Suggestion: DIY Delivery Center @ Slate Plant in IN

[skidoofast]

350mi. to plant for me (6.5 hrs w/one stop to charge).

Not a day trip for me, but would still consider it if they end up allowing at plant pickup.

732 miles for me, I’d love to fly out on a Thursday or Friday and make a trip back home, it would be great to have a rep from SLATE guide me on making a charge plan for the way home

great learning experience and learning how to plan so you don’t have range anxiety

 

[GeoLogic]

Fine for Slate to offer such a thing, but I'd wager for at least half of their customers, this scenario wouldn't be feasible. Most people have to work, and taking 3-4 days to drive their Slate back home wouldn't be practical (as much as I personally would LOVE such a trip). On top of the lamentable fact that the Slate is just not a practical road trip vehicle. The Slate's range is weak, even with their "extended" battery, considering that the average EV is now approaching 300 miles. And I demand AWD/4WD: If/when Slate finally enters the 20th Century and offers AWD, that's going to kill range all the more.

All of this said, I hold out hope that Slate will eventually offer industry competitive range, and AWD. Hopefully as an addition that you can simply upgrade to, later.

I bought my 2006 CR-V used in Denver, because it's a manual transmission that's very rare and difficult to find. So I bought a one-day ticket to Denver for $66, picked up my car from the selling dealer, and drove back to Eugene. Played cassettes I had made 25 years earlier in the factory cassette deck all the way back home-- It was a great trip. Wish such a thing would be practical in the Slate, but no way that'd work with the impotent range this vehicle returns. I'm very disappointed in that, personally.

 

[skidoofast]

Fine for Slate to offer such a thing, but I'd wager for at least half of their customers, this scenario wouldn't be feasible. Most people have to work, and taking 3-4 days to drive their Slate back home wouldn't be practical (as much as I personally would LOVE such a trip). On top of the lamentable fact that the Slate is just not a practical road trip vehicle. The Slate's range is weak, even with their "extended" battery, considering that the average EV is now approaching 300 miles. And I demand AWD/4WD: If/when Slate finally enters the 20th Century and offers AWD, that's going to kill range all the more.

All of this said, I hold out hope that Slate will eventually offer industry competitive range, and AWD. Hopefully as an addition that you can simply upgrade to, later.

I bought my 2006 CR-V used in Denver, because it's a manual transmission that's very rare and difficult to find. So I bought a one-day ticket to Denver for $66, picked up my car from the selling dealer, and drove back to Eugene. Played cassettes I had made 25 years earlier in the factory cassette deck all the way back home-- It was a great trip. Wish such a thing would be practical in the Slate, but no way that'd work with the impotent range this vehicle returns. I'm very disappointed in that, personally.

understandable, my case for example, I’d need to take 1 or 2 days off and make a flight, probably 2 days (weekend) to make it home

would be a nice option

 

[YDR37]

One thing to be aware of about the state of Indiana ... our auto dealership laws are still stuck in the 1950s. I haven't heard much about how Slate plans to tackle this yet.

Tesla was grandfathered in -- but Rivian wasn't. However, Rivian is still able to operate a "Service + Demo Center" in Fort Wayne.

Probably the Fort Wayne Center can't sell you a Rivian on the spot, but they can answer questions, offer test drives, and provide service. And they can maybe tell you how to place an online order for a Rivian that is physically located out-of-state.

There's extra hoops to jump through, but Rivian is apparently making it work, and Slate can probably make it work as well.

 

[Just some guy]

It's 905 miles for me now Im debating on that drive

 

[cadblu]

I think it would be really cool to have a DIY center at the plant where a person could take delivery of their slate and accessories

There could be an area for the new owner to add on the accessories with someone guiding them

This would give a chance for a person to get some familiarity with their vehicle

They could also have a person to walk the customer through ownership of an EV: charging, washing, care, maintenance, proper planning a trip with charging stations, what apps you will need ect.

They could even help the individual plan their road trip home

just a thought

Great idea. Apparently, someone at Scout Motors is listening:

From the Scoutevforum.com: "Scout plans to open Scout Experience Centers, and the first one will open at the company’s plant in Blythewood, S.C. It is being created as the front door of the plant, as well as a place for customers to take delivery, a starting point for factory tours and an off-road driving experience."

 

[SichuanHot]

Get a drone and start a youtube channel flying over the plant. Those are popular for tesla. You could make some money.

drone dude

I would not do that without prior approval from the plant. The reason why DJI drones and people who fly them get a bad rep is because of that kind of reckless flying like we recently saw during the Los Angeles fires. Doing that would cause the FAA to come down even harder than they already have on the hobby.

 

[AZFox]

Corvette enthusiasts can order the $1,500 Museum Delivery Experience option.

The Corvette Museum Delivery Experience, known as the R8C program, allows new Corvette owners to take delivery of their car at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. For an additional fee, owners enjoy a special day with a guided tour, vehicle orientation, and the chance to see their Corvette on display.​

Video at the link. People enjoy Museum Delivery and think it's well worth the cost, many considering it a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We Americans love our cars, don't we?

A down-to-Earth version of something like that would be great. Slaters could add all of their upgrades somewhere at or near the factory. Slate Auto would get some free social media "advertising" out of it, so a Slate Factory Delivery Program could be worth their while for that reason.

 

[SichuanHot]

Corvette enthusiasts can order the $1,500 Museum Delivery Experience option.

The Corvette Museum Delivery Experience, known as the R8C program, allows new Corvette owners to take delivery of their car at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. For an additional fee, owners enjoy a special day with a guided tour, vehicle orientation, and the chance to see their Corvette on display.​

Video at the link. People enjoy Museum Delivery and think it's well worth the cost, many considering it a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We Americans love our cars, don't we?

A down-to-Earth version of something like that would be great. Slaters could add all of their upgrades somewhere at or near the factory. Slate Auto would get some free social media "advertising" out of it, so a Slate Factory Delivery Program could be worth their while for that reason.

BMW used to do something like that too called European Delivery. Currently only Porsche does that where you can take delivery of it in Germany and drive it around there before it gets shipped to the States. I think BMW replaced the European delivery with Performance Driving school or something of that nature in their US plant in South Carolina. GM isn't the only one that does cool stuff like that.

Slate doing something similar would be great for community engagement and building the brand.

 

[evtruth]

Since I live in Warsaw I was asking about taking delivery at the factory, I thought that would be an incredible experience.

However, the State of Indiana now prohibits the direct sale of motor vehicles by a manufacturer in the State of Indiana without a license, and it appears Slate may have issues with this. Tesla was lucky enough to jump in before this became an issue:

https://law.justia.com/codes/indiana/title-9/article-32/chapter-11/section-9-32-11-20/

If Slate can't work around this law (or somehow get a license) they may have to deliver from neighboring states and make the ordering and delivery experience more of a headache. Hopefully the State of Indiana will be willing to change their tune on this so people can have a better delivery experience.

Sooo... If you live in Indiana like I do, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE write your State Representatives!!!

Here is a district map to find out your House Rep:

https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/clientuploads/2024/PDFs/House_Map_2024.pdf?_t=1733158799

 

[skidoofast]

Since I live in Warsaw I was asking about taking delivery at the factory, I thought that would be an incredible experience.

However, the State of Indiana now prohibits the direct sale of motor vehicles by a manufacturer in the State of Indiana without a license, and it appears Slate may have issues with this. Tesla was lucky enough to jump in before this became an issue:

https://law.justia.com/codes/indiana/title-9/article-32/chapter-11/section-9-32-11-20/

If Slate can't work around this law (or somehow get a license) they may have to deliver from neighboring states and make the ordering and delivery experience more of a headache. Hopefully the State of Indiana will be willing to change their tune on this so people can have a better delivery experience.

Sooo... If you live in Indiana like I do, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE write your State Representatives!!!

Here is a district map to find out your House Rep:

https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/clientuploads/2024/PDFs/House_Map_2024.pdf?_t=1733158799

such a huge opportunity for Warsaw and the state, tourism (if you could call it that), I’d have to fly in somewhere, get a ride to Warsaw somehow, stay in a hotel, eat, maybe shop

 

[evtruth]

732 miles for me, I’d love to fly out on a Thursday or Friday and make a trip back home, it would be great to have a rep from SLATE guide me on making a charge plan for the way home

great learning experience and learning how to plan so you don’t have range anxiety

My guess is that the app on your phone will route you. If not, there's a great app called ABRP (A Better Route Planner) that should be able help as well as another app called PlugShare that shows chargers nearby. PlugShare can be hit or miss since it's all user-curated, but it's pretty reliable.