Slate SUV kit (rear window open) on display in Sacramento

[fitsea]

I've been looking for a latch for the rear window for a while - I'm 99% sure that at this point the Slate has NO LATCH to secure/lock the rear window while on the square SUV. I thought I saw this on a pic from the Sacramento event, but I can't find the pic. There are a number of pics that show the window (in SUV mode) open, hinging on the top, with gas shocks supporting the opened window.

There's something in the middle of the glass at the very top of this photo, but it's also possible that's something in the tent structure visible through the glass.

 

[AKrietzer]

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I think what you are seeing is part of the tent.

 

[Luxrage]

I was looking at how some other OEMs did their 'full-glass upper half' rear hatches and it seems like all of them have just the latch on the glass and the entirety of the locking mechanism built into the tailgate. I hope slate is looking at how to get that integrated into the drop-down tailgate.

It'd be as easy as drilling two holes into the glass for the through-mount of the hardware as long as they have a way to get a lock in the tailgate... that won't be used in the pickup mode. I was looking to see if I could find a pic of the tailgate down so we could see if there's any access panels on the top for future latch hardware.

Both of these examples require the window to be up to use the lower tailgate, unlike the Slate prototypes.

1st Gen Honda CRV:

GM B-Body Station Wagons:

 

[AKrietzer]

We have a Leer shell on an old Ford F-150. The back window has 2 latches that you turn, then lock. You have to open the glass before you open the tailgate, since the glass seals on the outside. I was wondering if the Slate might have the glass on the inside of the tailgate. If you notice there is a notched area on the tailgate toward the inside of the bed. So possibly the glass closes on the inside of the tailgate, you would close the glass first, then close the tailgate. I’ve tried to circle the areas on the SUV that I am talking about. There is the notch on the top of the tailgate on the inside, and it looks to me like on the sides of the top, the glass could be closed inside the tailgate . You wouldn’t need any latches on the glass, and then you can lock the tailgate to lock the top. Our Leer top has 3 latches, the way I am thinking, the Slate would only use one latch, and only one place needed to lock it.

 

[Garbone]

We have a Leer shell on an old Ford F-150. The back window has 2 latches that you turn, then lock. You have to open the glass before you open the tailgate, since the glass seals on the outside. I was wondering if the Slate might have the glass on the inside of the tailgate. If you notice there is a notched area on the tailgate toward the inside of the bed. So possibly the glass closes on the inside of the tailgate, you would close the glass first, then close the tailgate. I’ve tried to circle the areas on the SUV that I am talking about. There is the notch on the top of the tailgate on the inside, and it looks to me like on the sides of the top, the glass could be closed inside the tailgate . You wouldn’t need any latches on the glass, and then you can lock the tailgate to lock the top. Our Leer top has 3 latches, the way I am thinking, the Slate would only use one latch, and only one place needed to lock it.

Great point, keeps the cost down by designing a channel/step into the top of the gate. Put some weather stripping on the bottom of the glass to keep out water....