Is there a something-one-one number for an emergency podcast? I know 911 is real emergencies, 411 is information (I think that’s still there?), 611 is some kind of phone service line, and, damn, I never realized this, but 211 is a community service line, 311 is municipal government, 511 is traffic information, 711 is TDD services if you have hearing issues, and 811 is a public utility location line. Wow! I had no idea. Public-good stuff like this that is just quietly doing its thing, day after day, like most municipal water systems and national parks and that kind of thing make me feel more patriotic than any parade of tanks ever could.
Wait, what the hell was I talking about? Oh yeah, an emergency podcast! Which can’t have an X11 number because, look, they’re all taken! But we did one anyway, because the leak of the upcoming Slate EV pickup truck’s pricing, hidden in the metadata of their website, is just too good not to do an emergency podcast about. [Ed note: Couldn’t we do 1-1-1? – MH]
The price, $24,950, is certainly good, and does undercut Ford’s (expected) $30,000-ish price for their upcoming EV truck, the one we spotted testing the other day. But is it cheap enough? David and I discuss that in this hastily-slapped-together episode of our non-award-winning Carbage Time podcast.
You can see it here, right here:
David and I discuss the Slate pricing leak, and the Slate itself in the podcast, wondering if it actually is cheap enough? That’s the video podcast, if you prefer audio:
Oh, and to listen to more podcasts episode you can go to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or you can use the RSS feed and point your favorite Podcast player at it.
I feel like coming in at $19,999 would have made it all but a guaranteed hit; at nearly $25,000, it’s still among the cheapest EVs you can get in America, period, but I’m not sure it’s as guaranteed a slam dunk. After all, the upcoming Ford EV truck is only $5,000 more and has more creature comforts and, significantly, a double-cab. Single cab trucks haven’t sold well in America for decades. But maybe this will be different enough?
Oh, and then we had to discuss this:
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So, Slate felt like they had to remind the world how to get in the back seat of a two-door car or truck. Okay, fine, can’t hurt to show that it’s not so hard. But then they somehow managed to step on their own genitalia in how they showed it!
First off, they picked some parkour athlete as the person to demonstrate how to get in the back. Basically a freaking gymnast. That’s always been the joke about getting into the back seat of a small two-door, that you have to be a gymnast to do it! They couldn’t have picked a worse person to show this. This should have been someone in their mid-80s who was in a walker moments before getting into the back seat, not a lithe athlete who can probably wriggle through a mail slot without spilling his drink! Come on, Slate!
And then there’s the other big issue: moving that seat to get access to the rear requires two steps! First, a lever to slide the seat forward, then one to tilt the back forward. This is the same tech as in my 1973 VW Beetle. Two-door cars have had one lever that slides the seat forward and tilts the back for decades. Look, here’s what the Fiat 500 does:
Look at that; you pull one little strap at the top of the seatback and the whole thing slides forward and tilts. It’s actually not a big deal to get in the back! Slate couldn’t have sourced seats that did this? Once again, come on, Slate!
All that said, I’m still excited by the upcoming Slate. I think there is a market for people who genuinely want a vehicle with less electronics, no stupid subscription services or “features” that steal all your data and invade your privacy and all that. And wind-up windows, too. I think there’s people who would just appreciate that, period, because they just make sense, and always have.
So I don’t think a $30,000 Ford EV truck is necessarily going to compete with a $25,000 Slate EV truck entirely. I think both will have their niches. There’s still so much we don’t know, but my hope is that the eventual winner will be the buyers, who will have more affordable EV vehicle options to choose from, and ones that, hopefully, will actually be kind of cool.
Even if the back seat is just for gymnasts.
Top photo: Slate
I really hope this is successful so someone will do an ICE version of this. I’m just not interested in any EV at this point, but a simple ICE truck like this that I can customize would be amazing.
I think, whether or not it’s ever mainstream, it’ll have a loyal cult following for sure. Especially with so many people being fed up with technology right now and craving something simple, or at least claiming to.
The other thing to consider is that Ford dealerships will mark up the “$30,000” electric truck, so it will be more than $5,000 more expensive than the Slate, as the Slate doesn’t have to be bought from a dealership. Ease of buying and lack of markups or hassle alone are serious incentives to buy a Slate instead of something else, plus the fact that there aren’t many other $25,000 new vehicles in general to compete with it.
I could see myself buying one if I were in the market for a new truck, except that I have nowhere to charge it. I understand why it can’t be a gas or diesel truck at its size, but if it was, it would be a guaranteed success.
Although, if you just want a brand new simple 90s-style utilitarian vehicle powered by gasoline, there is always the Chevy Express van. For all the people claiming to want a brand new vehicle built like a 90s truck, you sure don’t see many of them actually putting their money where their mouth is when the Chevy Express is literally still in production with the same interior and GMT400-based platform it’s had since 1996. You could literally buy exactly the thing you want, albeit minus a pickup bed, but with the advantage of an enclosed cargo space for no more money than you would’ve paid for one in the 90s.
The biggest thing that’s possibly in favor of the slate is that the Ford will definitely have price hikes within a year and maybe within a few months. That’s basically the only advantage unless they can make it very tempting with financing or lease deals or something, which is a shame because I know everyone (especially me) was hyped for the 20k price tag, almost 5k more is rrwlly pushing it for what you get.
$25k with no dealer network, crank windows and no option for AWD. The Ford will be $30k with service centers coast to coast and beyond, will have all American accoutrement and will have AWD standard or optional.
When you need service on a Slate, they send you parts via Amazon with instructions on how to fix it. That’s neat, but kind of impractical for a lot of folks.
I believe this is the biggest hurdle for Slate. I worked at a start-up company a little over 15 years ago where we were developing a light-duty commercial hybrid electric vehicle. Even with running and driving prototypes, and sourcing our vehicle’s major systems and components from established OEMs and suppliers, the lack of a dealer network was the main objection of commercial customers. While commercial and fleet customers have different requirements than retail customers, and outside of the 0.00xx% of of potential customers who are enthusiasts and wrenchers, the lack of a dealer network will be a tough sell to retail customers (if they’re thinking ahead about that).
I probably missed it, but what kind of charging port does it have?
I didn’t even google, but it’s gotta be NACS, because releasing a new EV in late 2026… w/o a NACS port would be semi-suicidal.
$25K was the predicted average price we guessed more or less, as asking for the full $27,500. that it’d have cost after losing the $7.5K federal tax incentive would have really turned off a lot of buyers considering how basic it is. There aren’t currently many (any?) brand-new EVs that can be had for an actual $25K with a pickup bed (and I’m sure Ford’s upcoming ‘Squanch’ EV trucklet will be almost unfindable at the base MSRP of $30K when it’s eventually released) so the Slate might get some traction, but $25K is probably a bit of an ask for most folks, since they’re not as charmed by manual window cranks as some Autopians are.
If they could have somehow managed to get this out the door for the just under $20K price originally promised, I’m pretty sure they’d sell as many of ’em as they could make, and maybe even generate enough excitement to achieve some sort of mainstream hype about it being a ‘people’s car.’ At $25K, assuming you can actually buy one at that price, I don’t think a zillion potential buyers are going to be signing on the dotted line anytime soon.
All JMHO. My uniformed HO.
There are no EV’s at $25k truck or otherwise. I think the bolt is $30k after destination charges.
Some jurisdictions still have EV credits, so theoretically you could get a Slate for under $22k, not a bad deal at that price.
Where I live (CA) there used to be a state incentive of $2,500. for new EV purchases (and IIRC, maybe another $1,000. from the local DWP utility) but I don’t know if those are still in effect.
While I agree that $22K is better paid than $25K for anything, including a Slate, I think I’d rather spend that $22K on a used Ionic 5 or something. But as much as I’d like to try an EV, I’m probably still on the fence, despite having put placeholder deposits on both a Slate and Telo.
Old guy here, living in a suburb of Milwaukee. I want this even at 25K cause it does truckette stuff, (Lowes, Johnson’s Nursery, North Shore Boulangerie for baguettes, etc.). not a lot to fuck up on it that will cost thousands to fix/replace, it will get me to mostly where I need/want to go and I can plug it in at night in the garage. Kids gone, spouse and dog going to the lakefront downtown for a walk. Specialized pedal assist electric bikes in the truckette bed, head out to a park 70 miles away and go for a ride. get rid of the kayak trailer and throw them in the back to our put in in Thiensville. Hell yes. If they finance this at 1.9 or 0% for a couple of years the petrol cost differential probably comes close to paying for it. And yes, like the early VW bug there is an anti status cool to it that is very desirable, especially given the tsunami of hatred towards the Epstein/Tump/Musk class of oligarchy currently bearing down on all of us.
Isn’t Slate partially backed by Jeff Bezos? We pick our poison. At least without all the AI tech in the dash, I don’t have to worry about saying “I need to pick up some bread” and Alexa sending an Amazon order out. (PS I don’t have an AI assistant on my phone, but I can tell Meta is listening a lot).
I like the idea of the Slate, but I’ll have to actually see one before I think about buying it. I need a small hatchback more than a Jeep or truck looking vehicle. These seem larger than you’d need in a city, but maybe it’s just the appearance, since it is a 2 door.
Pretty much same size as a 1990 Toyota Truck or Nissan Hardbody (stock standard-cab one, not lifted or extended cab). If you’re older than 30 you’ve seen a zillion of those.
Damn I conveniently forgot that Jeffey was the money behind this. Then again hitler was the driving force for the VW bug. Fucking choices and their effing consequences.
Or, just have an AI convert your conversation to text.
For humanity’s sake.
Might I suggest 0118 999 881 999 119 7253? Note: there must be a long pause before the 3.
If that doesn’t work, have you tired turning it off and on again?
Autopian emergency podcast number: tooth hurty
This time next year I should be in a house with solar and a charger. I’m keeping a close eye on the Slate as the bare-bones + customizable shtick appeals to me and I have occasional issues with battery life and stale fuel in my 2 cars now because I drive the work van.
I want a BEV as a retirement vehicle: I don’t need much range and I don’t want all the dashboard tech that’s ubiquitous in modern vehicles. My daughter has her ‘tisms, one of which is her mother-hen reaction to my current cars: they’re not safe enough for me to carry her babies around in. That’s not a fight I can win, so I’d rather buy the Slate in order to cart the grandkids around.
Selling the Z3 MRoadster for a limited-range heavy truck doesn’t feel particularly like an enthusiast move, but I’ve had a lot of fun and the kiddos are more important than being able to chirp tires through the gears at this point. If it doesn’t seem the Slate will work for me, I’ll be looking at used Leafs & Bolts (but will hold onto the Z3 )
I keep hearing this will be a good fleet vehicle. The company where I work has a large fleet of vehicles and the last thing they’re going to purchase is a brand new design from a brand new company that is going to ship parts instead of just taking the vehicle and fixing it. We’ve been past the point of repairing (or maintaining) vehicles in-house for quite a few years now.
I believe this is the biggest hurdle for Slate. I worked at a start-up company a little over 15 years ago where we were developing a light-duty commercial hybrid electric vehicle. Even with running and driving prototypes, and sourcing our vehicle’s major systems and components from established OEMs and suppliers, the lack of a dealer network was the main objection of commercial customers. While commercial and fleet customers have different requirements than retail customers, and outside of the 0.00xx% of of potential customers who are enthusiasts and wrenchers, the lack of a dealer network will be a tough sell to retail customers (if they’re thinking ahead about that).
This thing will flop so hard that it will make clear for one and forever why there are not basic cars and why modularity is not a thing in light vehicles.
The slate mostly meets my needs, as I have said before AWD and a higher tow rating would make it much better (1000 lbs is so disappointing). For me it would be a weekend car for working around the house and hauling canoe kayaks and sailing dinghies around. My big question is what the option prices will be. In particular, the SUV top and the bigger battery. The other stuff like radio power windows, will I assume, be less of an issue because the aftermarket of 3d printers will likely make stuff to fit very quickly.
The backseat is still more useful for seating humans than my FR-S’s bumpy parcel shelf with seatbelts. There is no room for legs, unless driver and passengers are really short.
I still see this truck, in base form, mainly competing with Deere Gators and other utility SxS vehicles for municipal use. Clean enough for city centers, more usable bed space, real doors, and you can actually drive on the streets legally to whatever worksite you’re going to. Main thing is it needs attachments to fully compete. I don’t know how much a snow broom will impact range, but it’s not going far anyway.
This thing is undoubtedly cool, but there is no way they will sell well. Too many concessions for even that modest price. They need to market the whole modularity concept HARD to get any assess in (manually adjusted) seats.
“I think both will have their niches.” No. The Slate will have a small niche. The Ford will have a significant share of the market.
I don’t see anybody asking if this can actually do TRUCK things, like carry a load and/or tow a trailer while doing 70 MPH on the expressway for more than 50 miles without needing a recharge (eps. on a very hot or cold day). It will be interesting to see the results of some testing once these things are actually available. But it seems to me that the F-150 Lightning failed to do those things well and that’s why they stopped production.
I’m not sure what you’d have to be towing to make a Lightning unable to make it 50 miles at 70mph. You’d have to basically be towing a trailer full of open parachutes up a 30% grade, in 0F weather, with a flat tire.
I think it’s weird how much people are focusing on this as a truck. The specs already say it only has a 150mile range (unloaded) and a max towing capacity of 1000lbs. The payload is reasonable at 1400 lbs, but again, this is not a “truck things” vehicle. It’s a fun little commuter that can pick up a couple bags of mulch. Essentially any crossover has more capability than this for truck stuff.
That’s one of the main reasons I think this is too expensive. It’s just not practical enough.
I don’t disagree with this sentiment in general because of the cultural mentality of the market it’s being sold in, but small utility vehicles are big business in a ton of places. Think about the panel van fiestas, Citroens, etc.. there’s a market for this in urban and suburban areas and probably rural areas as a utv supplement/replacement. But the market won’t be as a replacement for a midsize pickup. People will just have to look at if this is going to fit their actual needs instead of their perceived needs
Yeah, and actually I like to think that if enough people think of this as a truck they’ll sell a bunch to people who “need a truck” but never actually use the truck capabilities and instead just commute in it.
But that’s what the Lightning was – an excellent truck for basically everything most Americans use trucks for except that it wasn’t great at towing over long distances. And as stated above, that failure to “do truck things” as well as expected lost them sales, even from the people that never would have towed with it if they’d bought one.
It just makes me think there are a bunch of people with Slate reservations that are going to cancel them as soon as they see the first Youtube review where the guy realizes he can’t tow his jet ski to the lake, even if those people don’t own a jet ski.
Are those “Truck Things”, or are those “Stupid Truck Advertisement Things”?
Honestly, do you really think that a person who has enough money to own a boat or a camper trailer is going to be looking at buying the cheapest new EV on the market to tow them?
The RV ‘tow car’ is probably one of the best target demographics the SLATE team should focused on.
If I were then, I would go further and ‘certify’ as many RV Repair Centers in the US as possible to work on the SLATE.
Why would “RV tow car” be Slate’s major demographic?
Mercedes has more knowledge of the typical people that purchase a large RV and tow a vehicle than I do.
An article on RV Tow Cars from some RV Snowbird enclave is probably already on her ‘to do’ list.
Usually people with large RV’s tow a small, low cost, vehicle to use as a ‘run about’
That is the essential description of this vehicle.
SLATE should consider offering an RV ‘tow bar’ as an option from the factory.
Oh, wow… I’m sorry, I got that totally turned around. I thought you meant “vehicle for towing an RV”, not “vehicle towed BY an RV”.
My bad
I don’t see anyone talking about purchase who cares how it drives. It all seems to be assumed “it’s fine”, I guess.
Daily driving my 89 4Runner and realized 2 door access to the rear seat is really not that bad. I do like the 2nd door handle on the passenger door, but realistically climbing through is really not a big deal in practice.
“Really not that bad.” That is a great marketing phrase. People in general have gotten extremely spoiled with everything having 4 doors. I just don’t think many buyers will be willing to live with this setup. If it was less money, there might be more openness for concessions but it just is not compelling enough. I dig the 89 4Runner BTW.
I think you’re right. It’s a similar situation with range anxiety and over-capability. Maybe only 1 person is in the car 95% of the time, but what about that other 5%? It’s the reason people buy 3/4 ton trucks to tow their trailer 2 times a year then take the hit to daily drive it vs. renting a truck when you need it. Also thanks! It’s been pretty fun dailying it. I need a soft top so I can enjoy the convertible
But having one vehicle to cover all needs is better environmentally and economically than having the overhead of two when you don’t need a second vehicle otherwise.
Right. As someone a few days ago pointed out, people just don’t have second cars for specific tasks any more.
Half of American households can’t afford a $500 emergency. They *certainly* can’t afford a spare vehicle for hauling mulch.
Also, if you spend so much time hauling mulch or plywood or whatever that it affects what type of vehicle you buy, might I suggest spending more time with your family than your yard?
Or put a towel down and carry stuff that physically fits safely. I once fit an entire bathtub in a model 3 with the rear seat down. And another time I moved 20 bags of mulch in it. Got 2 in the frunk.
Not really. Having 1 vehicle that can serve your needs 95% of the time and renting a more suitable vehicle when you need it is the more environmentally and economically sensible thing. Don’t need a truck? Don’t buy a truck and pocket the money. Need to move dirt every now and then? Rent a U-Haul. Etc.
I specifically have an suv that can fit the entire family and then rent a trailer when I need to do truck things. Saves alot of money over having a pickup I use once in a blue moon and instead use my resources for something that fits my day to day better.
When the kid was little, as in “could not get into seat on her own” little, we had a 2-door MkIII Golf. We actually found it more practical than a 4-door, because the front doors on the 2-door extend further back. So you could comfortably-ish squat on the tilted back of the front seat while strapping her in, instead of having to lean over her through the rear door and fiddle with the straps.