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I LOVE it! THIS is the kind of truck I'd be looking at to replace my 1998 Ford Ranger. Here is what could be potential deal-breakers: - Lack of a mobile app.

I LOVE it! THIS is the kind of truck I'd be looking at to replace my 1998 Ford Ranger. Here is what could be potential deal-breakers: - Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. - Lack of good charge management and battery conditioning. Either that, or a cheap and easy to replace battery pack. I'd really like both! - Comparable hauling and towing capacity to the 1998 Ford Ranger. Those numbers aren't exactly impressive, but I do use the truck as a truck, and I occasionally need the hauling capacity (weight). - Bucket seats. I need a bench seat so I can take my wife and dog. Think weekend glamping trips. Picture 8 shows a bucket seat. It doesn't look like that would work. If anyone from Slate is reading this, this is how I'm looking at this truck. FYI, I'll be comparing this to the Ford Maverick.

aaronbrethorst 2y ago
From the FAQ: Beginning in 2026, you’ll be able to find charging stations using the upcoming Slate App. https://www.slate.auto/en/faq https://www.slate.auto/en/faq it doesn't explicitly answer whether the app will satisfy your criteria, but there'll be something.
fishpen0 2y ago
Bench seats are almost certainly not coming back in modern low cost vehicles due to side impact safety regulations. They aren't _illegal_ but its extremely difficult to meet those standards with a bench configuration and ironically probably why a budget pickup is less likely to have them. Cutting those corners by not having a bench at all is an easy way to save money in the design. The hauling and towing is another one. Unfortunately batteries are much heavier than a combustion engine and take away from the total capacity of the vehicle. It's curb weight is 500lbs more than the 1998 Ford Ranger. Same thing, budget vehicle means budget suspension, so its weight lowers the capacity instead of increasing the cost of the suspension.
- taylodl 2y ago
  I had no idea bench seats had such an impact to side impact safety regulations. Thanks for that insight! It also makes sense that the total capacity of the vehicle would diminish, but at the same time, and engine isn't weightless (though neither is an electric motor). If I had 1,500 pounds capacity, then I should be good to go.
- Braxton1980 2y ago
  The rear seats of almost all new cars are bench seats though. Is side impact safety requirements the same or apply the whole side of the car? I believe airbag requirements prevent this because the middle seat would require a console mounted airbag where infotainment systems normally live
  - hinkley 2y ago
    I suspect GP is misremembering why bench seating went away. Bench seats for the driver can lead to steering errors which can result in crashes.
    - Braxton1980 2y ago
      There are other reasons too. 1. Cars that offered manual options needed a center console. Japanese imports would always have a manual version, even if that version wasn't in the US. Same with European. The only one alternative is a column manual shifter which is horrible to use. You couldn't use a forward floor shifter unless you want to shift between the legs of the person in the middle. There are dash mounted shifters but would probably hit the middle person's knees. Not sure since these are rare and usually European (fiat multipla) /Japanese 2. At a point a US safety requirement was all front passengers needed either an airbag or a automatic shoulder seatbelt, basically it ran along the door with a motor when the door closed. Automatic shoulder belts were cheaper than airbags so manf usually picked that option but don't work with middle seats since they need a door/column for the rails. 3. Minor, but, additional side safety rules increased door thickness. Both sides pushed in more making it uncomfortable. Fine in rear but front, as you mentioned, is a danger to steering. 4. Smaller import cars due to gas crisis in 70s that US companies (eventually) copied that combined with reason (3) made the middle seat basically useless
      - hinkley 2y ago
        > You couldn't use a forward floor shifter unless you want to shift between the legs of the person in the middle. I’ve been in one of those. And I may or may not have been the child stuck sitting there. Mercifully only a couple times, because I was horrified. It felt like a child had the power to get us into an accident. 0/10 would not recommend.
- potato3732842 2y ago
  > Same thing, budget vehicle means budget suspension, so its weight lowers the capacity instead of increasing the cost of the suspension. Leaf sprung solid axle is great for doing things on a budget. But it's probably impossible to put one in a new vehicle because the hiring pool of the automotive industry is too indoctrinated against that sort of stuff at this point.
- hinkley 2y ago
  The problem with bench seating is not side impact but accidental steering wheel input during hard cornering. In the typical 10 and 2 hand position having your butt move makes your shoulders move, the shoulders make the hands move, and now you’re understeering. Understeering on a mountain road likely means death, and on other roads a ditch or hitting a phone pole.
  - f001 2y ago
    Steering position has been taught as 9 and 3 for a long time now… but still fair point. You can add a bit of alcantara to the seat to help you stay in place though. My RDX has it for the sporty-ish trim and it helps.
    - krupan 2y ago
      It's actually more like 8 and 4 or even 7 and 5 to keep your hands and arms out of the way of the airbag
      - hinkley 2y ago
        And then your problem is oversteering which puts you into oncoming traffic.
    - hinkley 2y ago
      It’s never 9 and 3 in a turn though is it. It’s more like 8 and 1. Or just 1.
  - morepedantic 2y ago
    Skill issue. 100k miles on bench seats in full size sedans to full size pickups, including mountain roads, and nary a problem.
    - hinkley 2y ago
      Literally survivor bias.
bryanlarsen 2y ago
> a cheap and easy to replace battery pack. Battery expansion is a user installable option. It might not be as easy to replace the main battery, but the expansion battery will be, and will make it easier to install newer tech down the road, etc.
ryandrake 2y ago
> - Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. Noooooooooo! No apps, please! Finally a car not tethered to and dependent on your phone, and we already have our first request to app-ify it! EDIT: Ughhh, according to the video that another user posted, it looks like there's an app, and yes, "updates" go through it :( > - Lack of good charge management and battery conditioning. Either that, or a cheap and easy to replace battery pack. I'd really like both! Yes to a simple battery system! > - Comparable hauling and towing capacity to the 1998 Ford Ranger. Those numbers aren't exactly impressive, but I do use the truck as a truck, and I occasionally need the hauling capacity (weight). Yes! > - Bucket seats. I need a bench seat so I can take my wife and dog. Think weekend glamping trips. Picture 8 shows a bucket seat. It doesn't look like that would work. Yes, definitely. It being a 2 seater is kind of a deal breaker for families. You really want a bench seat to at least stick a small child between the driver and passenger. Back in the day, we'd stuff 3 kids between two adults, but these days the Safety People would have a heart attack just thinking about that. The article mentions an SUV upgrade kit that will bolt onto the back of the truck. Ugh, OK I guess. Sad that that's the way it will probably have to go. 1: https://youtu.be/cq1qEjwSYkw https://youtu.be/cq1qEjwSYkw
- taylodl 2y ago
  I'd want the mobile app to be an auxiliary, not a requirement for operating the truck. Keep the dashboard simple.
  - ryandrake 2y ago
    I'd be worried that once an app got a foothold into the product, the company would be unable to resist the urge to spread the app's tentacles across the entire vehicle, adding connectivity and telemetry and DRM, integrating it into the other car's systems, adding remote-this and wireless-that, and then inevitably the product would end up just like the turd cars we have today.
    - oslem 2y ago
      100% agree. I would be fine if they had an estimated time-to-fully-charged displayed on the screen. I don’t need to know the status of my vehicle, personally. I would imagine a third party system could be implemented to achieve most of what one would need.
hedgehog 2y ago
The Maverick apparently has poor build quality but I'm hoping Toyota comes up with a pickup using the same small footprint + bare bones + hybrid drivetrain formula.
- quantified 2y ago
  I read that as comparing it to one of Ford's cheap cars from the 70's. Which would be a low bar to meet.
  - hedgehog 2y ago
    I just mean poor vs trucks from Honda or Toyota. I don't know if there's anything from a US brand that has comparable build quality and engineering these days.
- sitkack 2y ago
  Toyota already has the Toyota Hilux Champ @ 12k USD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hNYwTVPUkQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hNYwTVPUkQ
  - Brian_K_White 2y ago
    Holy crap! And it will have a manual option! Love.
    - sitkack 2y ago
      There will be no way this will be sold in the states. You would have to live in some place like Thailand or Costa Rica.
  - bryanlarsen 2y ago
    The Japanese companies have been making kei trucks for 70 years. They've never been sold directly in the US and never will.
    - 2y ago
CalRobert 2y ago
Huh, lack of an app is a major plus in my book
- lcfcjs6 2y ago
  [flagged]
adamhowell 2y ago
> Lack of a mobile app… At the 6 mins and 40 seconds timestamp on this video (https://youtu.be/cq1qEjwSYkw?t=400 https://youtu.be/cq1qEjwSYkw?t=400) he shows the car app that will tell you current range, etc
- conradev 2y ago
  I'd recommend folks watch the video – it's fascinating. The truck gets OTA updates through your phone and not some LTE modem. It doesn't have one. They moved all car management including OBD-like functionality to the phone, too, which I think is awesome. This is how I want the interior design philosophy of manual controls to be digitized – with digital control. I'd pay $10k more for physical buttons, though.
  - ryandrake 2y ago
    Ugh. Yuck. Very disappointing. Was really hoping this thing wasn't going to be phone dependent.
    - cornstalks 2y ago
      There's a difference between phone-dependent and phone-augmented. I don't know the details of the truck, but I think a happy medium would be for an app to exist to augment the truck's abilities and allow at-home updates, but to not require the app or phone to just use the truck (even for long periods; i.e. you could go forever without using the app and the truck will just keep working in its current state).
  - instaclay 2y ago
    Oh sweet. Delicious. Very reassuring. Was really hoping this thing was going to be device agnostic. My 2015 car had 3g "smart" features that no longer work since 3g has been sunset in the US. Awesome to see forward thinking of a smart feature-set that can be updated with a module you'll likley already have an upgrade path for.
  - Brian_K_White 2y ago
toast0 2y ago
> - Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. I get that cars have these, but my PHEV (which I don't often charge) lost its app when Ford pulled the plug as 3G was sunsetting and I don't think I'm missing anything. If there's anything wrong with the car, it can show the check engine light (or whatever it's called when there's no engine). > - Lack of good charge management and battery conditioning. Seems like a little early to declare this on a vaporware product? I don't think you need a screen or an app to have reasonable battery conditioning? Anyway, I would love small trucks to return. I had a 2007 Ranger and I have a 2003 S-10, and there's nothing in the US new vehicle market that fits the small truck niche anymore. CAFE standards can't be met with a small footprint truck, so we only get large footprint trucks. But EV trucks don't have efficiency standards, so maybe we'll see the niche again. (I think you could maybe hit the CAFE standards with a single cab ranger and a hybrid drive train, but I also think automakers prefer to sell luxury trucks rather than base model trucks)
Nux 2y ago
Hopefully it comes with an OBD socket you can connect to as with all other cars. That should provide basic diagnostics/stats. No need for "apps".
- exhilaration 2y ago
  It's actually not required for EVs - Tesla has started to drop it from recent models. I bet these guys would omit it as well to save money.
  - potato3732842 2y ago
    Or use it because using an existing standard makes everything that needs to interface with it cheaper/easier.
Reubachi 2y ago
Your passion is something that market researches for this company should salivate over, especiall from a curated forum like HN. Unforuntatley, this company and this project are VC expenditure "throw away projects", made to fail. No motor vehicle satisfying NHTSA can be made in america for below 20k cost of materiels, nevermind msrp. This article and the company are pitching that this is "realistic" due to cutting costs of paint, radios. Which...are pennies on the dollar compared to what satifys US road requiremnents for EV; safety, suspension, manufacturer support, parts availability, reparability. Are they skimping there too? will this 2025 electric vehicle have LEAF springs? 20k is the pre-production estimates. When in history has that not balloned especially for car platforms made in USA? What will a made in USA replacement lead acid accessory battery cost? 3k? Once this goes over 40k (which, is guaranteed. A mazda miata which is as bare bones as it gets, old technology, is still 32k base, and thats made in a cheaper labor market.), the funding will back off, and all the R and D money wasted.
- neogodless 2y ago
  Please research these vehicles: https://www.chevrolet.com/suvs/trax?evar25=Vanity_Trax_20170413 https://www.chevrolet.com/suvs/trax?evar25=Vanity_Trax_20170... https://www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/crossovers-suvs/kicks.html https://www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/crossovers-suvs/kicks.htm...
jws 2y ago
Bucket seats. I need a bench seat so I can take my wife and dog. Ah, there's the problem. You have violated Pauli's "spouse/dog size exclusion principle". You need to either have a dog that can sleep curled up on the spouse's lap during the trip, or a dog big enough that the spouse can sleep curled up on the dog. Bench seats also aren't a panacea, I still feel the burn of my dog's stink eye when then girlfriend was prompted to center of bench seat and dog on the side.
eweise 2y ago
Same. Only thing missing for me is is a gas engine and manual stick shifter.
- pglevy 2y ago
  Same. Though this looks like the first EV I might actually consider.
  - Brian_K_White 2y ago
    Same, though the company trying to reuse the International Scout name got my attention. Physical controls and an on board gas generator.
    - alabastervlog 2y ago
      I grew up with an (already old, and by the time we got rid of it years later, hilariously rusted-out and with tires containing more fix-a-flat than air) Scout and their announcement ad for the electric one hit a bullseye with me. I don't really do new cars (too expensive) but damn... if I had enough cash to not give a fuck, they'd have been well on their way to selling me one just with that ad. Really well done.
darknavi 2y ago
> Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. Would be nice if they had a protocol locally for a 3rd party to step in an offer their own offerings here.
babyent 2y ago
They could offer an API kit or sdk so people could make open source apps for it.
iugtmkbdfil834 2y ago
I think you are way off on the target demographics. The idea is to have a car that is minimalist in nature, which does mean: - no app - no bells - no whistles Slate.. I will add one more thing. If you will make it spy on me like all the other new cars now, its a nogo either. I might as well just get an old car from 90s... which amusingly will still work for what I need it to do ( move some stuff around ).
jillyboel 2y ago
> - Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. Wait, you actually want your car to upload all your data to someone else's cloud for them to sell?
DADADADA12341 2y ago
> - Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. God, please, no. Why on Gods green earth would I want that? Stop doing this to stuff. It is an abomination. I am sure many others echoed this point but holy crap. No. I am all for technology. But I do not want some tracker in my car. Apps are anathema to my freedom.
everdrive 2y ago
Please no apps. Please no smart phone garbage.
- qudat 2y ago
  I'm kind of excited by their App idea. They don't have an infotainment, speakers, etc. You can just use your phone + their app + bluetooth speaker.
  - everdrive 2y ago
    It really depends. The model for a smartphone app is that the app is eventually abandoned, leaves behind old platforms, or just drops previously-owned functionality when the business needs to make a few more dollars. If you can do EVERYTHING outside of the app I suppose it's not so bad, but if you rely on the app for basic functionality you're absolutely setting yourself up for failure in the future.
m463 2y ago
This sounds like the feature creep tesla always struggled with. also, no mobile app? that is a feature. The appeal of this vehicle is that it IS like your 1998 ranger, not: mobile app = data collection = monetized vehicle = mobile upgrades = basically all the things that are bad with technology. Honestly, all these "monetized experience" companies forget that (like matt ridley's rational optimist says) with trust, trade is unlimited.
- dzhiurgis 2y ago
  You'd be surprised to learn that you can drive a Tesla without a mobile app.
wyager 2y ago
> I still want an app to manage charging Consumers with preferences like yours are the #2 reason (after new regulations) that modern cars are terrible
nwellinghoff 2y ago
I also Love the direction of this truck. It would be nice if they installed speakers…two door and a small sub and just left a space in the dash for a standard radio of your choice. Or at the very least cut out the spaces and run wire so installing a proper stereo isn’t a nightmare. I don’t need “infotainment” but I do consider a radio with decent sound to enjoy the ride standard equipment.
CommenterPerson 2y ago
The subheading said Digital Detox. Means no App. For apps, get a Muskmobile .. the ones running with high beams on all the time.
guywithahat 2y ago
This truck has 150 miles of range at 100% charge with no weight. I like the idea of the truck, but you won’t be doing “glamping” with it and you probably won’t be using the battery for anything but driving
CalChris 2y ago
> Lack of a mobile app. OVMS was originally developed for the Tesla Roadster and then adapted to the Leaf, ... https://www.openvehicles.com https://www.openvehicles.com
Aurornis 2y ago
This is why it's so hard for companies to introduce stripped-down or small models of anything: People will tell you how much they want it, but as soon as they see it they realize they actually miss something from the models that are already out there. It happens with small phones (iPhone mini) to laptops and cars. There are comments throughout this thread claiming that everyone would be buying small sedans if not for CAFE regulations, but we have plenty of small sedans on the market that aren't selling well. It always comes down to market demand. The big companies have market demand figured out better than many give them credit for, even if it's not exactly the product you want.
- octorian 2y ago
  I'm grateful they don't make truly stripped down models of cars anymore, because those were always what would end up in the rental car inventory. Every time I'd rent a car, it felt like I was taking a step back in time. Now all rental cars actually have some reasonable set of features, without you having to pay for any up-sells.
  - actionfromafar 2y ago
    So the rest of the economy should suffer to subsidize your rental.
  - stevage 2y ago
    You should try renting in New Zealand. It literally is a step back in time, lots of companies mostly rent very old (20 years plus) Japanese models. So cheap though.
myself248 2y ago
Lack of a mobile app is the single BIGGEST reason I just reserved one. This is precisely the truck I've been wanting. (Well, a PHEV would be even better, but I can deal with pure BEV.)
solid_fuel 2y ago
There is an app - see about halfway down this page https://www.slate.auto/en/charging https://www.slate.auto/en/charging
overfeed 2y ago
> I'll be comparing this to the Ford Maverick. This truck might just steal the thunder from an EV Maverick, and Ford can't release that soon enough.
neRok 2y ago
> I occasionally need the hauling capacity [of a] 1998 Ford Ranger Then rent a suitable vehicle for the occasion. - Your example Ford Ranger[1] seems to have towing capacity of 6,000lbs (~2700kg), and a payload capacity of 1,260lbs (~570kg). - Compare that to the worst model Toyota Hilux[2], which has a payload of up to 1240kg, and can tow 2500kg. These can be rented for like $65 AUD per day (~$40 USD). [1] https://www.kbb.com/ford/ranger/1998/specs/ https://www.kbb.com/ford/ranger/1998/specs/ [2] https://www.redbook.com.au/cars/details/2019-toyota-hilux-workmate-manual-4x2/SPOT-ITM-515877 https://www.redbook.com.au/cars/details/2019-toyota-hilux-wo...
morepedantic 2y ago
>Lack of a mobile app. FFS, do you want your dishwasher tethered to the cloud too?
- dzhiurgis 2y ago
  False equivalence, but yes, I do.
  - morepedantic 1y ago
    No, I [correctly] extrapolated with high confidence.
vessenes 2y ago
I will add: power windows. We can hope that’s an upgrade. It’s been a long time since I hand rolled down a window. That said, I preordered two. I love this.
dlcarrier 2y ago
1. Even though they aren't required to have OBDII, every electric vehicle has some kind of management interface, although manufacturers do often lock out users and third-party mechanics. Slate seems to show an interest in allowing third-part modifications and repairs, so I doubt that will be an issue. No matter what they do, I sure hope it doesn't require me to install their software on my phone or computer to access it, although I have no problem with them providing it. 2. Only very early first-gen electric cars, like the Nissan Leaf and Smart Fortwoo, were shipped without effective battery management. There's no reason any manufacturer would do that now, and I doubt any battery supplier would want to work with them, if they tried. 3. The Slate truck will be more capable. It has 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, significantly outperforming the 117 hp and 149 lb-ft of torque in the standard-model 1998 Ranger. How they quantify hauling and towing capacity may have changed since the 90's, but you can rest assured that it is more powerful. 4. Designing an optional bench seat would be easy, but getting approval to sell them would be expensive, due to current safety regulations. This could likely only happen once sales volume is large enough to justify the long approval process for that variation. Number four is likely the only holdup. If the SUV accessories are easy to install, it may still be worth considering, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a long process for their first generation. Most auto manufacturers can't design an easy-to-install hard-top, on their first try.
segezdino 2y ago
[dead]

aaronbrethorst 2y ago

From the FAQ: Beginning in 2026, you’ll be able to find charging stations using the upcoming Slate App. https://www.slate.auto/en/faq https://www.slate.auto/en/faq it doesn't explicitly answer whether the app will satisfy your criteria, but there'll be something.

fishpen0 2y ago

Bench seats are almost certainly not coming back in modern low cost vehicles due to side impact safety regulations. They aren't _illegal_ but its extremely difficult to meet those standards with a bench configuration and ironically probably why a budget pickup is less likely to have them. Cutting those corners by not having a bench at all is an easy way to save money in the design. The hauling and towing is another one. Unfortunately batteries are much heavier than a combustion engine and take away from the total capacity of the vehicle. It's curb weight is 500lbs more than the 1998 Ford Ranger. Same thing, budget vehicle means budget suspension, so its weight lowers the capacity instead of increasing the cost of the suspension.

taylodl 2y ago
I had no idea bench seats had such an impact to side impact safety regulations. Thanks for that insight! It also makes sense that the total capacity of the vehicle would diminish, but at the same time, and engine isn't weightless (though neither is an electric motor). If I had 1,500 pounds capacity, then I should be good to go.
Braxton1980 2y ago
The rear seats of almost all new cars are bench seats though. Is side impact safety requirements the same or apply the whole side of the car? I believe airbag requirements prevent this because the middle seat would require a console mounted airbag where infotainment systems normally live
- hinkley 2y ago
  I suspect GP is misremembering why bench seating went away. Bench seats for the driver can lead to steering errors which can result in crashes.
  - Braxton1980 2y ago
    There are other reasons too. 1. Cars that offered manual options needed a center console. Japanese imports would always have a manual version, even if that version wasn't in the US. Same with European. The only one alternative is a column manual shifter which is horrible to use. You couldn't use a forward floor shifter unless you want to shift between the legs of the person in the middle. There are dash mounted shifters but would probably hit the middle person's knees. Not sure since these are rare and usually European (fiat multipla) /Japanese 2. At a point a US safety requirement was all front passengers needed either an airbag or a automatic shoulder seatbelt, basically it ran along the door with a motor when the door closed. Automatic shoulder belts were cheaper than airbags so manf usually picked that option but don't work with middle seats since they need a door/column for the rails. 3. Minor, but, additional side safety rules increased door thickness. Both sides pushed in more making it uncomfortable. Fine in rear but front, as you mentioned, is a danger to steering. 4. Smaller import cars due to gas crisis in 70s that US companies (eventually) copied that combined with reason (3) made the middle seat basically useless
    - hinkley 2y ago
      > You couldn't use a forward floor shifter unless you want to shift between the legs of the person in the middle. I’ve been in one of those. And I may or may not have been the child stuck sitting there. Mercifully only a couple times, because I was horrified. It felt like a child had the power to get us into an accident. 0/10 would not recommend.
potato3732842 2y ago
> Same thing, budget vehicle means budget suspension, so its weight lowers the capacity instead of increasing the cost of the suspension. Leaf sprung solid axle is great for doing things on a budget. But it's probably impossible to put one in a new vehicle because the hiring pool of the automotive industry is too indoctrinated against that sort of stuff at this point.
hinkley 2y ago
The problem with bench seating is not side impact but accidental steering wheel input during hard cornering. In the typical 10 and 2 hand position having your butt move makes your shoulders move, the shoulders make the hands move, and now you’re understeering. Understeering on a mountain road likely means death, and on other roads a ditch or hitting a phone pole.
- f001 2y ago
  Steering position has been taught as 9 and 3 for a long time now… but still fair point. You can add a bit of alcantara to the seat to help you stay in place though. My RDX has it for the sporty-ish trim and it helps.
  - krupan 2y ago
    It's actually more like 8 and 4 or even 7 and 5 to keep your hands and arms out of the way of the airbag
    - hinkley 2y ago
      And then your problem is oversteering which puts you into oncoming traffic.
  - hinkley 2y ago
    It’s never 9 and 3 in a turn though is it. It’s more like 8 and 1. Or just 1.
- morepedantic 2y ago
  Skill issue. 100k miles on bench seats in full size sedans to full size pickups, including mountain roads, and nary a problem.
  - hinkley 2y ago
    Literally survivor bias.

bryanlarsen 2y ago

> a cheap and easy to replace battery pack. Battery expansion is a user installable option. It might not be as easy to replace the main battery, but the expansion battery will be, and will make it easier to install newer tech down the road, etc.

ryandrake 2y ago

> - Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. Noooooooooo! No apps, please! Finally a car not tethered to and dependent on your phone, and we already have our first request to app-ify it! EDIT: Ughhh, according to the video that another user posted, it looks like there's an app, and yes, "updates" go through it :( > - Lack of good charge management and battery conditioning. Either that, or a cheap and easy to replace battery pack. I'd really like both! Yes to a simple battery system! > - Comparable hauling and towing capacity to the 1998 Ford Ranger. Those numbers aren't exactly impressive, but I do use the truck as a truck, and I occasionally need the hauling capacity (weight). Yes! > - Bucket seats. I need a bench seat so I can take my wife and dog. Think weekend glamping trips. Picture 8 shows a bucket seat. It doesn't look like that would work. Yes, definitely. It being a 2 seater is kind of a deal breaker for families. You really want a bench seat to at least stick a small child between the driver and passenger. Back in the day, we'd stuff 3 kids between two adults, but these days the Safety People would have a heart attack just thinking about that. The article mentions an SUV upgrade kit that will bolt onto the back of the truck. Ugh, OK I guess. Sad that that's the way it will probably have to go. 1: https://youtu.be/cq1qEjwSYkw https://youtu.be/cq1qEjwSYkw

taylodl 2y ago
I'd want the mobile app to be an auxiliary, not a requirement for operating the truck. Keep the dashboard simple.
- ryandrake 2y ago
  I'd be worried that once an app got a foothold into the product, the company would be unable to resist the urge to spread the app's tentacles across the entire vehicle, adding connectivity and telemetry and DRM, integrating it into the other car's systems, adding remote-this and wireless-that, and then inevitably the product would end up just like the turd cars we have today.
  - oslem 2y ago
    100% agree. I would be fine if they had an estimated time-to-fully-charged displayed on the screen. I don’t need to know the status of my vehicle, personally. I would imagine a third party system could be implemented to achieve most of what one would need.

hedgehog 2y ago

The Maverick apparently has poor build quality but I'm hoping Toyota comes up with a pickup using the same small footprint + bare bones + hybrid drivetrain formula.

quantified 2y ago
I read that as comparing it to one of Ford's cheap cars from the 70's. Which would be a low bar to meet.
- hedgehog 2y ago
  I just mean poor vs trucks from Honda or Toyota. I don't know if there's anything from a US brand that has comparable build quality and engineering these days.
sitkack 2y ago
Toyota already has the Toyota Hilux Champ @ 12k USD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hNYwTVPUkQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hNYwTVPUkQ
- Brian_K_White 2y ago
  Holy crap! And it will have a manual option! Love.
  - sitkack 2y ago
    There will be no way this will be sold in the states. You would have to live in some place like Thailand or Costa Rica.
- bryanlarsen 2y ago
  The Japanese companies have been making kei trucks for 70 years. They've never been sold directly in the US and never will.
  - 2y ago

CalRobert 2y ago

Huh, lack of an app is a major plus in my book

lcfcjs6 2y ago
[flagged]

adamhowell 2y ago

> Lack of a mobile app… At the 6 mins and 40 seconds timestamp on this video (https://youtu.be/cq1qEjwSYkw?t=400 https://youtu.be/cq1qEjwSYkw?t=400) he shows the car app that will tell you current range, etc

conradev 2y ago
I'd recommend folks watch the video – it's fascinating. The truck gets OTA updates through your phone and not some LTE modem. It doesn't have one. They moved all car management including OBD-like functionality to the phone, too, which I think is awesome. This is how I want the interior design philosophy of manual controls to be digitized – with digital control. I'd pay $10k more for physical buttons, though.
- ryandrake 2y ago
  Ugh. Yuck. Very disappointing. Was really hoping this thing wasn't going to be phone dependent.
  - cornstalks 2y ago
    There's a difference between phone-dependent and phone-augmented. I don't know the details of the truck, but I think a happy medium would be for an app to exist to augment the truck's abilities and allow at-home updates, but to not require the app or phone to just use the truck (even for long periods; i.e. you could go forever without using the app and the truck will just keep working in its current state).
- instaclay 2y ago
  Oh sweet. Delicious. Very reassuring. Was really hoping this thing was going to be device agnostic. My 2015 car had 3g "smart" features that no longer work since 3g has been sunset in the US. Awesome to see forward thinking of a smart feature-set that can be updated with a module you'll likley already have an upgrade path for.
- Brian_K_White 2y ago

toast0 2y ago

> - Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. I get that cars have these, but my PHEV (which I don't often charge) lost its app when Ford pulled the plug as 3G was sunsetting and I don't think I'm missing anything. If there's anything wrong with the car, it can show the check engine light (or whatever it's called when there's no engine). > - Lack of good charge management and battery conditioning. Seems like a little early to declare this on a vaporware product? I don't think you need a screen or an app to have reasonable battery conditioning? Anyway, I would love small trucks to return. I had a 2007 Ranger and I have a 2003 S-10, and there's nothing in the US new vehicle market that fits the small truck niche anymore. CAFE standards can't be met with a small footprint truck, so we only get large footprint trucks. But EV trucks don't have efficiency standards, so maybe we'll see the niche again. (I think you could maybe hit the CAFE standards with a single cab ranger and a hybrid drive train, but I also think automakers prefer to sell luxury trucks rather than base model trucks)

Nux 2y ago

Hopefully it comes with an OBD socket you can connect to as with all other cars. That should provide basic diagnostics/stats. No need for "apps".

exhilaration 2y ago
It's actually not required for EVs - Tesla has started to drop it from recent models. I bet these guys would omit it as well to save money.
- potato3732842 2y ago
  Or use it because using an existing standard makes everything that needs to interface with it cheaper/easier.

Reubachi 2y ago

Your passion is something that market researches for this company should salivate over, especiall from a curated forum like HN. Unforuntatley, this company and this project are VC expenditure "throw away projects", made to fail. No motor vehicle satisfying NHTSA can be made in america for below 20k cost of materiels, nevermind msrp. This article and the company are pitching that this is "realistic" due to cutting costs of paint, radios. Which...are pennies on the dollar compared to what satifys US road requiremnents for EV; safety, suspension, manufacturer support, parts availability, reparability. Are they skimping there too? will this 2025 electric vehicle have LEAF springs? 20k is the pre-production estimates. When in history has that not balloned especially for car platforms made in USA? What will a made in USA replacement lead acid accessory battery cost? 3k? Once this goes over 40k (which, is guaranteed. A mazda miata which is as bare bones as it gets, old technology, is still 32k base, and thats made in a cheaper labor market.), the funding will back off, and all the R and D money wasted.

neogodless 2y ago
Please research these vehicles: https://www.chevrolet.com/suvs/trax?evar25=Vanity_Trax_20170413 https://www.chevrolet.com/suvs/trax?evar25=Vanity_Trax_20170... https://www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/crossovers-suvs/kicks.html https://www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/crossovers-suvs/kicks.htm...

jws 2y ago

Bucket seats. I need a bench seat so I can take my wife and dog. Ah, there's the problem. You have violated Pauli's "spouse/dog size exclusion principle". You need to either have a dog that can sleep curled up on the spouse's lap during the trip, or a dog big enough that the spouse can sleep curled up on the dog. Bench seats also aren't a panacea, I still feel the burn of my dog's stink eye when then girlfriend was prompted to center of bench seat and dog on the side.

eweise 2y ago

Same. Only thing missing for me is is a gas engine and manual stick shifter.

pglevy 2y ago
Same. Though this looks like the first EV I might actually consider.
- Brian_K_White 2y ago
  Same, though the company trying to reuse the International Scout name got my attention. Physical controls and an on board gas generator.
  - alabastervlog 2y ago
    I grew up with an (already old, and by the time we got rid of it years later, hilariously rusted-out and with tires containing more fix-a-flat than air) Scout and their announcement ad for the electric one hit a bullseye with me. I don't really do new cars (too expensive) but damn... if I had enough cash to not give a fuck, they'd have been well on their way to selling me one just with that ad. Really well done.

darknavi 2y ago

> Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. Would be nice if they had a protocol locally for a 3rd party to step in an offer their own offerings here.

babyent 2y ago

They could offer an API kit or sdk so people could make open source apps for it.

iugtmkbdfil834 2y ago

I think you are way off on the target demographics. The idea is to have a car that is minimalist in nature, which does mean: - no app - no bells - no whistles Slate.. I will add one more thing. If you will make it spy on me like all the other new cars now, its a nogo either. I might as well just get an old car from 90s... which amusingly will still work for what I need it to do ( move some stuff around ).

jillyboel 2y ago

> - Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. Wait, you actually want your car to upload all your data to someone else's cloud for them to sell?

DADADADA12341 2y ago

> - Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. God, please, no. Why on Gods green earth would I want that? Stop doing this to stuff. It is an abomination. I am sure many others echoed this point but holy crap. No. I am all for technology. But I do not want some tracker in my car. Apps are anathema to my freedom.

everdrive 2y ago

Please no apps. Please no smart phone garbage.

qudat 2y ago
I'm kind of excited by their App idea. They don't have an infotainment, speakers, etc. You can just use your phone + their app + bluetooth speaker.
- everdrive 2y ago
  It really depends. The model for a smartphone app is that the app is eventually abandoned, leaves behind old platforms, or just drops previously-owned functionality when the business needs to make a few more dollars. If you can do EVERYTHING outside of the app I suppose it's not so bad, but if you rely on the app for basic functionality you're absolutely setting yourself up for failure in the future.

m463 2y ago

This sounds like the feature creep tesla always struggled with. also, no mobile app? that is a feature. The appeal of this vehicle is that it IS like your 1998 ranger, not: mobile app = data collection = monetized vehicle = mobile upgrades = basically all the things that are bad with technology. Honestly, all these "monetized experience" companies forget that (like matt ridley's rational optimist says) with trust, trade is unlimited.

dzhiurgis 2y ago
You'd be surprised to learn that you can drive a Tesla without a mobile app.

wyager 2y ago

> I still want an app to manage charging Consumers with preferences like yours are the #2 reason (after new regulations) that modern cars are terrible

nwellinghoff 2y ago

I also Love the direction of this truck. It would be nice if they installed speakers…two door and a small sub and just left a space in the dash for a standard radio of your choice. Or at the very least cut out the spaces and run wire so installing a proper stereo isn’t a nightmare. I don’t need “infotainment” but I do consider a radio with decent sound to enjoy the ride standard equipment.

CommenterPerson 2y ago

The subheading said Digital Detox. Means no App. For apps, get a Muskmobile .. the ones running with high beams on all the time.

guywithahat 2y ago

This truck has 150 miles of range at 100% charge with no weight. I like the idea of the truck, but you won’t be doing “glamping” with it and you probably won’t be using the battery for anything but driving

CalChris 2y ago

> Lack of a mobile app. OVMS was originally developed for the Tesla Roadster and then adapted to the Leaf, ... https://www.openvehicles.com https://www.openvehicles.com

Aurornis 2y ago

This is why it's so hard for companies to introduce stripped-down or small models of anything: People will tell you how much they want it, but as soon as they see it they realize they actually miss something from the models that are already out there. It happens with small phones (iPhone mini) to laptops and cars. There are comments throughout this thread claiming that everyone would be buying small sedans if not for CAFE regulations, but we have plenty of small sedans on the market that aren't selling well. It always comes down to market demand. The big companies have market demand figured out better than many give them credit for, even if it's not exactly the product you want.

octorian 2y ago
I'm grateful they don't make truly stripped down models of cars anymore, because those were always what would end up in the rental car inventory. Every time I'd rent a car, it felt like I was taking a step back in time. Now all rental cars actually have some reasonable set of features, without you having to pay for any up-sells.
- actionfromafar 2y ago
  So the rest of the economy should suffer to subsidize your rental.
- stevage 2y ago
  You should try renting in New Zealand. It literally is a step back in time, lots of companies mostly rent very old (20 years plus) Japanese models. So cheap though.

myself248 2y ago

Lack of a mobile app is the single BIGGEST reason I just reserved one. This is precisely the truck I've been wanting. (Well, a PHEV would be even better, but I can deal with pure BEV.)

solid_fuel 2y ago

There is an app - see about halfway down this page https://www.slate.auto/en/charging https://www.slate.auto/en/charging

overfeed 2y ago

> I'll be comparing this to the Ford Maverick. This truck might just steal the thunder from an EV Maverick, and Ford can't release that soon enough.

neRok 2y ago

> I occasionally need the hauling capacity [of a] 1998 Ford Ranger Then rent a suitable vehicle for the occasion. - Your example Ford Ranger[1] seems to have towing capacity of 6,000lbs (~2700kg), and a payload capacity of 1,260lbs (~570kg). - Compare that to the worst model Toyota Hilux[2], which has a payload of up to 1240kg, and can tow 2500kg. These can be rented for like $65 AUD per day (~$40 USD). [1] https://www.kbb.com/ford/ranger/1998/specs/ https://www.kbb.com/ford/ranger/1998/specs/ [2] https://www.redbook.com.au/cars/details/2019-toyota-hilux-workmate-manual-4x2/SPOT-ITM-515877 https://www.redbook.com.au/cars/details/2019-toyota-hilux-wo...

morepedantic 2y ago

>Lack of a mobile app. FFS, do you want your dishwasher tethered to the cloud too?

dzhiurgis 2y ago
False equivalence, but yes, I do.
- morepedantic 1y ago
  No, I [correctly] extrapolated with high confidence.

vessenes 2y ago

I will add: power windows. We can hope that’s an upgrade. It’s been a long time since I hand rolled down a window. That said, I preordered two. I love this.

dlcarrier 2y ago

1. Even though they aren't required to have OBDII, every electric vehicle has some kind of management interface, although manufacturers do often lock out users and third-party mechanics. Slate seems to show an interest in allowing third-part modifications and repairs, so I doubt that will be an issue. No matter what they do, I sure hope it doesn't require me to install their software on my phone or computer to access it, although I have no problem with them providing it. 2. Only very early first-gen electric cars, like the Nissan Leaf and Smart Fortwoo, were shipped without effective battery management. There's no reason any manufacturer would do that now, and I doubt any battery supplier would want to work with them, if they tried. 3. The Slate truck will be more capable. It has 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, significantly outperforming the 117 hp and 149 lb-ft of torque in the standard-model 1998 Ranger. How they quantify hauling and towing capacity may have changed since the 90's, but you can rest assured that it is more powerful. 4. Designing an optional bench seat would be easy, but getting approval to sell them would be expensive, due to current safety regulations. This could likely only happen once sales volume is large enough to justify the long approval process for that variation. Number four is likely the only holdup. If the SUV accessories are easy to install, it may still be worth considering, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a long process for their first generation. Most auto manufacturers can't design an easy-to-install hard-top, on their first try.

segezdino 2y ago

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