Slate pickup sighting in downtown Warsaw, IN! (w/ frunk, bed, charging port closeup)

[The Weatherman]

What's going on here? Just a panel removed? Also, if the panels aren't polycarbonite, any idea what they are? Not that it matters just curious.

Thanks for the pics and info Bobby!

Looks like the cover that cover the area for tow hook installation got lost.

 

[cadblu]

Looks like the cover that cover the area for tow hook installation got lost.

lol, that panel looks like it was damaged (cracked) during handling by the tow operator!

 

[<3 Crank Windows]

The one thing about the frunk I don't like is the way the grill is attached to the hood, like Bugs Bunny's big buck teeth. I imagine I'll be hitting my head on that thing every time I get under there.

I see this feature as a benefit and the engineers probably designed it this way to make loading & unloading the frunk easier. By lifting that grille piece out of the way when opening the hood, it opens up that front frunk area for a lower loading height.

 

[evtruth]

What's going on here? Just a panel removed? Also, if the panels aren't polycarbonite, any idea what they are? Not that it matters just curious.

Thanks for the pics and info Bobby!

That's access to pop the hood in the pre-production model. He popped it out to open the hood for me.

It will be like other vehicles for production.

The employees showing this truck were super friendly, knowledgeable, and just all around awesome. My daughter was talking to one of them and they said they hadn't eaten yet, so we grabbed them a pizza from Rocksteady Pizza Parlour down the street and brought it, lol.

This experience genuinely made me even MORE excited about this truck. I can't wait for production, I reserved IMMEDIATELY when it went live.

 

[Dieter]

Gray is my favorite color so I personally love it. I think we all should wait until we see it in person to pass judgement.

I will say, one thing I don’t like about it is the hood is just flat. I think if it had some contours it would look better

I am putting 5 SS 1” X 33” flat stock on the hood , like a luggage rack thing.
If you rap it you could place applicas under the rap for all kinds of interesting karictor lines.

 

[Daley]

I see this feature as a benefit and the engineers probably designed it this way to make loading & unloading the frunk easier. By lifting that grille piece out of the way when opening the hood, it opens up that front frunk area for a lower loading height.

Was going to say exactly that, and I will add that it also allows for people to sit on/in the frunk while camping, tailgating, etc.

 

[AZFox]

ICYMI, the exposed plastic's appearance is supposed to improve when it develops a patina of scuffs and scrapes, similar to the Battle Scars of a Proud Shark.

That one doesn't have any "battle scars of daily use" yet.

Slate's design philosophy is equally unconventional. The company's head of design, Tisha Johnson, describes the inspiration as a "battle-scarred shark," a motif that embraces visible wear and tear rather than hiding it.​

(emphasis mine; Source)

 

[Cats]

Ugh! Sandwiched between a Cybertruck and a bloated Tundra.

I didn't notice the truck that was modeled with a computer from 1950

 

[cvollers]

This is one of the very few pre-production models made up in Michigan. The panels aren't composite yet on this model.

If not composite, what are they?

 

[evtruth]

If not composite, what are they?

Felt and sounded like metal. Can't recall what he told me it was.

 

[cvollers]

Felt and sounded like metal. Can't recall what he told me it was.

That’s interesting. All of the body panels or just some of them? I wonder if this is the case with all their betas…

 

[YDR37]

The Cybertruck (223.7") is a bit more than 4 feet longer than the Slate (176.4"). However, the Slate's frunk (7.0 ft3) has almost exactly the same capacity as the Cybertruck's (7.1 ft3).

Just to be clear, this doesn't necessarily mean that the Slate has an awesome frunk. It's more an indication that the Cybertruck's frunk is unimpressive. For example, the frunk capacity of a Rivian R1T is 11.1 ft3, and for an F-150 Lightning it's 14.1 ft3.

 

[cvollers]

Just to be clear, this doesn't necessarily mean that the Slate has an awesome frunk -- it's more an indication that the Cybertruck's frunk is unimpressive. For example, the frunk capacity of a Rivian R1T is 11.1 ft3, and for an F-150 Lightning it's 14.1 ft3.

Both the Rivian and the Lightning are full size trucks. The Slate is a compact. The Cybertruck suffers from small frunkitis because of a variety of reasons, mostly having to do with key systems that Tesla chooses to locate in the front for “ease of access”.

 

[Swinefuzz]

Felt and sounded like metal. Can't recall what he told me it was.

metal auto body panels require enormously expensive and just plain enormous equipment (3 stories tall) to stamp them out, so with this truck's makers fully intending to NOT do that in their own future factory, where'd they get these metal panels stamped?

It probably isn't metal. There are some plastics so dense and durable and nextgen that they can fool a human into believing they're metal.

I heard in one of the many, many videos on the Slate truck that they were going to use a polypropylene composite.

 

[YDR37]

Both the Rivian and the Lightning are full size trucks. The Slate is a compact. The Cybertruck suffers from small frunkitis because of a variety of reasons, mostly having to do with key systems that Tesla chooses to locate in the front for “ease of access”.

I wasn't criticizing the Slate. The 7.0 ft3 frunk of the Slate is perfectly respectable given the vehicle's size and price point, especially if it has a 12V power point.

I do give props to the "Mega Power Frunk" in the Ford F-150 Lightning, which is probably the most advanced frunk available on a production vehicle in the US today (and maybe the world). Capacity = 14.1 ft3, with four 120V outlets and two USB ports.