THIS Truck is Designed Like LEGO's—This Could Change EVs Forever

[Luxrage]

The is rather unfortunate. My old 2012 Kia Soul gave me a choice - remote or key from the same fob.

I guess if the battery dies or electrical system fails, your SOL.

I'm hoping on the bottom of the fob, you could remove it for a physical key to access the truck and tailgate, like some OEMs have. You can see on the door and tailgate handles on the prototypes a keyhole. They appear to be blanks for now, but I wonder if they are intended for a physical key backup.

Edit, Slate can give us these LOL

 

[E90400K]

But it will be comforting for women to sit, alone, for 30 minutes in a dimly lit charging station waiting to get to 80%...

Makes complete sense.

 

[KevinRS]

But it will be comforting for women to sit, alone, for 30 minutes in a dimly lit charging station waiting to get to 80%...

Makes complete sense.

If you run it down to zero before getting to a charging station, the only option being a dimly lit one, that is 80% charge away from the next charging station, and you get there so late the store or whatever is there is closed, that's kind of a you problem.

 

[E90400K]

If you run it down to zero before getting to a charging station, the only option being a dimly lit one, that is 80% charge away from the next charging station, and you get there so late the store or whatever is there is closed, that's kind of a you problem.

I didn't say anything about "run down to zero".

Above is Slate's answer to charge time of the 52kWh battery. 30 minutes to 80% SOC. Of the several women I've recently helped with a new car purchase, both said they were not comfortable sitting for 30 minutes (or longer in wintertime) to refuel. Each recently bought a new ICEV SUV despite my suggestion to consider an EV.

To use women's fear of using a metal key and lock cylinder as an excuse to fit the Slate Truck with electric locks is in my POV a bit misogynistic. Not to point out that with a manual lock system and presuming the passenger door remains locked as acmattervof order, manual locks are more safe since the passenger door remains locked when the key is only used on the driver's door by the (female) driver. In addition, because the Slate is just a 2-door cab, there is no way for an intruder to sneak into the back seat via the passenger rear door since there is no rear doors nor rear seat.

But if you believe the misogynistic hype, that's on you.

 

[AZFox]

o use women's fear of using a metal key and lock cylinder as an excuse to fit the Slate Truck with electric locks is in my POV a bit misogynistic. Not to point out that with a manual lock system and presuming the passenger door remains locked, manual locks are more safe since the passenger door remains locked when the key is only used on the driver's door by the (female) driver. In addition, because the Slate is just a 2-door cab, there is no way for an intruder to sneak into the back seat via the passenger rear door since there is no rear doors nor rear seat.

But if you believe the misogynistic hype, that's on you.

Ad-hominem much?

I merely quoted Chris Barman's own words about why the Truck will unlock with a fob.

If you believe Chris Barman is propagating misogynistic hype, that's on you.

 

[KevinRS]

If you are at 20%, you don't have to sit for 30 minutes to charge right now. You can charge somewhere else, 20% isn't a hard limit.
You can also always charge for 10 minutes to get enough to drive to where you feel safe charging.
Most people will almost always be charging when they would be parked and away from the vehicle anyway, usually at home or work, not sitting in the vehicle until it's done.
If you are making a longer wintertime trip, most chargers are at locations where you park, plug in, lock the doors, and go inside the store or restaurant it is outside of.

On unlocking doors with a button on a fob: on many cars one press unlocks the driver's door only, 2nd press unlocks the rest. If I do have a passenger I end up forgetting the 2nd press because I usually don't have a passenger.

 

[AZFox]

On unlocking doors with a button on a fob: on many cars one press unlocks the driver's door only, 2nd press unlocks the rest.

All fobs I've owned have worked this way.

 

[E90400K]

If you are at 20%, you don't have to sit for 30 minutes to charge right now. You can charge somewhere else, 20% isn't a hard limit.
You can also always charge for 10 minutes to get enough to drive to where you feel safe charging.
Most people will almost always be charging when they would be parked and away from the vehicle anyway, usually at home or work, not sitting in the vehicle until it's done.
If you are making a longer wintertime trip, most chargers are at locations where you park, plug in, lock the doors, and go inside the store or restaurant it is outside of.

On unlocking doors with a button on a fob: on many cars one press unlocks the driver's door only, 2nd press unlocks the rest. If I do have a passenger I end up forgetting the 2nd press because I usually don't have a passenger.

And most women are smart enough not to park their car in a dimly lit, dangerous area...

Right, electric locks are set (or are programmable) to mimic the old-fashion bladed key lock system, which unlocks just the driver's door when the driver is alone at night in a dimly lit parking spot.

I hope now you understand the whole "using a key is dangerous " thing is misogynistic hype. Even if the words come from a female CEO.

 

[E90400K]

Ad-hominem much?

I merely quoted Chris Barman's own words about why the Truck will unlock with a fob.

If you believe Chris Barman is propagating misogynistic hype, that's on you.

I do believe she is. I think sometimes she makes up shit as she goes along, like most men and women in business do.

If the idea of manual crank windows is to make the Slate less expensive in part price cost/quantity and manufacturing cost, to add electric locks does not follow that ethos, nor does it make sense. Adding electric locks adds a flexible wire harness that goes between the body and the door, adds additional electrical architecture, control software (assuming the Slate has some level of CANBUS) and switch mechanism. If the electrical lock engineering calls for a wire harness into the door, then adding an additional few wires in the harness to power and control an electric window mechanism doesn't add much cost or assembly complexity. Better yet, the electric window mechanism can be American sourced rather than sourced from Brazil as is the manual mechanism. More American part content, isn't that too part of the Slate ethos? Some of us who look at things critically, see the illogic of manual windows with electric locks and she had to walk back the decision to go with manual windows while building the architecture to use electric locks.

As I said in a previous post, had Slate just went with electric power windows from the get-go no one would have questioned that decision. Barman wouldn't then have had to build an excuse to walk around the illogic situation.

 

[Driven5]

I guess if the battery dies or electrical system fails, you're SOL.

No, if the battery dies or electrical system fails, you pull out the backup key.

Her saying "the most economical that you could get is a bladed key" is in obvious reference to having a bladed key as the primary and only method of opening the door. She merely said that was shot down for modern safety concerns, and probably rightly so.

Taking that to mean there is no mechanical (blade) backup at all is removing the context from that quote and reading meaning into it than was actually said. A redundant mechanical system would be part of the cost add noted for keyless entry, and there is nothing credible directly or indirectly indicating that one would not be included.

They've long acknowledged that not every decision was the cheapest one. It was about spending additional money where it added sufficient value, and I agree that keyless entry is one of them... Of course, I do also still believe that power mirrors and windows fall into that category as well.

 

[cadblu]

Taking that to mean there is no mechanical (blade) backup at all is removing the context from that quote, and there is nothing credible directly or indirectly indicating that to be the case.

Both the driver and passenger door locks along with the tailgate appear to have slots for a bladed key as a backup. But I suspect the tailgate is key operated only.

 

[E90400K]

And I'm not dissing Barman at all; she has to do what all CEO do and high-level executives do, manage expectations. More power to her.

 

[bloo]

No, if the battery dies or electrical system fails, you pull out the backup key.

Her saying "the most economical that you could get is a bladed key" is in obvious reference to having a bladed key as the primary and only method of opening the door. She merely said that was shot down for modern safety concerns, and probably rightly so.

Taking that to mean there is no mechanical (blade) backup at all is removing the context from that quote and reading meaning into it than was actually said. A redundant mechanical system would be part of the cost add noted for keyless entry, and there is nothing credible directly or indirectly indicating that one would not be included.

They've long acknowledged that not every decision was the cheapest one. It was about spending additional money where it added sufficient value, and I agree that keyless entry is one of them... Of course, I do also still believe that power mirrors and windows fall into that category as well.

That's not how I read it. Although, I hope I am wrong and you are right.

 

[Driven5]

That's not how I read it. Although, I hope I am wrong and you are right.

If you are concerned about something in particular, you can always just ask them directly. I've found them to be pleasant, responsive, and helpful.