Why to buy a Slate

[DougieRCSlate]

I decided on the Slate for a number of reasons.
1. It has Lithium Phosphate batteries. Being an large plane RC guy, I’ve seen my fair share of Lipo battery fires!
2. Size, at 62 yrs old I had a 1980 Datsun 720 pickup that got 200 miles on a ten gallon tank with the equivalent bed.Americans have gone large and are paying large at the gas pump and auto makers had to make larger trucks to accommodate the pollution requirement per liter of engine size. (Look it up, non-fiction)
3. I believe the electrical was done by former Tesla engineers and they got it right!! Structural engineering and designed, built and tested again by experienced people. (Watch the Slate interview 2025) (Common parts)
4. At 62 yrs young and driving mainly around town, I get 18-20mpg in my 2002 Subi WRX (non-modified mostly) 200 miles on the tank, fill up at CostCo $5.29 a gallon for premium. My 2024 fully loaded Mini Countryman (Leather power seats, Harmon Karden) gets 27-30 on a 15 tank 375 miles. It was priced at $34k and out the door closer to $38k. A $505 monthly payment for 72months. The Slate a $24,950 base will get me out the door hopefully at $28K with a hundred dollar less payment at 60 months. I’m a certificated FAA Airframe & Powerplant mechanic/electrician and have restored many cars from classic Porsches to my 1963 Mini Cooper Super Delux. I have a bush plane , and I fly very large RC planes with Lipo batteries for the past 20years and RC Race buggies for 10. The technology with Lithium Phosphate Battery sold me. Low fire danger during charging, accidents or malfunctions. Look at the asian electric cars and how many car carriers have caught fire due to Lipo technology while crossing the ocean during shipment.
5. I can customize my Slate, (I used to paint planes and car) wrap is the latest. Bucket seats for my dog/wife really my dog!! Simple to operate, I’m a pilot and have new EFIs displays in my bush plane, but enough technology. I drove my son’s Tesla to get a tire repaired and needed a tutorial to operate the dam thing!! Slate, Built in America for Me!👏
PS: All you electrical geeks, run 220 VAC from your house and charging will not be a question! I have it for my welders and lathes in the shop. Going underground (permitted) to charge at the driveway! 👍🐢

 

[E90400K]

I've always believed GA pilots naturally interface well with the EV fueling paradigm...

 

[d.h.]

Great post. I like the slate for the same reasons as you stated, although you know more about the batteries than I ever will.
I spent a lot of my miss spent youth running around in older pickups. My dad had a '38 Dodge for my entire life, and between my friends and I there were a lot of early '50s to late '60s trucks, and cars. The slate is better equipped than any of them.
I believe ev's are the future, and for me the slate is perfect. The simplest tools are the most reliable. Even a model T engine is more complex than an electric motor. The simplicity of the truck that seems to turn some folks off, I find desirable. If you're waiting for this post to make sense, give it up, I'm running out of steam.

 

[EV Trek]

Cheap truck that does not use gas and isn’t gigantic.
plus I have been waiting for a truck like this for several years.
Now if someone would build an inexpensive convertible electric sports car, Slate are you listening?😉

 

[d.h.]

How about an original style VW BUG convertible?

 

[Moe]

Here are a few reasons before Ì got tired.

Because you don’t want your car watching you.

Because you don’t want your car constantly reporting everything to a mother ship who sells that info.

Because you don’t want to pay for failure prone gizmos you didn’t ask for.

Because you don’t want to pay for subscriptions to use YOUR car.

Because a frunk is a blessing with a regular cab.

Because the NACS port is in the Tesla location.

Because you’re the only one who drives the vehicle and your steering wheel, seats, and mirrors haven’t been adjusted in years.

Because you want to control HVAC by feel with your eyes on the road.

Because you don’t mind scraping mirrors with a credit card (or a rear window) but don’t want to have to thaw locks.

Because you dress for the weather and don’t need heated seats or wheel.

Because you know how to adjust mirrors and look over your shoulder so you don’t need blind spot monitoring.

Because you’re tired of rear and cross traffic false alarms.

Because you’re tired of fighting lane keep assist that comes back on at every start.

Because you’re tired of having to remember to disable ICE Stop/Start for every trip.

Because you can adapt manual cruise control and don’t trust a car to stop behind stationary traffic.

 

[EV Trek]

How about an original style VW BUG convertible?

No, not quite. Maybe the Karmann Ghia style.

 

[Driven5]

At 62 yrs young and driving mainly around town, I get 18-20mpg in my 2002 Subi WRX (non-modified mostly) 200 miles on the tank, fill up at CostCo $5.29 a gallon for premium.

As with so many other not-obvious vehicles on the road, that's worse than my F150... And yet all the half-wit-hypocrites focus their vitrol exclusively on the 'wasteful' pickups and SUV drivers because they're the easy targets.