Slate production will be made in US with American parts, including battery

[Tom Sawyer]

The way they have been talking, it is mostly US built and sourced. I think the batteries are from Georgia, electric drive unit from Indiana near Warsaw. Maybe window cranks are imported.

Yes SK On is a south korean company, but they built a factory in Georgia, and that is where the cells are to be manufactured. And on the second link, the 7th post mentions the US factory for the motor.

Looks like I need to clarify my position. I'll start by acknowledging your points. I agree that both companies - SK On and Jing-Jin Electric - have facilities in the continental United States. But they're not American companies.

I'm not sure it would be correct to call Kia or Hyundai American companies. Same with Toyota. They are headquartered overseas. Same with SK On and Jing-Jin Electric. They may have facilities domestic to the US but that doesn't make them a US based company. Make note of their addresses from their websites:

SK On Co., Ltd. Gwanhun Building, 32 Insadong 7-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

(as found at the bottom of the main page of their website)​

And from the About Us page from en.jjeglobal.com:

Headquartered in Beijing, China, JJE has engineering and manufacturing facilities in both China and the United States.

emphasis added

Please correct me if this is wrong, but having a facility located in the United States simply allows a company to jump through a tax loophole or avoid a tariff. Sure they may employ US workers but not all will be US workers and some percentage will/may be from their country of origin.
(Side note: And where do the profits go? It's always been my understanding that some portion goes back to that home country and not all proceeds stay here in the US. Otherwise, why even bother with the investment? For example, Mitsubishi pulled out of their US manufacturing venture in Normal, Illinois with Chrysler (that was after Chrysler abandoned the joint venture!) That facility is now Rivian.)

Again, I hope that at some point in the future Slate will be able to source all their components including power storage (however that may be in the future) and their drivetrain (motor & transmission assembly and controllers) from a US company who designs, engineers, builds and sources their materials within the United States. I understand that is not easy to do, can be very costly and might be the single biggest factor in sinking a startup EV company.

By my understanding, Slate just wants to get established first. If their business model is successful, maybe then they can think about possibly maybe making this stuff themselves, like Ford makes their own engines. But who knows what the future will bring. If I could predict the future, I probably wouldn't be typing this and would let someone else fret over such details.

I like what Slate is attempting. I like to root for the Home Team too. But something in the whole picture seems somewhat deceptive proclaiming ReBuild American Manufacturing (using components from companies based overseas.) I fully understand that is only my take on this and not everyone will see it this way. But that's my take.

So I acknowledge your position and am glad that a company is investing in domestic jobs - that is a good thing. My hope is that some day it can be home grown.

 

[pfan760]

SK On and JJE are foreign companies yes, but some of their production facilities are here in the US. Toyota is a Japanese company but they have massive factories and plants all over North America. Ford is an American company but a lot of their factories are in Canada or Mexico.

We’re not even speaking about the sub-suppliers that could be from anywhere in the world.

A wet dream of a vehicle sourced exclusively from an American company with parts and source materials from the US is just that….wishful thinking. Auto manufacturing is an international endeavor now.

I think it’s already pretty amazing that they’re sticking to a mostly American supply chain at their price point. It would be VERY impressive if they came in anywhere near the top 5 for US content at under $30k.

Tesla can have a mostly-US supply chain because they’re more of a premium brand but having as many planned US parts as Slate for mid-$20k is a feat.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Tesla can have a mostly-US supply chain because they’re more of a premium brand but having as many planned US parts as Slate for mid-$20k is a feat.

I'm not buying this. Tesla designed, sourced & manufactures their own stuff with minimal outsourcing. I could be wrong but this intentional decision (is it called vertical manufacturing) for economies of scale.

Like I said - I'm glad Slate is trying what they are doing and respect the effort. I also understand we all benefit from global trade. But I'm not going to fool myself into thinking all the parts, components and assemblies that go into this current version of the Slate truck are all American as the thread title suggests. My hope is that they are successful enough to start making the drivetrain themselves and maybe the batteries too, rather than buy them from others.

 

[cadblu]

I can better accept a US-based company like Slate sourcing some vehicle components from non-US suppliers, than Chevy and Cadillac building the Equinox and Optiq EVs in Mexico!

 

[Shrink36s]

I can better accept a US-based company like Slate sourcing some vehicle components from non-US suppliers, than Chevy and Cadillac building the Equinox and Optiq EVs in Mexico!

Agreed! Didn't someone post a link to a site that shows the the % of American made a vehicle is and the vast majority of the top 25 were "foreign" brands?
I only consider 2 American car companies among the big players anymore; GM and Ford. The moment Chrysler was bought by Daimler all those years ago they ceased being an American company. Their overlords are on a different continent.

EDIT: Found that site - https://www.cars.com/american-made-index/
Also didn't think about Tesla. They are American, for sure, and have high American made.

 

[pfan760]

EDIT: Found that site - https://www.cars.com/american-made-index/
Also didn't think about Tesla. They are American, for sure, and have high American made.

Tesla is the most "American" car you can buy today. Despite what anyone thinks about Elon and his politics, this is a great thing! Tesla is a pretty vertically-intergrated company and most of their supplies are US-sourced which I think is fantastic! I think they led the way for other companies to go "we can do this."

If Slate can get off the ground and build some volume...maybe they can swap out their JJE motors for a Tesla motor lol. The Slate's Made-In-USA content would skyrocket.

 

[Shrink36s]

Tesla is the most "American" car you can buy today. Despite what anyone thinks about Elon and his politics, this is a great thing! Tesla is a pretty vertically-intergrated company and most of their supplies are US-sourced which I think is fantastic! I think they led the way for other companies to go "we can do this."

If Slate can get off the ground and build some volume...maybe they can swap out their JJE motors for a Tesla motor lol. The Slate's Made-In-USA content would skyrocket.

Or design and build their own!

 

[SparkYellow]

I always see iPhones as American and was surprised to learn that they were assembled elsewhere. To me, the choice of utilizing resources from different parts of the world to put together a brilliant product is what matters.

I am 95% Android/Windows though. My brother let me use his retired iPhone4S for awhile and it was working perfectly. Assembled in China but apparently held to strict U.S. quality standards.

 

[pfan760]

To me, the choice of utilizing resources from different parts of the world to put together a brilliant product is what matters.

That was the line of thinking in the 90s/2000s that kept prices low on a lot of things but 2020 changed all of that. Globalization has its limits and I think people are becoming more and more aware of what off-shoring did to our industries and what hollowing that out has done to our middle-class.

The re-shoring of Made in USA stuff makes up a huuuge part of my interest in the Slate!