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Slate seems closer to shipping a ~$30k electric pickup: https://www.slate.auto https://www.slate.auto

by jf 4mo ago

Markoff 4mo ago
I will believe when I see it, until then it's just vaporware, let's see the price if they ship at all by the end of 2026/beginning 2027 maybe.
- kotaKat 4mo ago
  We'll know the price in two more weeks. I'm yolo'ing it and I can't wait for my little orange-wrapped pickup. So far their manufacturing and progress videos are quite impressive. The fact there's 25-50+ basically production-ready prototypes if not more now driving around their factory and doing testing compared to most of the other vaporware companies out there has me holding out strong. (How many Elios are out there doing testing? How many TELOs? Oof.)
  - Markoff 4mo ago
    producing 25-50 prototypes and launching mass production are two very different things edit: just for the record I am their fan and wishing them well, but I am too old for fairy tales unless the product is in market
    - kotaKat 4mo ago
      I meaaaaan... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF_qGEzm0JA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF_qGEzm0JA - definitely a lot further than either of those ;)
- Grombobulous 4mo ago
  I think Slate can get it shipped, that won’t be the issue. The issue is that Slate has completely underestimated customer preference for four door vehicles. Two door vehicle variants have absolutely died off in the market and I’d say with good reason. Find a two door Jeep Wrangler. You’ll find 20-30 four door jeeps before you find a two door. Can you even imagine in 2026 the idea of an Accord Coupe, a Camry Solara, Volkswagen Eos/Cabriolet, Ford Explorer/Bronco 2-door, Civic Coupe, Ford ZX2, Chevy Cavalier 2-door, the list just goes on and on. Back in the day chopping off two doors was a semi-legitimate way to get a barebones base model or I guess look cooler or something. Honestly, I don’t understand how the practicality trade-off ever made sense. Maybe in the days before heavily automated assembly lines, two door vehicles were legitimately cheaper to make?
  - toast0 4mo ago
    > Two door vehicle variants have absolutely died off in the market and I’d say with good reason. People looking for a four door will walk away from a two door, and people looking for a two door will grudgingly accept it? Because either you get a small four door truck, or you pay for a f-150 cause you can still get that with two doors... but not if you want any of the neat features... no electric single cable f-150, no single cab f-150 with the generator output. (at least when I last looked) But if part of the pitch for the Slate is it shouldn't be very long, you can't put four doors and have any bed left. Unless you go cabover, but I don't know how many people would consider a cabover these days... VW and Toyota vans were cabover through the 80s, but I don't know how you pass safety tests when the drivers knees are the crumple zone.
    - Grombobulous 4mo ago
      I think the truth of the matter is that the middle class no longer buys second cars or cars meant to perform one specific utility. Whatever car you buy has to fit all your needs. The other thing is that a four door truck has both interior and exterior cargo space. If you have a two door truck you don’t have a place to put significant cargo in a place with locking doors. If you have a four door Ford Maverick you can lift the rear seats and stick a lot of luggage back there in the locked area rather than in the bed. Essentially, you buy a Maverick and you get all the benefits of two types of vehicles. I can buy a Slate with 2 doors and the price is under $30k which is awesome. But if I buy an F-150 for $40-45k it has 6 seats (front bench option) and it can be my primary family vehicle that replaces a minivan. It can also tow a trailer with significant weight or hold 1,000 pounds of gravel in the bed since it’s a body on frame half ton truck. The reason the Ford Maverick doesn’t offer a two door is exactly the same: the primary buyer is using it for all the things you’d use a 4 door SUV or sedan for. I don’t think the buyer of the Slate exists in significant quantities. Even work trucks seem to be purchased in 4 door variants often so you can fit a crew of workers inside. That’s what they’re called a “crew cab.” In most places if I need a long bed I can just get a longer vehicle. I have a family member with an F-250 that has the extended cab and the 8 foot bed. Yeah, it’s a huge truck. But they don’t live in New York City or Chicago, and the length of their vehicle is never a problem. But what is a problem is if they can’t fit drywall in the bed, they can’t lock up their gear in the back seat, and they can’t carry four people in the vehicle. If the market for the Slate existed there would be 2-door variants of the Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger, and Ford Maverick already on the market.

Slate seems closer to shipping a ~$30k electric pickup: https://www.slate.auto https://www.slate.auto

by jf 4mo ago

Slate seems closer to shipping a ~$30k electric pickup: https://www.slate.auto https://www.slate.auto

I will believe when I see it, until then it's just vaporware, let's see the price if they ship at all by the end of 2026/beginning 2027 maybe.

kotaKat 4mo ago
We'll know the price in two more weeks. I'm yolo'ing it and I can't wait for my little orange-wrapped pickup. So far their manufacturing and progress videos are quite impressive. The fact there's 25-50+ basically production-ready prototypes if not more now driving around their factory and doing testing compared to most of the other vaporware companies out there has me holding out strong. (How many Elios are out there doing testing? How many TELOs? Oof.)
- Markoff 4mo ago
  producing 25-50 prototypes and launching mass production are two very different things edit: just for the record I am their fan and wishing them well, but I am too old for fairy tales unless the product is in market
  - kotaKat 4mo ago
    I meaaaaan... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF_qGEzm0JA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF_qGEzm0JA - definitely a lot further than either of those ;)
Grombobulous 4mo ago
I think Slate can get it shipped, that won’t be the issue. The issue is that Slate has completely underestimated customer preference for four door vehicles. Two door vehicle variants have absolutely died off in the market and I’d say with good reason. Find a two door Jeep Wrangler. You’ll find 20-30 four door jeeps before you find a two door. Can you even imagine in 2026 the idea of an Accord Coupe, a Camry Solara, Volkswagen Eos/Cabriolet, Ford Explorer/Bronco 2-door, Civic Coupe, Ford ZX2, Chevy Cavalier 2-door, the list just goes on and on. Back in the day chopping off two doors was a semi-legitimate way to get a barebones base model or I guess look cooler or something. Honestly, I don’t understand how the practicality trade-off ever made sense. Maybe in the days before heavily automated assembly lines, two door vehicles were legitimately cheaper to make?
- toast0 4mo ago
  > Two door vehicle variants have absolutely died off in the market and I’d say with good reason. People looking for a four door will walk away from a two door, and people looking for a two door will grudgingly accept it? Because either you get a small four door truck, or you pay for a f-150 cause you can still get that with two doors... but not if you want any of the neat features... no electric single cable f-150, no single cab f-150 with the generator output. (at least when I last looked) But if part of the pitch for the Slate is it shouldn't be very long, you can't put four doors and have any bed left. Unless you go cabover, but I don't know how many people would consider a cabover these days... VW and Toyota vans were cabover through the 80s, but I don't know how you pass safety tests when the drivers knees are the crumple zone.
  - Grombobulous 4mo ago
    I think the truth of the matter is that the middle class no longer buys second cars or cars meant to perform one specific utility. Whatever car you buy has to fit all your needs. The other thing is that a four door truck has both interior and exterior cargo space. If you have a two door truck you don’t have a place to put significant cargo in a place with locking doors. If you have a four door Ford Maverick you can lift the rear seats and stick a lot of luggage back there in the locked area rather than in the bed. Essentially, you buy a Maverick and you get all the benefits of two types of vehicles. I can buy a Slate with 2 doors and the price is under $30k which is awesome. But if I buy an F-150 for $40-45k it has 6 seats (front bench option) and it can be my primary family vehicle that replaces a minivan. It can also tow a trailer with significant weight or hold 1,000 pounds of gravel in the bed since it’s a body on frame half ton truck. The reason the Ford Maverick doesn’t offer a two door is exactly the same: the primary buyer is using it for all the things you’d use a 4 door SUV or sedan for. I don’t think the buyer of the Slate exists in significant quantities. Even work trucks seem to be purchased in 4 door variants often so you can fit a crew of workers inside. That’s what they’re called a “crew cab.” In most places if I need a long bed I can just get a longer vehicle. I have a family member with an F-250 that has the extended cab and the 8 foot bed. Yeah, it’s a huge truck. But they don’t live in New York City or Chicago, and the length of their vehicle is never a problem. But what is a problem is if they can’t fit drywall in the bed, they can’t lock up their gear in the back seat, and they can’t carry four people in the vehicle. If the market for the Slate existed there would be 2-door variants of the Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger, and Ford Maverick already on the market.