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Slate have done this and it's really quite compelling. You even get window winders. https://www.slate.auto/en/personalization https://www.slate.auto/en/persona

Slate have done this and it's really quite compelling. You even get window winders. https://www.slate.auto/en/personalization https://www.slate.auto/en/personalization

archon 1y ago
"Have done this" implies Slate has delivered even one vehicle. They have not. I hope Slate succeeds, but let's not get caught up in the preorder hype.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- almostgotcaught 1y ago
  This is the same way that hn proclaims every single arxiv paper as revolutionary. I really wonder sometimes who is this gullible on the internet (kids? bots? I influencers?)
- DidYaWipe 1y ago
  Yeah. Alpha "Motor" has been breathlessly hyping renders for years now, while declaring that their nonexistent vehicles have won all kinds of awards. Oh, and every year there's "only three days left to invest!"
- owenversteeg 1y ago
  I don't even think they've built a single prototype. I'd be happy to be corrected but last time I checked, none of the "prototype" shells they showed off had a powertrain.
saurik 1y ago
I mean, they did something, for sure, but they sure as hell didn't do "this" ;P. What they are doing is more in the line of not providing even hardware, much less software, which is an entirely different paradigm... like, they don't even provide speakers?!...
Tagbert 1y ago
The window winders I can do without. Not sure that even saves a noticeable amount of money at this point with electric windows such as commodity.
- Tsiklon 1y ago
  All depends on how they market it. Wind down windows to me today is an aesthetic statement - “we are selling a cheap, no frills vehicle - look see! Even wind down windows” Such positioning could be what the intended customer base react well to.
  - PaulDavisThe1st 1y ago
    Add handles like winders, but make them only have 5 degrees of travel up and down, so that they operate like the regular buttons :)
  - XorNot 1y ago
    Which turns it into more uselessness for marketing rather then practicality. For example, mechanical window winders would need a whole extra disengagement or locking mechanism for child proofing.
    - bjelkeman-again 1y ago
      But that car isn’t intended for customers transporting kids. Two seats.
      - hedora 1y ago
        My biggest concern is lack of a stereo. Did they include speaker cutouts and wires, or are you looking at a $1000 labor bill, minimum? I’d much rather they included a $200 system, since ~ 100% of their customers will want to be able to have speakers in the doors and a mic in the dash (at the very least).
        1y ago
giantg2 1y ago
It'd be great if they make an engine swap package for existing trucks with optional battery sizes.
moduspol 1y ago
I was quite interested in this until I realized: * Bed size is just five feet * Towing capacity is just 1000 lbs * Not AWD None of these can be retrofitted after the sale. Where I live, it'd struggle to be called a "truck" with these limitations.
- majormajor 1y ago
  Meh. Base Maverick is a <5' bed, no AWD, and towing of 2000lb but I haven't seen one doing any towing in the wild. But the owners seem to love them. Not everyone wants to spend 40-80k on a bloated luxury-truck-ized F150 when they only need to carry something oversized maybe once a year.
  - bluGill 1y ago
    the f150 ev doesn't have a long bed. for those of us who haul stuff no truck works (until we step to the f250 or bigger)
  - moduspol 1y ago
    I think the market for base Mavericks is pretty small. At that point it's really not providing much value over an SUV with rear seats that fold down. I agree not everyone wants to spend 40-80k, but that doesn't mean they want to spend $20k for a small no-frills EV in the shape of a truck with not many other similarities. I like the "starts out cheap, then upgrade it later" premise of Slate, and I like that it's electric, but it'll only really be a toy with the limitations I specified.
    - majormajor 1y ago
      AWD is only standard on the fanciest Maverick trim and not an option picked by the couple of folks I know with them. But that + the bed length doesn't seem to be stopping them from loving their trucks. Tacos also start at 5' IIRC. But if you have even just those once-a-year "need a truck bed" needs the gap between "SUV with fold down seats" and "actual truck" is pretty substantial. I think the set of truck buyers with either: * just occasional needs for a bed, without a need to put sheet goods flat or such (if you have that just get a minivan these days ;) ) * a fashion-driven desire compared to a van or SUV vs a practical-driven one is substantial compared to the set of "needs a professional-grade truck" buyers. The set of professional-grade buyers hasn't changed much in thirty or forty years, but the former two sets have exploded.

Slate have done this and it's really quite compelling. You even get window winders. https://www.slate.auto/en/personalization https://www.slate.auto/en/personalization

archon 1y ago

"Have done this" implies Slate has delivered even one vehicle. They have not. I hope Slate succeeds, but let's not get caught up in the preorder hype.

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
almostgotcaught 1y ago
This is the same way that hn proclaims every single arxiv paper as revolutionary. I really wonder sometimes who is this gullible on the internet (kids? bots? I influencers?)
DidYaWipe 1y ago
Yeah. Alpha "Motor" has been breathlessly hyping renders for years now, while declaring that their nonexistent vehicles have won all kinds of awards. Oh, and every year there's "only three days left to invest!"
owenversteeg 1y ago
I don't even think they've built a single prototype. I'd be happy to be corrected but last time I checked, none of the "prototype" shells they showed off had a powertrain.

saurik 1y ago

I mean, they did something, for sure, but they sure as hell didn't do "this" ;P. What they are doing is more in the line of not providing even hardware, much less software, which is an entirely different paradigm... like, they don't even provide speakers?!...

Tagbert 1y ago

The window winders I can do without. Not sure that even saves a noticeable amount of money at this point with electric windows such as commodity.

Tsiklon 1y ago
All depends on how they market it. Wind down windows to me today is an aesthetic statement - “we are selling a cheap, no frills vehicle - look see! Even wind down windows” Such positioning could be what the intended customer base react well to.
- PaulDavisThe1st 1y ago
  Add handles like winders, but make them only have 5 degrees of travel up and down, so that they operate like the regular buttons :)
- XorNot 1y ago
  Which turns it into more uselessness for marketing rather then practicality. For example, mechanical window winders would need a whole extra disengagement or locking mechanism for child proofing.
  - bjelkeman-again 1y ago
    But that car isn’t intended for customers transporting kids. Two seats.
    - hedora 1y ago
      My biggest concern is lack of a stereo. Did they include speaker cutouts and wires, or are you looking at a $1000 labor bill, minimum? I’d much rather they included a $200 system, since ~ 100% of their customers will want to be able to have speakers in the doors and a mic in the dash (at the very least).
      - 1y ago

giantg2 1y ago

It'd be great if they make an engine swap package for existing trucks with optional battery sizes.

moduspol 1y ago

I was quite interested in this until I realized: * Bed size is just five feet * Towing capacity is just 1000 lbs * Not AWD None of these can be retrofitted after the sale. Where I live, it'd struggle to be called a "truck" with these limitations.

majormajor 1y ago
Meh. Base Maverick is a <5' bed, no AWD, and towing of 2000lb but I haven't seen one doing any towing in the wild. But the owners seem to love them. Not everyone wants to spend 40-80k on a bloated luxury-truck-ized F150 when they only need to carry something oversized maybe once a year.
- bluGill 1y ago
  the f150 ev doesn't have a long bed. for those of us who haul stuff no truck works (until we step to the f250 or bigger)
- moduspol 1y ago
  I think the market for base Mavericks is pretty small. At that point it's really not providing much value over an SUV with rear seats that fold down. I agree not everyone wants to spend 40-80k, but that doesn't mean they want to spend $20k for a small no-frills EV in the shape of a truck with not many other similarities. I like the "starts out cheap, then upgrade it later" premise of Slate, and I like that it's electric, but it'll only really be a toy with the limitations I specified.
  - majormajor 1y ago
    AWD is only standard on the fanciest Maverick trim and not an option picked by the couple of folks I know with them. But that + the bed length doesn't seem to be stopping them from loving their trucks. Tacos also start at 5' IIRC. But if you have even just those once-a-year "need a truck bed" needs the gap between "SUV with fold down seats" and "actual truck" is pretty substantial. I think the set of truck buyers with either: * just occasional needs for a bed, without a need to put sheet goods flat or such (if you have that just get a minivan these days ;) ) * a fashion-driven desire compared to a van or SUV vs a practical-driven one is substantial compared to the set of "needs a professional-grade truck" buyers. The set of professional-grade buyers hasn't changed much in thirty or forty years, but the former two sets have exploded.