New basic EV truck

[2manyrocks]

Datsun's 1980 pickup had a squarish body as did the International Scouts. The Slate body from the side view reminds me of the IH Scout body style.

 

[5030]

I recently purchased one of the last three F350 supercab, long box Lariat's in western Canada with a diesel engine. I found it in a panic after finding that in 2025 a supercab with a long box is only available in XL or XLT trim and a Lariat no longer comes with a leather interior. I will not be purchasing another new truck.

Not fond of leather. My wife's Burb has leather seats and glad they are heated and cooled. In the winter they are miserable to sit on until they warm up. Only thing she didn't get was a heated steering wheel and she's not happy about that actually. I don't drive the Burb at all, she does and hauls me around most times.

 

[5030]

I'm really hoping that the low cost, super basic and simple vehicle becomes a real thing. Toyota has gotten a lot of press over their gasoline version that they are working on. This sounds even better to me if it's reliable.

It would surprise me if all of the auto manufacturers where not working on something similar!!!!!

They should be if they want to stay in business. New vehicles today are extremely overpriced and the only way the average Joe can afford one is to long term finance one which is, in my opinion not good, but then, I'm not into finance unless it's farm related so I can write it off.

 

[5030]

The more I look at it, the more it reminds me of a mini Rivan....lol

 

[5030]

I may reserve one as well but I'd like it with the optional full hardtop and backseat. I already have both 22 and 440 in the shop so charging it would be super easy and most of my trips are under 60 miles anyway. Least it's not as fugly as my cousin's Cyber truck.

 

[RSKY]

The more I consider it the more I like it. Today I'm driving a 35-mile round trip to a Chiropractor's office. The Slate truck would be perfect for that. Then I have to make a round trip to a Clinic in Memphis Tennessee that is 350-miles, the Honda Pilot is perfect for that trip. All the electronics and safety equipment make that trip nearly effortless. Tomorrow I need a load of mulch for some landscaping, F150 for that. And to move some things around between my house and my youngest daughter's. That would use the Slate again. Wednesday I will need to use the F150 to pull a large trailer load of mulch to the oldest daughter's house after first delivering the tractor 30 miles. F150 again.

The Slate would be perfect for those hop in and run around on short trips that are at least half my driving. Any trip that was just my wife and me and less than 50 miles would end up being driven in it.

At 71 years of age I am looking at buying my last new truck and trading the 2014 F150 for it. With the Slate Truck I could have a third cheap to operate vehicle for the short trips while keeping the reliable 2014 for the heavy loads.

And yes I drive a Honda Pilot. From the lists I have seen the Honda Pilot/Passport are the second 'most U.S, made vehicle' after Teslas.

RSKY

 

[NorTracNY]

This reminds me of the low cost Elio from years ago, but the truck version. Elio was going to be a $7000 enclosed, two seater, three wheeled vehicle. Airbags were about the only thing in the base model. Everything was going to be ala-cart.

I think MANY Americans would love to have that "extra" vehicle to be a low cost, safe form of transportation. Other than Bezo's being behind this, I don't see it happening. As many have pointed out, if this comes to be, I doubt the base model (lowest profit) will ever exist.

For the State, I find it interesting that they are doing RWD. That would be a negative for me in the snow. They also say the windows would be manual. For the Elio, they said the windows were going to be electric because that was cheaper than manual. It's also interesting that the article talked about the info center of many new vehicles is the biggest warrantee claim issues.

 

[Oaktree]

At 71 years of age I am looking at buying my last new truck and trading the 2014 F150 for it. With the Slate Truck I could have a third cheap to operate vehicle for the short trips while keeping the reliable 2014 for the heavy loads.

I wouldn't be in any hurry to be the first on my block to get one. ANY new model, regardless of manufacturer is going to have bugs that need to be worked out in the first couple years...things that didn't show up in prototypes and/or testing. The fact that it's a new company makes that even more so. And if it's a flop, you don't want to get stuck with an orphan for which no parts are available.

I hear ya though on the "last truck". I'm a couple years older, and am hoping my 2 current vehicles (both 2019s) last me the rest of my life.

 

[EddieWalker]

I watched a video on YouTube that showed how much room was under the hood for lockable storage. I like the idea of a truck with a trunk. It also said that the bed was 4ft x 5ft. It's really not much smaller then what everyone has with a four door half ton truck. With the tailgate down, it should be able to haul 4x8 sheets of plywood or sheetrock without any issues.

I wont buy first year, but if it comes out and it's trouble free, I would consider buying the second year model. or see what the competition has out, because if it happens, everyone is going to do the same thing!!

 

[2manyrocks]

I looked at their website, but it was so full of marketing that I never got to the page to select options much less reserve one.

 

[ning]

Having suitable anchor points on a composite is what I am wondering…

As part of the SUV conversion for rear passengers, they include a roll bar (since the pickup doesn't provide rollover protection in the back.
If the chassis provides solid mounting locations for a roll bar, I'd imagine it's solid enough to allow you to bolt a mere rack to it.

 

[ruffdog]

I watched a video on YouTube that showed how much room was under the hood for lockable storage. I like the idea of a truck with a trunk. It also said that the bed was 4ft x 5ft. It's really not much smaller then what everyone has with a four door half ton truck. With the tailgate down, it should be able to haul 4x8 sheets of plywood or sheetrock without any issues.

It looks like the frunk has enough room for our groceries under the hood. That would be handy to unload in the garage too.

 

[ruffdog]

As part of the SUV conversion for rear passengers, they include a roll bar (since the pickup doesn't provide rollover protection in the back.
If the chassis provides solid mounting locations for a roll bar, I'd imagine it's solid enough to allow you to bolt a mere rack to it.

That substantial roll bar also encompasses the side curtain airbags (and shoulder seat belts) that are mandated for rear passengers. It needs to be sturdy for that purpose. I'm sure the 2nd row seating package will cost a pretty penny as it must pass all mandates.

 

[ning]

That substantial roll bar also encompasses the side airbags that are mandated for rear passengers. It needs to be sturdy for that purpose. I'm sure the 2nd row seating package will cost a pretty penny as it must pass all mandates.

I'm sure there will be plenty of sketchy home-grown SUV conversions bolted on with no safety aspects...
(then again, many RVs aren't subject to rollover testing and people are carried in them all the time)

 

[Catalyst]

I feel like they went a bit to 10. No radio, no creature comforts. Why can't we just go back to 80's/90's cars that were reliable and cheap. In a 20k car, they can't squeeze in a basic AM/FM radio. Some areas have emergency msgs that you need to tune to. All for lowering costs, but this feels a little silly.

 

[ruffdog]

I feel like they went a bit to 10. No radio, no creature comforts. Why can't we just go back to 80's/90's cars that were reliable and cheap. In a 20k car, they can't squeeze in a basic AM/FM radio. Some areas have emergency msgs that you need to tune to. All for lowering costs, but this feels a little silly.

Many people use their smart phones to get their music etc. You can get the optional speakers that are made to sync to the phone through Bluetooth and an APP. There is a handy phone holder that allows the driver to see the screen while the Slate/phone is synced up.

 

[Catalyst]

Many people use their smart phones to get their music etc. You can get the optional speakers that are made to sync to the phone through Bluetooth and an APP. There is a handy phone holder that allows the driver to see the screen while the Slate/phone is synced up.

I own some of those and they work well. However, I don't think that usage in a vehicle is any better than wearing headphones, because in the event of an accident, external speakers essentially become projectiles. I am sure you'll see some aftermarket mounting options like for side by sides, but I just think it was a major oversight to go all the way to 10 and skip the radio and power windows - and I grew up with hand crank windows and even opted for them on one of my work trucks.

 

[ruffdog]

I own some of those and they work well. However, I don't think that usage in a vehicle is any better than wearing headphones, because in the event of an accident, external speakers essentially become projectiles. I am sure you'll see some aftermarket mounting options like for side by sides, but I just think it was a major oversight to go all the way to 10 and skip the radio and power windows - and I grew up with hand crank windows and even opted for them on one of my work trucks.

Did you see the speakers that mount in the dash (or elsewhere?) that are shown in the video? Edit

About 6:15 in the video.

 

[Catalyst]

Did you see the speakers that mount in the dash that are listed under options for the Slate?

Nope - I was just going off the original article. I wonder if there will be a radio option then, or if you'll be stuck to bluetooth.

 

[EddieWalker]

I like that it doesn't come with anything. I can buy a $20 radio for if I want or spend a lot more for better quality. The fact that they have designed it to be DIY makes me think that adding things like a radio will be pretty easy. But I also like the idea of using my phone for the radio. I've never done that before, and I'm guessing there is an app for that. We regularly listen to Pandora on one of our phones and a Bluetooth speaker that's not very big but sounds great. Probably the only thing that I think I really want added to it is electric windows. Being able to roll down the passenger side window while driving to get a fly to leave is a must have!!!!