

 

[sodamo]

I will never buy a 4 door pickup. They look stupid.

But highly functional. Great for our larger trucks, but I think not for smaller in many cases.

 

[Imhotep]

From follows function. There is no other vehicle type that can do the combination of things I do with my 'stupid looking' 4-door truck.

And yes, fleet sales is part of the quiet brilliance of the Slate plan... Something I'm very interested to see how it plays out.

I’m sorry that I insulted your truck. I was overreacting to the OP’s point #2. If it weren’t for the Slate, I was planning on keeping my ‘74 K1500 indefinitely.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Fleet sales…. Doesn’t it kinda make you think of a group buy? 🤔

 

[fuzzyweis]

I agree, also when the fleet truck hits the used market you can get it cheaper and still order all the accessories and wrap kit to make it yours.
If you follow them on linked in you’ll see for many of the public events they have a fleet day a couple of days before, so that is definitely part of the plan.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Fleet operations tend to be way more complex than described. And fleets vary from tens of thousands to single digits. Large fleets look for a vendor like Ford that offers fleet management software and services. Some fleets keep vehicles for a year, others for many years.

Fleets generally want proven OEMs for their vehicles, not startups. Though surely Amazon and Rivian was an exception. Could Slate be a hit with fleets? We can spin any narrative pro or con we want, but only time will tell.

 

[Driven5]

I’m sorry that I insulted your truck. I was overreacting to the OP’s point #2. If it weren’t for the Slate, I was planning on keeping my ‘74 K1500 indefinitely.

It doesn't bother me if people think they look dumb, since I do too. Single cab short bed are the good looking ones. I only get actually offended by people that ignorantly claim 4-door short bed trucks are just oversized wasteful fashion statements that aren't used and/or useful for 'real' truck stuff.

 

[KevinRS]

It doesn't bother me if people think they look dumb, since I took think they do have awkward proportions. I only get actually offended by people that ignorantly claim 4-door short bed trucks are just oversized wasteful fashion statements that aren't used and/or useful for 'real' truck stuff.

In reality, many of the 4-door short bed trucks are used as daily commuters, by a single driver, with nothing in the bed.
While I do see the work trucks with stuff in the bed, and I see people carpooling, at least 2/3 trucks on the freeway have a solo driver, an empty bed, and the paint looks like it's new.

 

[Driven5]

In reality, many of the 4-door short bed trucks are used as daily commuters, by a single driver, with nothing in the bed.
While I do see the work trucks with stuff in the bed, and I see people carpooling, at least 2/3 trucks on the freeway have a solo driver, an empty bed, and the paint looks like it's new.

Thank you for this demonstration in exactly the type of observation bias I was talking about.

You just described me and my truck, thank you very much. Like so many others, my daily commuting solo is the only thing the vast majority of people on the road have ever see my clean late model full-size truck doing. Even the the vast majority of people in my town have never seen me hauling anything more than kids with it.

Few people have actually ever seen it hauling 3 bikes, 2 inflatable 2-person kayaks, stacked camping gear bins, and a large cooler in the bed... all at the same time... and all while pulling a 5500 lb travel trailer... and all with 4 people and a medium sized dog in the cab... And all for multiple thousands of miles (but only for brief periods) per year. Never mind the dead water heaters, couches, lumber, yard debris, renovation debris, car racing equipment, and more that only a tiny fraction of people who have seen it on the road have witnessed. Nor can anybody even tell by looking at the bed thanks to the seemingly invincible spray-on liner.

But while people's biased perceptions are a problem, the bigger problem is that they even think they're in any position to judge from their incredibly brief window of observation in the first place.

It's amazing how few of the people that feel compelled to comment on pickup wastefulness have ever done the same about solo daily commuting in a minivan, mid-size SUV, or sedan for the same usage. And yet...

 

[KevinRS]

Thank you for this demonstration in exactly the type of observation bias I was talking about.

You just described me and my truck, thank you very much. Like so many others, my daily commuting solo is the only thing the vast majority of people on the road have ever see my clean late model truck doing. Even the the vast majority of people in my town have never seen me hauling anything more than kids with it. Few people have ever seen it hauling 3 bikes, 2 inflatable 2-person kayaks, stacked camping gear bins, and a large cooler in the bed... all at the same time... and all while pulling a 5000 lb travel trailer... and all with 4 people and a medium sized dog in the cab... And all for multiple thousands of miles (but only for brief periods) per year. Never mind the dead water heaters, couches, lumber, yard debris, renovation debris, car racing equipment, and more that only a tiny fraction of people who have seen it on the road have witnessed. Nor can anybody even tell by looking at the bed thanks to the seemingly invincible spray liner.

So sure it's a problem when people ignorantly ASSume that whatever they happen to see most people doing with their vehicles most of the time, during their incredibly brief window of observation, is the only thing it's needed and used for. But the bigger problem is that they even think they're in any position to judge in the first place. The self-righteous won't bat an eyelash at a minivan, mid-size SUV, or sedan being driven solo for daily commuting, because they'll give those drivers the benefit of the doubt for it being used for hauling kids and groceries too... and even be totally ok with it never being used to haul anything beyond that. But not pickup drivers, and yet:

You are an exception though. You also have a bias. You ASSume that everyone driving truck IS using them for truck things. A gas powered large pickup truck is not the ideal vehicle for commuting at freeway speeds for a 60 mile or more commute, and for most people in my area, commuting on the freeway I'm talking about, they are driving 60+ miles each way, at speeds from 65-80 mph. I may only be seeing each driver during a minority of their use, but the fact that overall, the majority of the sightings are solo unloaded, does have meaning.
Yes driving the minivans,mid-size SUVs etc are also an efficiency issue. I can easily find sedans with around double that MPG, a bit lower for pure gas, higher for hybrid. I actually didn't realize there were still sedans made that recently with MPG as low as 20, and I've never driven anything that low.
I drive an 11 year old 32 mpg 4 door that seats 4 comfortably, 5 is a squeeze for adults.
I personally know people driving those kind of trucks daily, who choose the truck not because they need hauling and towing capacity, but because of the perception of safety.

 

[Driven5]

You are an exception though.

While trucks do statistically spend most of their time doing non-truck stuff, 2/3 of owners reported using their trucks frequently or occasionally for towing/hauling and only 1/3 reported doing so rarely or never. Yes 1/3 is certainly very significant, I'm not sure I'd call a 2/3 majority 'an exception'.

You ASSume that everyone driving truck IS using them for truck things.

While I did edit for clarity and brevity, even what you quoted very specifically talked at the end about people using their truck the same as so many other lighter duty but no more fuel efficient vehicles, yet being singled out negatively for doing so. L So I have zero idea where you came up with this demonstrably false claim.

A gas powered large pickup truck is not the ideal vehicle for commuting at freeway speeds for a 60 mile or more commute, and for most people in my area, commuting on the freeway I'm talking about, they are driving 60+ miles each way, at speeds from 65-80 mph.

Speaking of exceptions and things that aren't ideal, the average commute distance in this country is 15 miles each way. Over 50 miles each way is an extreme long distance commute, and is a choice that only affects a very small percentage of the workforce. The average commuter in a gas powered large pickup truck would have to get just 8 mpg to burn through as much gasoline as a 60 mile commuter in a 32 mpg car.

I may only be seeing each driver during a minority of their use, but the fact that overall, the majority of the sightings are solo unloaded, does have meaning.

It has meaning... Just not the meaning that many people try to put on it. It simply means that most trucks spend most of their time not actually doing truck things. This has never been in dispute. It does not, however, mean that most trucks do not actually get used to do truck things.

 

[AeroWolf]

I will not disagree that the Slate is well setup for utility fleet operators,

However, I can definitely see the Slate having additional markets.

I see it getting in new/used market segment for new drivers. Particularly, if Slate can hit their Safety and Pricing targets.

• The Slate's lower initial and operating costs. A family can start looking like a small fleet operator themselves when children start learning to drive.
• Potential high occupant safety rating.
• Limited passengers and no infotainment system reducing driver distractions.
• Limited range giving parents a better sense of awareness over child's movements and activities.
• A new vehicle that constitutes less risk, than a used vehicle to unsophisticated buyers with reduced capability to discern and/or anticipate used vehicle problems.
• A vehicle designed for modification enables an outlet for personalization that is reversable compared to modern cars.

The only markets I see the Slate losing out on are for primary passenger service vehicles (consistent 3+ youth/adult occupants) and haulers (consistent large towing needs).

I think Slate could actually help themselves a lot, If they can show a convenient child configuration. An SUV configuration that shows the vehicle will not be hassle for small children needing car seats and strollers.