New basic EV truck

[ultrarunner]

My boss back when I was in High School had a VW Golf pickup with Diesel and ran the wheels off it for his business delivery vehicle… fantastic mileage at a time when diesel fuel was cheaper…

Don’t see many survivors around today… my guess is rust?

I have friends in Washington that love their 4 wd K trucks from Honda, Suzuki and Mitsubishi…

These are tiny trucks many states prohibit…

If Slate can deliver reliability with good road manners and body panels immune to rust the need is there.

Tesla should have one of these in their lineup…

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I've been slowly converting my gas-powered tools to electric, and I've noticed there's a different dynamic. With a gas-powered tool the engine is the most expensive part. With an electric tool, the battery is the most expensive part. So they're built differently -- the electric tools are basically built more cheaply.

I was wondering if car makers would ultimately come to the same conclusion. After all, an electric car is basically just a carrying case for a big battery. And once the battery is worn out it's barely worth putting a new battery in an old car. This may be the start of a trend toward simpler electric cars.

 

[ultrarunner]

The age old pick up question… can it carry a sheet of plywood?

I use my Samurai every week towing my landscape trailer and the trailer can carry plywood or a yard of rock…

The Slate tow specs are 1000 pounds… the same as the Samurai and I tow much more than that around the property… 4wd and transfer case makes the magic happen.

I’d like to see if a lumber rack is in the offerings.

Maybe a power tap to harness the battery pack to power things during a power outage?

 

[Oaktree]

I've been slowly converting my gas-powered tools to electric, and I've noticed there's a different dynamic. With a gas-powered tool the engine is the most expensive part. With an electric tool, the battery is the most expensive part. So they're built differently -- the electric tools are basically built more cheaply.

I was wondering if car makers would ultimately come to the same conclusion. After all, an electric car is basically just a carrying case for a big battery. And once the battery is worn out it's barely worth putting a new battery in an old car. This may be the start of a trend toward simpler electric cars.

I've come to really like cordless hand tools...drills, saws, etc. Other battery power tools like weedwackers, chain/pole saws, etc. seem to be kind of wimpy compared to their gas counterparts. Only plus on those is they always work, as opposed to having to fart around with getting one of those really small 2 stroke engines to start and/or run right.
As you noted, replacement/spare batteries can be quite pricey.

As far as simpler EVs, not sure that's going to happen anytime soon. I get the impression that the type of person who'd want an EV is also one who wants as much latest-and-greatest tech-y stuff as they can get.

 

[Oaktree]

I’d like to see if a lumber rack is in the offerings.

Shouldn't be hard to fab up a bed rack. Easy if this truck has stake pockets, if not, still doable.

 

[ultrarunner]

Shouldn't be hard to fab up a bed rack. Easy if this truck has stake pockets, if not, still doable.

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

Stake pockets have been around a hundred years basically unchanged but not enough info yet on the Slate offering.

 

[not2old]

As far as simpler EVs, not sure that's going to happen anytime soon. I get the impression that the type of person who'd want an EV is also one who wants as much latest-and-greatest tech-y stuff as they can get.

Not here. I find the cameras and TPS useful but hate all the other stuff. I find a touch screen much more distracting than the old mechanical controls. I still occasionally have to pull over and stop to adjust the HVAC on my Grand Cherokee to figure out how to fix something I've messed up by accident.

 

[5030]

Late to the party but I'd never consider one for a couple reasons, mainly bed length and 2 wheel drive only plus it has that made in China look about it. Reminds me of Mahindra in a way. They claim built in America (Rochester Hills, Michigan) but in reality, all the parts come over in containers and are 'assembled' in Rochester Hills, by non union workers so I don't buy the made here thing at all. I realize that many decades ago Mahindra built 'Jeeps' under license from Willys Overland but then they changed the design slightly in good offshore fashion and built their own wannabe Jeep, that I would never buy, just like that wannabe pickup truck but that is my view and maybe not yours.

The other issue I have always had with electric vehicles in general is, the majority of owners don't have a clue where the electricity comes from. They see to think it just comes out of the plug and magically appears there.

The national grid is already strained as it is without the adoption of the electric car cult and power plants have to consume fossil fuels (nat gas and coal produce it no matter what) and that power only comes to the plug if the utilities make it. That is the one thing that most EV owners have no clue about. Sure, we have solar and some wind but in reality, solar is only viable when the sun shines and solar panels are made with environmentally questionable materials plus they have a definite use life and a complex disposal issue when they are no longer efficient and wind power also has it's issues as far as location and infrastructure costs, plus replacement blades clutter up landfills because in reality, they aren't readily recyclable.

So, we are back to baseload fossil fueled electricity generation and nuclear and nuclear has it own unique disposal issues as well.

If the wind don't bow and the sun don't shine (and sunny days are not the norm in many parts of the country), then solar panels and / or windmills are basically ornaments. Baseload will for the foreseeable future will be coal and nat gas with nuclear providing some of it only. The other issue is what are you willing to pay for alternate power generation via your utility bill?

No Bezo's wannabe truck in this driveway, ever. I also agree that a wannabe truck or not, any truck with less than an 8 foot bed is nothing but a poser.

 

[ponytug]

The age old pick up question… can it carry a sheet of plywood?

I use my Samurai every week towing my landscape trailer and the trailer can carry plywood or a yard of rock…

The Slate tow specs are 1000 pounds… the same as the Samurai and I tow much more than that around the property… 4wd and transfer case makes the magic happen.

I’d like to see if a lumber rack is in the offerings.

Maybe a power tap to harness the battery pack to power things during a power outage?

There is a roll cage option and a pretty extensive roof rack option.

I'm reserving judgement until the actual launch, but I like simple, and the option of being able to unscrew a body panel or other component is appealing. As the design seems rather dependent on DIY screw assembly and disassembly, I do wonder about screw retention in the face of torsion and vibration.

I'm with @not2old in greatly preferring controls that can be adjusted by touch, no scrolling through submenus. To me it is basic Human Factor Design 101. I see it as the driver's job is to drive and anything that detracts or distracts from that is a problem.

I think that @ultrarunner's analogy to the Suzuki Samurai is on the money. The Samurai is/was a great vehicle for what it does, and like all vehicles, not necessarily a vehicle for everybody all the time, but a vehicle that could just get stuff done.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ultrarunner]

Late to the party but I'd never consider one for a couple reasons, mainly bed length and 2 wheel drive only plus it has that made in China look about it. Reminds me of Mahindra in a way. They claim built in America (Rochester Hills, Michigan) but in reality, all the parts come over in containers and are 'assembled' in Rochester Hills, by non union workers so I don't buy the made here thing at all. I realize that many decades ago Mahindra built 'Jeeps' under license from Willys Overland but then they changed the design slightly in good offshore fashion and built their own wannabe Jeep, that I would never buy, just like that wannabe pickup truck but that is my view and maybe not yours.

The other issue I have always had with electric vehicles in general is, the majority of owners don't have a clue where the electricity comes from. They see to think it just comes out of the plug and magically appears there.

The national grid is already strained as it is without the adoption of the electric car cult and power plants have to consume fossil fuels (nat gas and coal produce it no matter what) and that power only comes to the plug if the utilities make it. That is the one thing that most EV owners have no clue about. Sure, we have solar and some wind but in reality, solar is only viable when the sun shines and solar panels are made with environmentally questionable materials plus they have a definite use life and a complex disposal issue when they are no longer efficient and wind power also has it's issues as far as location and infrastructure costs, plus replacement blades clutter up landfills because in reality, they aren't readily recyclable.

So, we are back to baseload fossil fueled electricity generation and nuclear and nuclear has it own unique disposal issues as well.

If the wind don't bow and the sun don't shine (and sunny days are not the norm in many parts of the country), then solar panels and / or windmills are basically ornaments. Baseload will for the foreseeable future will be coal and nat gas with nuclear providing some of it only. The other issue is what are you willing to pay for alternate power generation via your utility bill?

No Bezo's wannabe truck in this driveway, ever. I also agree that a wannabe truck or not, any truck with less than an 8 foot bed is nothing but a poser.

Maybe it’s different in the Bay Area but my neighbors with EV all have solar and some have added more panels plus power walls.

It would seem a good match… home grown power and EV.

Each year I get a check for excess power produced by my 2008 160W panels and the rate is dropping so why not use all that I produce?

The other aspect is SUV and passenger dominate the EV market but not much in a small trucks to consider.