Here We Go Again…Buy the Hype, Put A Deposit Down, Keep Your Fingers Crossed, and Be Patient

[AbleGuy]

But in this case, it seems we definitely can be assured these sweet little rigs will actually be making it the market in a reasonable amount of time (vs. several failed, other hyped EV role outs).

Whad’ ya think? You’d buy one?

https://www.motor1.com/news/759434/slate-secures-100000-reservations-for-truck/

Slate, the startup electric carmaker with backing from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, revealed on Monday it has secured over 100,000 reservations for its affordable pickup truck. The refundable reservations cost $50 each, meaning Slate has raised over $5 million in reservation fees alone.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Watch this thing fly off the shelves and prove to all the car companies that people WILL buy small, economical, crank window vehicles to save a buck, and that bloated, "cant have X without also having Y, Z, A, B , C options as well" are a pain in the wallet, upsells. Granted, the posh vehicles should be available, but so should the stripped.

Here comes Toyota with the same type of thing, as if it's a new idea and as if that wasn't what the Toyota truck was that made it famous

 

[tacollie]

Give it a 7' bed and I'll sell my '79.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Give it a 7' bed and I'll sell my '79.

Wow. That's in nice shape

 

[Moyshe Kapoyer]

Honestly, I don't think that it'll sell well to the general public. I'm sure that fleet customers will find a use, but with its short range and cramped cabin, most people will not even consider it.

Americans will gladly pay a higher interest rate to buy a used luxury vehicle, I stead of buying a more basic vehicle for the same price and getting a lower interest rate and a warranty.

 

[tacollie]

Wow. That's in nice shape

It's parade quality. Looks great going buy.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Honestly, I don't think that it'll sell well to the general public. I'm sure that fleet customers will find a use, but with its short range and cramped cabin, most people will not even consider it.

Americans will gladly pay a higher interest rate to buy a used luxury vehicle, I stead of buying a more basic vehicle for the same price and getting a lower interest rate and a warranty.

I sure do see your point. That's what I did. Used GMC Sierra with leather and heated seats, etc. It was less expensive than a new one of a lower trim level for sure.

But think of all the young kids just starting out in life. Just out of high school, going to college, working a couple jobs to make ends meet. I gotta figure if given the choice of a new, stripped vehicle with new car warranty and quality, it sure could make a difference.

My first truck was stripped down. But it was a long time ago. I dunno.

 

[Moyshe Kapoyer]

I sure do see your point. That's what I did. Used GMC Sierra with leather and heated seats, etc. It was less expensive than a new one of a lower trim level for sure.

But think of all the young kids just starting out in life. Just out of high school, going to college, working a couple jobs to make ends meet. I gotta figure if given the choice of a new, stripped vehicle with new car warranty and quality, it sure could make a difference.

My first truck was stripped down. But it was a long time ago. I dunno.

The problem with the younger crowd is going to be charging. Very few apartments have charging stations and charging elsewhere can get pricy.

 

[rruff]

Here comes Toyota with the same type of thing, as if it's a new idea and as if that wasn't what the Toyota truck was that made it famous

Done did it, for $13k... but not available in the US. https://www.slashgear.com/1866075/toyota-hilux-champ-13000-dollar-pickup-truck-details/

Gas 2.0l, 5spd, 2wd, 2700 lbs (for the long variant), 2,200+ lb payload.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Done did it, for $13k... but not available in the US. https://www.slashgear.com/1866075/toyota-hilux-champ-13000-dollar-pickup-truck-details/

Gas 2.0l, 5spd, 2wd, 2700 lbs (for the long variant), 2,200+ lb payload.

Those specs sound like an '86 Toyota pickup for north American market, with option of 4x4

 

[rruff]

Those specs sound like an '86 Toyota pickup for north American market, with option of 4x4

Very close. In '84 I bought a SR5 XtraCab, 5spd, 2.4L fuel injected, 2wd, no AC for $8k. With the 3.15x inflation factor, that is $25k in today's money. $13k for the Champ is quite cheap, but it would cost more if sold here. I remember back in 2016 when I paid $31.2k ($41.5k today) for my Tundra I could have bought a bare bones Frontier for $19k ($25.3k).

I'm not seeing much sense for the Slate, honestly. It will be >$30k for the barebones model now that credits have disappeared, and it's too restrictive in use, with a tiny bed and short range.

 

[Ex Animo]

Honestly, I don't think that it'll sell well to the general public. I'm sure that fleet customers will find a use, but with its short range and cramped cabin, most people will not even consider it.

Americans will gladly pay a higher interest rate to buy a used luxury vehicle, I stead of buying a more basic vehicle for the same price and getting a lower interest rate and a warranty.

Sadly I think you're right about Americans being fine with diving head first into $800 a month car payment at 8% for 7-10 years but I think this could sell really well, it fills a void with an errand/first car/around town/short trips.

240 miles isn't really all that short of range for a daily driver, my Bolt gets 260 and it's plenty for day trips out to the coast or to the mountains (200ish miles round trip, 3 hours of driving). For normal around town driving we only have to charge once a week, usually from about a 30% state of charge to 90%.

 

[Dougnuts]

The standard battery is 150 miles and the truck pictured above has a lift, off-road tires, and the SUV conversion. With the larger battery, it will probably cost low-$40k for that configuration.

When it comes to range, EV's work better for some than others. My daily driver is a '26 Tesla Model Y (327mi range at 100%, 260mi at 80%), and a "240 mile" range would be difficult for my use case. Remember, EV batteries like to stay between 20 and 80% charge, which would be 144 miles for the 240 mile battery, and only 90 miles for the 150 mile battery. In the winter time, you could expect even shorter range, depending on where you live.

Super cool concept though!

 

[rruff]

EV's work better for some than others.

The ideal case has always been tiny and simple urban vehicles. Small range, small battery packs. Quiet, no pollution. Save the ICE for long trips, and hauling loads.

 

[Moyshe Kapoyer]

The ideal case has always been tiny and simple urban vehicles. Small range, small battery packs. Quiet, no pollution. Save the ICE for long trips, and hauling loads.

Although I like my Tundra for long road trips, my wife's model S does just fine. It's comfortable, has plenty of room, has an obnoxious amount of passing/merging power, and charges while we eat, sleep, shop, or go site seeing.

Unless I actually need my truck, usually it stays in the garage when we travel.