OP
jyoutz
Super Star Member
Mine was even more basic with a 300 cubic inch inline 6 engine and three on the tree. I eventually replaced that transmission with a floor shift four speed, with granny gear.
JJT
Veteran Member
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- Kubota L3710 HST and a Kubota ZD21 60Pro
I learned how to drive on a 1973 F100, three on the tree and a straight 6, (240 cubic inch), under the hood. No options at all, no power brakes, steering, radio or AC. It was a bare bones farm truck.
ning
Elite Member
Damn, I like it.
Still, I have to point out - "You did this all in an hour"
also, I presume that the show truck's seats are just bolted to the floor, because this guy:
definitely doesn't fit
5030
Rest in Peace
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According to their website they will 'establish service centers nationwide' That of course remains to be seen and they are not going to sell them retail and ANY 'dealership', you can only order them direct.
The way I take that is there won't be a 'Slate' brick and mortar dealership anywhere.
In a way that disturbs me in as much as if a brick and mortar dealer that sells say Toyota's, takes them on as a service center, is that dealer going to be expeditious about servicing issues or will they put the Slate service behind their Toyota's, like many tractor dealers do today. Tractor dealers most all put their 'bought here' customers first and everyone else goes to the back of the line.
Think about that. If you have an issue, does it get addressed promptly or do you wait for who knows how long?
I'm sure, being a new vehicle, especially a pure EV, there will be some 'teething issues'.
Plus, what about insurance. Will your present carrier insure it and at what rate?
Neat vehicle but one needs to weigh all the 'baked in' issues as well.
The way I take that is there won't be a 'Slate' brick and mortar dealership anywhere.
In a way that disturbs me in as much as if a brick and mortar dealer that sells say Toyota's, takes them on as a service center, is that dealer going to be expeditious about servicing issues or will they put the Slate service behind their Toyota's, like many tractor dealers do today. Tractor dealers most all put their 'bought here' customers first and everyone else goes to the back of the line.
Think about that. If you have an issue, does it get addressed promptly or do you wait for who knows how long?
I'm sure, being a new vehicle, especially a pure EV, there will be some 'teething issues'.
Plus, what about insurance. Will your present carrier insure it and at what rate?
Neat vehicle but one needs to weigh all the 'baked in' issues as well.
ning
Elite Member
They put in a minimal set of bolts, left others out since they weren't actually driving it (left arrow: empty bolt hole; right arrow: has bolt)
ning
Elite Member
yeah this is completely arse, thanks y'all for mentioning it
ponytug
Super Member
It arose as I recall from pushback from the big three about not holding the (higher profit) trucks to the higher standards, and the above loophole was the lobbyists workaround. Could it have been done? I don't know, but heavy trucks in Europe and Japan do seem to have better mileage for the same cargo capacity, but with the overseas cost of fuel in those locations, I think that one can understand the market forces there that stress fuel economy. IIRC, about the same time, there was a parallel discussion about increasing the fuel road taxes to bring the cost of gasoline and diesel closer to European pricing (currently $7+/$6+/US gallon). That went over like the proverbial lead balloon, and here we are.
I would point out that those standards have helped bring along things like more efficient automatic transmissions with more than three gears, and fuel injection. I for one do not miss the older vehicles' engines and fuel economy, nor futzing around with carbs and timing.
All the best,
Peter
ning
Elite Member
I'm all for the increasing efficiency and pollution standards, definitely - but against the effective encouragement to build larger to avoid such.
NorTracNY
Platinum Member
I'm just not seeing this. $27K is not bare bones enough for me. I'd love an inexpensive vehicle that is cheap to operate, but this isn't it. I have a truck. Yes, it's expensive to drive, but if we are talking about a lower range electric vehicle, I don't want it to be a truck. Give me a barebones two seater with airbags. I just need enough room to put in some groceries or maybe a bag or two of feed.
The idea of the government giving incentives is one things, but $7K for how long? I think it's bad enough that the government allowed me to pay $5K for my $34K solar panel system installed! I'd also be wary of a new company with new technology. It's a big risk that you'll have something worth nothing in 2-3 years. Even at $20K, how many would be ok with the vehicle being dead with no company left to service it? Oh, yes, the solar panel company is out of business....
The idea of the government giving incentives is one things, but $7K for how long? I think it's bad enough that the government allowed me to pay $5K for my $34K solar panel system installed! I'd also be wary of a new company with new technology. It's a big risk that you'll have something worth nothing in 2-3 years. Even at $20K, how many would be ok with the vehicle being dead with no company left to service it? Oh, yes, the solar panel company is out of business....
ruffdog
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CPTKILLER
Silver Member
While not technically an EV but rather a small hybrid truck, this is a good review on a Ford Maverick Hybrid.
I have always thought the hybrid Maverick would be a good vehicle for running around, with enough bed space to go to the dump or put a wet dog. It would especially fit my needs as a 2nd vehicle if it came with a rear seat delete the way they do or did with the Ranger.
Still, 26k miles is hardly an indicator of longetivity.
tradosaurus
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If the larger battery pack puts the truck over $30k that will be a deal killer I believe. Single cab pickup with a small bed might be hard to sell too.
And I read a comment that Slate is an anagram for Tesla.
2manyrocks
Super Member
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Daughter had a Honda hybrid. Regular mechanics would change the engine oil, but anything related to the electric hybrid system required expensive dealer parts and service so we got rid of it around 125k miles.
In the case of an EV with no dealer system, IMPO the owners are screwed when anything in the propulsion system fails. Normal mechanics wont touch it in my experience.
Also, I dont get VW’s lean toward EV at all when they already make efficient gas and diesel systems that are more affordable.
In the case of an EV with no dealer system, IMPO the owners are screwed when anything in the propulsion system fails. Normal mechanics wont touch it in my experience.
Also, I dont get VW’s lean toward EV at all when they already make efficient gas and diesel systems that are more affordable.
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EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
You bring up a good point. With more electronics going into gas and diesel vehicles, it's becoming harder and harder to find a mechanic that will work on them. The guy I go to now for my 2012 F150 truck and my wife's 2016 Chrysler minivan is always fixing something electronic. He refuses to do any work on diesel vehicles and just laughs when I asked about Electric Vehicles.
If you have an Electric Vehicle, is the dealer the only option for repairs?
This might be the biggest reason not to get one. And I really like the idea of having one as a second vehicle for running to town and doing errands.
If you have an Electric Vehicle, is the dealer the only option for repairs?
This might be the biggest reason not to get one. And I really like the idea of having one as a second vehicle for running to town and doing errands.
tradosaurus
Super Member
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Dealerships that carry EV's are required to have trained technicians to service them.
ruffdog
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" In Wisconsin, auto manufacturers are prohibited from selling directly to consumers. Instead, they must sell their vehicles to dealerships, which then sell them to the public."
Why Wisconsin bans car makers from selling directly to public
Why Wisconsin bans car makers from selling directly to public
2manyrocks
Super Member
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Some greedy dealers tacked on huge markups above MSRP in recent years.
ponytug
Super Member
I wouldn't overlook YouTube for the mechanically inclined.
In many locales, there aren't alternatives, but I do know of a few 3rd party companies that specialize in EV repair. (e.g. Leaf, Tesla) But the after sales repair may be only batteries and hardware. Software is a different ball of wax in my experience.
I would not say that the issue is limited to EVs; I would generalize it to vehicle software in general, including tractors from some vendors.
To give a personal example, I own a GM vehicle in which the infotainment system has been buggy since day 1. GM has not managed to fix the bugs in over a decade, despite some of them being pretty fundamental, e.g. no heat. That lack of repair (for whatever cause) doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies about GM's ability to write code, nor their post sales commitments to customers. So, yeah, I'm never considering GM again. Despite initially denying the sales, GM's quietly, and illegally selling customer driving and location data doesn't help my warm and fuzzies, either.
My point being that there are lots of ways to end up owning an orphan vehicle, only one of which is that the company is small, or went out of business.
Back to Slate, making a $20k bet feels a lot better to me compared to a $60k+ bet on competitor's EV.
All the best,
Peter
