Who’s Reserving the Slate EV: Everyday Americans, Young Professionals, New Drivers, Contemporary Seniors, Auto Enthusiasts

[Luxrage]

I do think the Slate will struggle against the constant Maverick comparisons, regardless of how much they're warranted. I think Slate's big advantage will be the 'second car.' A good example I can think of personally is a coworker who drives a Laramie Dually RAM and his wife has a Jeep Cherokee. They keep a little Mazda 3 purely as the wife wanted something smaller to drive around town and could fit in parking spaces better. Suzuki / Geo also sold tons of Trackers and Sidekicks as RV tow behinders, so hopefully they can get that sorted and they may have themselves some small niche markets they'll almost entirely dominate.

I think one of the biggest problems with the Maverick is that it checks a lot of boxes but is still sort of a weird car/truck thing that doesn't know what it is, and, frankly, is a bit dorky.

As soon as I read that the press photo of the tailgate DJ party flashed in my mind:

 

[atx_ev]

You don't have it right. The point is a significant portion Slate's mission statement is to provide an affordable vehicle to that portion of the market (median-income families) that is not served well with the current offerings from the legacy manufacturers and their $50K trucks. A majority of those median-income families do not own homes where they can charge at home, so they are forced onto the expensive public network, where there are no fuel cost savings between ICEV and EV and refueling is not convenient.

So if the prospective small pickup buyer doesn't have access to inexpensive private charging, the Maverick is a very good alternative to consider.

this is why you are a troll. You are literally picking the market segment that they have left out as their target audience:

The target audience includes small businesses, hobbyists, young people, and empty nesters who prioritize function and cost over status.

https://www.businessinsider.com/sla...ing-low-cost-ev-2025-7?utm_source=chatgpt.com

 

[E90400K]

this is why you are a troll. You are literally picking the market segment that they have left out as their target audience:



https://www.businessinsider.com/sla...ing-low-cost-ev-2025-7?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Go back, re-review the 28-minute Slate reveal video on Slate's website. You'll then understand why you are wrong and I am right.

 

[SichuanHot]

this is why you are a troll. You are literally picking the market segment that they have left out as their target audience:



https://www.businessinsider.com/sla...ing-low-cost-ev-2025-7?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Just because someone at Slate says the truck targets certain markets doesn't mean it won't work for other markets they didn't consider. Also, the article quotes Barman saying "everyday Americans" is one of the groups, which is basically everyone living in the US. It doesn't even look like they're targeting a specific group. They want to try and appeal to as many as they can based off that article.

 

[Ali]

Those people who keep singing odes to Maverick and showing up on the Slate forum just to keep telling everyone that Maverick is somehow better than Slate, that it somehow competes with Slate, or that EVs are doomed because average-income people don’t own homes and therefore can’t charge them...

Such arguments sound so strange, so far fetched, so forced that I fail to see what motivates such people. I enjoy the conversation though.

Those who seek cheap EVs will choose between Slate and Kona. Those who seek trucks, will compare Slate to other trucks. Those who want a fun car will be choosing between Slate and Electric Miata. Those who want a customizable car can choose between Slate and ... nothing really. Those who have no power outlets are irrelevant as they are not Slate customers at all.
Competition is not one-dimensional.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

One that knows how to use their cell phone. Hehe. JK. Love those seniors

That rules me out. This Boomer refuses to own a cell phone. Not because I'm technologically illiterate, as I was a world class software engineer. I just refuse to have my brain's attention span slowly eroded away by enslavement algorithms.

Now, if I can only remember where I left my teeth...

 

[metroshot]

Going from working class to contemporary senior next year and currently drive a Ford EV.

Looking forward to switching to the Slate as my driving needs will be dropping a lot as I earn my pilot license and put money towards my dream plane:

 

[E90400K]

Those people who keep singing odes to Maverick and showing up on the Slate forum just to keep telling everyone that Maverick is somehow better than Slate, that it somehow competes with Slate, or that EVs are doomed because average-income people don’t own homes and therefore can’t charge them...

Such arguments sound so strange, so far fetched, so forced that I fail to see what motivates such people. I enjoy the conversation though.

Those who seek cheap EVs will choose between Slate and Kona. Those who seek trucks, will compare Slate to other trucks. Those who want a fun car will be choosing between Slate and Electric Miata. Those who want a customizable car can choose between Slate and ... nothing really. Those who have no power outlets are irrelevant as they are not Slate customers at all.
Competition is not one-dimensional.

I said some of those things. I don't own a Mavrick. I test drove one and did not like it. If I were to replace my pickup truck today, I'd get a Nissan Frontier 2-door extended cab. No one has made a good argument that the Maverick is not a competitor with the Slate Truck. The, "It's not an EV" is lame. If EV didn't compete with ICEV in the market, then the higher price of EV wouldn't matter. If the criteria was (as many here have made), "I will only consider an EV, I hate gas vehicles", then the manufacturers could charge anything they effing want for their EV vehicles - LOL. EV and ICEV compete in the market in every segment because price, convenience (tied to use case), and operating cost are the considerations that drive market purchases. Both the Slate and Maverick are small pickup trucks, so they are in the same market segment.

I did not say people who don't own their own home "therefore can't charge them". What a crock of shit, LOL. I said the fuel cost to charge on the public network is equivalent to operating a ICEV and sitting around for 30 minutes or longer is inconvenient when an ICEV can be refueled in 5 minutes. Stop changing what people say and then argue against what they didn't say. Typical.

And a Bronco (or Wrangler) is as much customizable as a Slate is. The doors and roof come off and the seats lay down to make a makeshift pickup bed. Not a new concept.

 

[metroshot]

.......

I did not say people who don't own their own home "therefore can't charge them". What a crock of shit, LOL. I said the fuel cost to charge on the public network is equivalent to operating a ICEV and sitting around for 30 minutes or longer is inconvenient when an ICEV can be refueled in 5 minutes. Stop changing what people say and then argue against what they didn't say. Typical.
........

I own a Ford EV plus Honda PHEV and at home, the PHEV gets charged every night.

As for my BEV, I charge at Tesla Superchargers because it's cheaper than charging at home believe it or not.

In So Calif where electricity is pricey ($0.61/kWh), unless I charge my Ford at home on midnight or weekends, a fast 15 minute Supercharger ($0.31/kWh) is perfect while I go into a store for my lunch.

I do pay $12.99/month to Tesla to get the 25% lower driver rate which pays for itself after 2 charges.

Looking forward to getting "Tesla driver rates" when the Slate comes out....

 

[E90400K]

I own a Ford EV plus Honda PHEV and at home, the PHEV gets charged every night.

As for my BEV, I charge at Tesla Superchargers because it's cheaper than charging at home believe it or not.

In So Calif where electricity is pricey ($0.61/kWh), unless I charge my Ford at home on midnight or weekends, a fast 15 minute Supercharger ($0.31/kWh) is perfect while I go into a store for my lunch.

I do pay $12.99/month to Tesla to get the 25% lower driver rate which pays for itself after 2 charges.

Looking forward to getting "Tesla driver rates" when the Slate comes out....

California is the exception where home electrical rates are far above the national average and EV charging infrastructure is less expensive.

 

[SichuanHot]

I own a Ford EV plus Honda PHEV and at home, the PHEV gets charged every night.

As for my BEV, I charge at Tesla Superchargers because it's cheaper than charging at home believe it or not.

In So Calif where electricity is pricey ($0.61/kWh), unless I charge my Ford at home on midnight or weekends, a fast 15 minute Supercharger ($0.31/kWh) is perfect while I go into a store for my lunch.

I do pay $12.99/month to Tesla to get the 25% lower driver rate which pays for itself after 2 charges.

Looking forward to getting "Tesla driver rates" when the Slate comes out....

Aren't you from the concrete jungles of Los Angeles? I know the sprawl very well. As poster above stated the electricity costs and access to public EV charging is much different than the rest of the country especially in non metro areas. My buddy in a smaller town in the south had an EV that he recently got rid of for a gasser and he's been telling me that the fuel costs are about the same as gas costs.

 

[Letas]

150,000 Slates out of 16,000,000+ light vehicles means Slate only needs to attract 1 out of 100 new car buyers to succeed.

It won't suit every conceivable purpose.
It doesn't need to.

Emphasis on the only.... that's a massive amount.

I think the 150k figure is probably off, I'd assume their "make it or break it" volume is much lower.

 

[AZFox]

Emphasis on the only.... that's a massive amount.

150K is indeed a massive amount, yet it's a tiny proportion.

I'm just trying to say that you can way more easily describe someone who wouldn't buy a Slate instead of describing someone who would.

Even if Slate sells every unit possible, 99% of car buyers won't have chosen the Truck.

 

[Letas]

150K is indeed a massive amount, yet it's a tiny proportion.

I'm just trying to say that you can way more easily describe someone who wouldn't buy a Slate instead of describing someone who would.

Even if Slate sells every unit possible, 99% of car buyers won't have chosen the Truck.

Agree- I am saying the proportion itself is a lofty assumption. Tesla has ~4% of US Market share, for Slate to achieve even 25% of that is awfully lofty in the short-mid term.

 

[AZFox]

Agree- I am saying the proportion itself is a lofty assumption. Tesla has ~4% of US Market share, for Slate to achieve even 25% of that is awfully lofty in the short-mid term.