What's the Slate's maintenance like?

[brian10x]

So, you're a NAZI who likes guns? Yikes!

Kidding...

PURPLE chameleon coated. A proper NAZI would object!

 

[GreatLakes]

The current EV credit kinda put a dent on deciding if I would move on forward or not. I'm just a struggling public service employee middle class family person and thought this would be our first EV that we could afford.

May I ask what is an EV's maintenance like? Or, specifically, what would be the Slate's maintenance and its cost like?

I'm focusing more on your first paragraph and not trying to pick on you...
where were you in Jan-April 2024, you could have bought a Bolt EUV for $22k,
where were you in Dec 2024, you could have bought a Equinox EV for $24k,
where were you in May-July 2025, you could have got that Equinox for $26K.
For the next ten weeks you can get the tax credit, buy now!

I had to wait until Jan 2024 for the tax credit to be at point of sale. As retired, with social security not being taxed, I'm not paying much, if any, Federal taxes. So the tax credit was worthless to me.

The prices I list above are what most people could have bargained to, with the tax credit factored in.

Maybe not the wisest course of action to wait 16(?) months for a Slate at $26K?
Possibly even look at used EVs, you can probably get a $4000 discount on any used EV between $13k and 25k.
Good luck and get out there and do some test drives!

 

[Trace26]

Yeah, in early 2024, you could get a Bolt for well under $20K when the tax credit applied to it. Deal and a half IMO, if one wanted a Bolt.

2023 I almost bought a used bolt with a brand new battery pack and battery warranty for 15,000, but they refused to take off the GPS until after I left, they called and said they would.
But I was already done with them at that point and didn't feel like driving an hour again to go get it. Plus our car seat didn't fit very well anyways.
Edit, it might have been 14,000, I've slept since then.

 

[ottox914]

I work at Audi. Our big EV will go thru tires and brakes 20-30k. My A3 Etron hybrid, (sold for 3yrs only) goes 50-60k on tires, and at 115k the brakes are only 2/3 worn.

Overall weight of the car and good driving habits can go a long way.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

The real answer to "what's the Slate maintenance like" won't be known until the question "Is the Slate reliable" is answered.

All of us who drank the Slate KoolAide (me too) will go on endlessly about how simple and problem free the Slate will (probably) be. We are pulling that out of, well, you know where. Maybe it will be reliable. Maybe it will be unreliable. And maybe it will be a disaster of historic proportions. You roll the dice and see how they land. New OEM, new factory, new product, year one of production.

Early buyers will tell the tale, and then only after they've owned it a few years. And nothing anyone says before Slate hits the road and accumulates real world miles is in any way related to reality.

The only question that can truly be answered in April 2026 is, "what is EV maintenance usually like". And that answer varies WIDELY by OEM and model and model year.

 

[Letas]

The real answer to "what's the Slate maintenance like" won't be known until the question "Is the Slate reliable" is answered.

All of us who drank the Slate KoolAide (me too) will go on endlessly about how simple and problem free the Slate will (probably) be. We are pulling that out of, well, you know where. Maybe it will be reliable. Maybe it will be unreliable. And maybe it will be a disaster of historic proportions. You roll the dice and see how they land. New OEM, new factory, new product, year one of production.

Early buyers will tell the tale, and then only after they've owned it a few years. And nothing anyone says before Slate hits the road and accumulates real world miles is in any way related to reality.

The only question that can truly be answered in April 2026 is, "what is EV maintenance usually like". And that answer varies WIDELY by OEM and model and model year.

Yep! And in my opinion, the Slate still uses parts that love to break in due time. Struts, control arms, generally anything that connects the frame to the rubber finds a way to break. That's not a knock on Slate or any other mfg- just where parts break. And they're a pain in the neck to replace!

Slate using off the shelf parts makes availability easier, but still will be getting the hands dirty.

 

[JoeUser]

I work at Audi. Our big EV will go thru tires and brakes 20-30k. My A3 Etron hybrid, (sold for 3yrs only) goes 50-60k on tires, and at 115k the brakes are only 2/3 worn.

Overall weight of the car and good driving habits can go a long way.

30k miles for brakes on an EV?? That’s crazy… I virtually never did brake jobs when I worked at Tesla, even very high mileage… Audi needs to work on their regen programming.

 

[KJRaven]

30k miles for brakes on an EV?? That’s crazy… I virtually never did brake jobs when I worked at Tesla, even very high mileage… Audi needs to work on their regen programming.

It might be by design, the Porsche does not have "one pedal" driving (https://gearjunkie.com/motors/car-suv/porsche-explains-regenerative-braking) so that the driver can feel more connected when using the brake pedal. Porsche and Audi are part of the same parent company (Volkswagen Group), so they may share similar methods. From what little research I did, the Audi does have one-pedal mode, but it is not the default, so I imagine that most Audi drivers just leave it in normal, two-pedal mode and will use the friction brakes more as a result.

 

[KevinRS]

It might be by design, the Porsche does not have "one pedal" driving (https://gearjunkie.com/motors/car-suv/porsche-explains-regenerative-braking) so that the driver can feel more connected when using the brake pedal. Porsche and Audi are part of the same parent company (Volkswagen Group), so they may share similar methods. From what little research I did, the Audi does have one-pedal mode, but it is not the default, so I imagine that most Audi drivers just leave it in normal, two-pedal mode and will use the friction brakes more as a result.

Even with two pedal mode, the brake pedal should be first engaging regen, and only engaging the brake pads past a certain point, in any modern EV.

 

[KJRaven]

Even with two pedal mode, the brake pedal should be first engaging regen, and only engaging the brake pads past a certain point, in any modern EV.

I agree, brake pads should last significantly longer on an EV. it is weird, i was just trying to make sense of it.

 

[SparkYellow]

My daily driver needs new brake pads in the rear. Generic/compatible pads are $40 and labor by a mobile mechanic is $160 (per axle). The current set has been on for almost 5 years and 100K+ miles. I am on my third set of tires now at 181K miles. To me, tires cost a lot more than brakes, the rotations, puncture patches, and etc.

How much are pads for EV trucks? 😳

 

[ottox914]

It might be by design, the Porsche does not have "one pedal" driving (https://gearjunkie.com/motors/car-suv/porsche-explains-regenerative-braking) so that the driver can feel more connected when using the brake pedal. Porsche and Audi are part of the same parent company (Volkswagen Group), so they may share similar methods. From what little research I did, the Audi does have one-pedal mode, but it is not the default, so I imagine that most Audi drivers just leave it in normal, two-pedal mode and will use the friction brakes more as a result.

Agreed. I see most of the owners driving their EV like an ICE, hard on gas, hard on brakes. Just pay attention to your driving, use the regen, enjoy lower maintenance costs! Audi wanted their EV driving experience to be exactly like an ICE experience, to ease the transition to EV. So perhaps their balance of regen and friction braking is different from other EV's. But. I get that all that torque on demand in intoxicating. And once you get all that mass moving it's gotta stop somehow.

 

[KJRaven]

My daily driver needs new brake pads in the rear. Generic/compatible pads are $40 and labor by a mobile mechanic is $160 (per axle). The current set has been on for almost 5 years and 100K+ miles. I am on my third set of tires now at 181K miles. To me, tires cost a lot more than brakes, the rotations, puncture patches, and etc.

How much are pads for EV trucks? 😳

we dont know exactly how much the parts are going to cost for the slate specifically, but in general brake parts for EV's are going to be cost comparable to an ICE vehicle of the same weight and performance. I expect the parts for the Slate to be on the more affordable end though.

 

[SparkYellow]

we dont know exactly how much the parts are going to cost for the slate specifically, but in general brake parts for EV's are going to be cost comparable to an ICE vehicle of the same weight and performance. I expect the parts for the Slate to be on the more affordable end though.

Thank you! If the price is comparable, I'd be ok even if the brake parts last half as long. There is going to be some tradeoffs. I look forward to a life with minimal concern over fluid leaks. 😅

 

[John Santa Fe]

There is no oil, water or gas wear to worry about. The electric charge cost is lower than buying gas. The battery is the largest cost that will deteriorate over time. EVs weigh more than an ICE vehicle because of the battery. That means the braking and the tires will take a little more punishment. Overall the EV cost is much the same as ICE. We buy EVs because we do not want to pollute the environment.

Generally EV's have lower lifetime owner cost over ICE vehicles. No engine or transmissions to wear out or need service, no catalytic converters, etc..