You can go fast or you can go far, but you can't do both

[AZFox]

The blocky shape of the Truck signals that it's designed for day-to-day local driving. It's not particularly suitable for highway road trips.

I'll be amazed If the Truck's range at 75mph versus 45mph is reduced by anything less than 30%.

The blocky shape doesn't matter much at low speeds. At highway speeds aerodynamics matter much more. The reason is because Aerodynamic drag increases by the square of velocity.

For example, speeding up by 67% from 45 mph to 75 mph creates 178% more drag. In other words, 75 mph drag is 2.8 times 45 mph drag.

Tisha Johnson's design team deliberately chose to give the Truck the form of a familiar and timeless small pickup truck rather than going for optimal aerodynamics. I consider this an excellent design decision.

"You can go fast or you can go far, but you can't do both" is the tagline of this article that tested an EV and found that going 80mph vs 70mph caused a 26% range penalty. There's also an accompanying video.


See also Road & Track: How Does Speed Affect EV Range?

This is another post where I'm observing, not criticizing. The Truck's range won't be 150 or 240 miles on a freeway road trip like I originally assumed. Realistic expectations create happy customers.

 

[KevinRS]

We don't know the highway or city range yet. It is possible that the estimates of combined range shown are conservative. If the designers at Slate are smart, and they seem to be, they undersold on lots of things, to give themselves some margin for changes. We will all just have to decide based on the real numbers when they come out.
For me, the longest trip I foresee as about 120 miles, which according to one of the EV trip planning sites, would require a 5 minute charge session somewhere in the middle with 5% degradation. I'd have no problem just timing the trip to take 30 minutes to eat a meal in the middle, so the trip should be easily doable, even if range is reduced more than expected at highway speeds.

 

[atx_ev]

given the battery size there is only so many miles you can get. The small battery is 47kwh. in town you can possibly get 3miles/kwh so around 140. On the highway there is no way.

my wifes gle 450e gets about 2.5 miles/kwh in mixed driving.

 

[AZFox]

For my purposes what's important about range isn't the maximum. It's whether overnight charging can keep up with day-to-day driving, which it almost certainly will, even with the Level 1 charger.

 

[KevinRS]

Exactly, most commenters everywhere seem to be obsessed with is max range, and if your daily drive is near or over a car's max range, move along to something else. You don't need to compare it to the range of a tank of gas, because you don't fill up a tank of gas every night.
This isn't a long road trip truck, it's a local everyday use truck. Nothing is going to change that without doubling the price.

 

[YDR37]

The Truck's range won't be 150 or 240 miles on a freeway road trip like I originally assumed.

As indicated in this post, I entered a hypothetical 1000-mile road trip into the ABRP EV route planner, which now includes preliminary settings for the Slate. It recommended trip segments of approximately 111 miles for the standard battery, and 142 miles for the extended range battery. Your mileage may vary (literally) depending on the trip you select (route planners factor in things like temperature, average traffic speeds, and terrain).

In practice, you can't use all of the rated range on a road trip, because (1) you should recharge before your battery runs all the way down to 0%, and (2) charging speeds slow down as your battery fills, so charging all the way up to 100% is not time-efficient. And, as stated above, the aerodynamics take a toll on range when driving at freeway speeds.

 

[cadblu]

In order to maintain a healthy battery, I plan to follow the 20/80 charging scheme. As a daily (local) driver on the standard battery, it will likely be charged every other night. Now factor in cold ambient temperatures and less than ideal driving conditions/ habits, and I expect to charge every night.

The energy app on all Tesla’s provides insight on improving range and the penalties for each. Here’s what I’ve learned:

• Minimize use of the HVAC system
• Keep your tires properly inflated
• Avoid hilly terrains if possible
• Plan your stopping distances and maximize use of regen braking
• Avoid hard acceleration, aggressive maneuvering, harsh braking

Sadly, as It applies to Slate, the tagline should read: “You can’t go fast AND you can’t go far.”

 

[Doctors Do Little]

In order to maintain a healthy battery, I plan to follow the 20/80 charging scheme. As a daily (local) driver on the standard battery, it will likely be charged every other night. Now factor in cold ambient temperatures and less than ideal driving conditions/ habits, and I expect to charge every night.

The energy app on all Tesla’s provides insight on improving range and the penalties for each. Here’s what I’ve learned:

• Minimize use of the HVAC system
• Keep your tires properly inflated
• Avoid hilly terrains if possible
• Plan your stopping distances and maximize use of regen braking
• Avoid hard acceleration, aggressive maneuvering, harsh braking

Sadly, as It applies to Slate, the tagline should read: “You can’t go fast AND you can’t go far.”

Just get the use case right in your head and enjoy. I'm charging this 6800# brick weekly for local driving. I get 2.4-2.5m/kw. On the highway, I creep at 65-70mph and I get 2.3m/kw and then take out a 2nd mortgage for copious DC charging. Now I know.

Next week we take a vacation...renting a minivan! YMMV