Slate Truck is a $20,000 American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, and no touchscreen
Slate Truck is a $20,000 American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, and no touchscreen
And no buyers
This will never come to market. Perhaps in a different timeline, but not this one.
Agree. Elon... Err Doge will change regulatory rules until they run out of money.
Definitely interested…
I am excited, this is what my husband and I have been waiting for - a regular vehicle with no bells and whistles just to raise the price
Yup! And hopefully starts a new thing that other makers get behind!
Please make a 4x4 model I will definitely buy one.
(after federal incentives)
:|
BRUH
Damn, an electric truck I might actually want. It's a shame it's made in America
My exact thought! I wish a Canadian startup did exactly that, I'd buy one immediately
I will buy this immediately if it's even close to this price point.
Paywalled.
Anyone got a battery range on this vehicle?
150 miles per charge
Thanks.
Aight but does it have cruise control? If so it's still too much. But they're almost there.
they lost me at automatic high beams. we don't need more cars on the road with LED high beams blinding everybody within two kilometers
I hate to break it to you bud, but pretty much every single vehicle sold in the last 5 years or so are equipped with LED headlights.
Automatic means they turn on and off automatically so it actually cuts down on the problem you’re describing
That's the theory and it sounded great in the adverts. But in my experience, "automatic" means on by default and most folks don't think about them, creating the problem- we're all blind because the damn things come on too much. To work properly, they'll have to know where the city limits are, not just trigger at "x" lumens level. And while we're temporarily blinded, "Fooly Automasted Slef Driving" will probably kill us before that happens...
They don't work well enough to justify their legality
I am physically unable to drive after sundown because those headlights fuck so hard with my light sensitivity. I can't see anything, it feels like someone slowly stabbing your eyes with a pencil.
Admittedly not the smartest thing to do, but I now keep a reflective umbrella in the car for when my partner is driving and one of those assholes decides to tailgate.
There’s no radio, no Bluetooth, and no speakers of any kind beyond for those required to play basic warning chimes.
Many will consider this a cost-cutting step too far, but the interior was designed for ease of upgrading, with easy mounting space for anything from a simple soundbar to a full sound system.
There’s an integrated phone mount right on the dashboard, but there’s nothing stopping you from bringing something even larger. I expect the low-cost Android tablet and 3D-printing communities to have a field day coming up with in-car media streaming solutions.
This is 100% it.
All I want is a modular car system. Everything modular. Dashboard. Body panels. Whatever. I want 3+ cars possible on one frame, and to not need anything more than basic tools to swap parts around.
framework truck😭
If only that money wouldn't be partially going into the pockets of Bezos, it would be amazing.
And while easily replacable panels and such are a good thing. Having the mounting screws exposed like that is a horrendus idea. Because I suspect I know what much younger and very drunk people would do, based on the Mercedes hood ornaments I have in a box somewhere.
As an FYI, (In the United States) all modern cars will have to have some kind of screen (whether built in the mirror, on the dash, or as part of the gauge system) as all cars are required to have backup cameras as of 2018.
Starting in 2029 all cars will be required to have automatic braking technology as well.
We're never going to be able to purchase new cars that are completely dumbed down ever again, but with how many lives it will save I'd say it's worth it.
I'm glad that there are some companies that are willing to offer cars with the bare minimum of features at least. I personally would prefer having automatic windows over crank, but if someone wants to save money more power(har har) to them!
EDIT: weather vs whether Braking vs breaking
It is a legal requirement now to have back up cameras. This thing also doesn't have any airbags, or seatbelts in the back when converted. There is nothing connected to the HVAC controls, you would need a heater box. They haven't even bothered with a plywood mock interrior is all just 3D printed garbage, literally falling apart in the reviewers hands.
The Chinese have tried this approach for low volume projects with a space frame and bonded plastic and carbon fibre panels, but its just too labour intensive to be practical for any sort of volume. The space frame still has to be painted, so you don't save any money in a painting setup.
Way over-thinking it.
Europe and Japan 10-15 years ago all had radios with 4x6 inch no-touch displays for pre-loaded GPS with no internet connection. They switch to backup cameras when in reverse.
America doesn't need to invent anything here, this is old technology widely used by large parts of the rest is the world.
Can we get another edit for braking instead of breaking, please? Surely all this fancy new-fangled tech never breaks? 😉
Dammit! Lol
all modern cars will have to have some kind of screen (whether built in the mirror, on the dash, or as part of the gauge system)
Starting in 2029 all cars will be required to have automatic breaking
As an FYI, they mention both of these in the article
Wait. Why the hell wouldn't you paint it? Does it at least have a clear coat?
For those who don't feel like reading an article: solid plastic panels.
"No touchscreen" is a really great selling point imo
After reading the article and the website, I can't find anything that explicitly says there is no network connection built into the vehicle.
The instrument panel is a screen, and will be used to display the backup camera video. There is some computer capable of handling video processing and displaying the instrument graphics - so more than just low-level electronics to handle the battery and drive control. It could have built-in GPS, it could have 5G, it could still be collecting and sharing data on driving habits &etc, it could be subsidized by that on the backend. Just because those functions aren't displayed to the end user doesn't mean they aren't in the system.
Oh yes I was not commenting on any of that. Data privacy and the reliability of computer hardware and software over time are separate issues.
I was just speaking from the basic-level user experience of operating a vehicle- touch screens are terrible. Pretty much everything you want to do in a car should have 3 requirements:
Everything you describe could be handled by a single ESP 32 module but they probably do have much more computing power than that.
Other articles seem to indicate that it would need you to use your phone to perform updates on the onboard computer.
I guess this doesn't preclude the possibility of other types of embedded surveillance.
Hoping it doesn't have tracking 🤞
If they also make a 4wd version in the future then this would basically be the first new car I'd consider buying.
Edit: I emailed them and they said it doesn't have any data collection at all.
I fucking hate the touchscreen in my vehicle.
I dont mind a secondary 8" screen for things like navigation as long as there is no control over functionality of the vehicle on said touch screen.
My 2016 Veloster has a perfect balance
Fucking FINALLY.
I've been waiting for a small pickup like the old 90s 4-banger Toyota. And this is electric, simple for function, and actually affordable?
Capitalists must be seething. If it doesnt have leather interior, 19 speaker surround sound, and cost 80k, get it out of our country! /s
Capitalists must be seething
Capitalists funded this, that's one the benefits of capitalism, if the market is only offering pricey crappy products that people don't enjoy buying, theres an opening in the market that can be filled with a company selling people exactly what they want and need.
Small gas-powered trucks are effectively illegal in the US.
It's regulation made in response to automakers calling everything a "light truck" to get around fuel economy and emissions standards in the 90s and 2000s.The straw that broke the camel's back was the PT Cruiser being classified as a truck by Chrysler.
So, starting in model year 2012, vehicle fuel economy standards started being based on vehicle footprint. The side effect was that small, powerful vehicles designed for moving cargo more efficiently or in tighter spaces than large trucks were impacted. It's why 2011 was the last year model of the old Rangers, S10s, Dakota, etc.
That's why the new Rangers are larger than the old F150s. They have to make them bigger to meet CAFE standards.
Same issue hit the small cargo vans in 2021/22. As the CAFE standards went up, it became impossible to meet fuel economy standards for the NV200, Ford Transit Connect, and Ram ProMaster City compact cargo vans, so they were all discontinued.
New York City was changing its whole Taxi fleet to NV200s due to their flexibility and accessibility options, and now can't buy new ones because a Toyota Camry has less-strict fuel economy requirements.
What are the Maverick and Santa Cruz classified as? I think they fit the small or light truck category, if they are categorized as trucks at all.
That’s why the new Rangers are larger than the old F150s.
If you're comparing a crewcab Ranger to a 2-door F150, sure, but that's not really a valid comparison.
Comparing equivalent configs tells a different story: every crewcab F150 is taller, longer, and wider than a new crewcab Ranger. The 10th gen and earlier (pre-2004) F150s, which are shorter than 11th gen+ F150s, are still bigger when compared to the Ranger in equivalent configurations.
Relatively affordable. It is 20k after the federal discounts and kick backs. Meanwhile, the Chinese EV market has been making cars as low as 4k. https://greenspeedx.com/cheap-electric-cars-available-in-china/
I'm not a pro China person (because one time in Ark, a Chinese team kept destroying my thatch base), but they seem to have the things. Apparently Mexico is aiming to compete in the EV market as well.
If by "the things" you mean underpaid labor, then yes.
America used to have the things as well but then there was a civil war and it got banned.
You might ask yourself what it is that allows them to produce and sell a brand new vehicle for $4k, basically the same price as a high-end PC or a couple of high-end smartphones.
Even Europe has a tariff for EVs from China due to government subsidies. So it’s probably not 4K, but it’s also probably less than 25
Microraptors
Yeah, I'm pretty hype for this. It's got just the basics of what's needed, and if you want to mod it with upgrades you can.
I only wish there was a way to make it AWD/4WD, and if there was a way for it to tow a little more weight, then it'd be perfect.
As it is now, it's still a very compelling concept that I might get into as outside of towing, it solves all the things I need a truck for.
Now make it a panel van and I'll be interested
There is also the Telo Truck. It's advertised as being as capable as a Toyota Tacoma, but the footprint of a Mini Cooper.
It's asthetic is more akin to the small trucks in Japan, though.
Edit: it does seem like it has more tech-forward features, but it is otherwise a relatively simple truck in a very manageable size.
They can advertise it as being ad capable as a toyota tacoma as much as they want but it will never be true. The tacoma has been widely regarded as one of the most reliable trucks of all time and without getting exact numbers has way more cargo capacity than the telo. They should just market it and sell it for what it is. A much needed introduction to the world of micro trucks in urban spaces for north america.
I like the Telo, though it is about twice the price of the Slate.
Big bonus for Telo is that they support Right to Repair and are trying to use off-the-shelf parts where possible to enable end-user repairs. Oh and it isn't a unibody so, panels can be replaced if damaged.
I’ve had a lowkey obsession with this truck for a few months now. Sure, the looks aren’t for everyone. But I would get one tomorrow if I could afford it.
I have an older Kia Soul EV that I absolutely love, but could use a truck bed from time to time. I also love kei trucks (I live in Hawai’i and they’re everywhere!). Small vehicles with clever use of space is my jam. And I will never go back from an EV unless I’m absolutely forced to. This Slate truck is kinda awesome as well. Gives old 80s pickup truck vibes and I’m here for it.
That glass roof is a hard sell for me. The truck I currently drive has a sunroof with no cover and I need to wear a hat just to drive comfortably on a sunny day. I never need to see straight up while driving.
How are they going to get around the backup camera requirement? I guess it could be done through your phone but that sounds like it might be a support nightmare.
It does say "no touchscreen", not "no screen". I'm betting it will have a small screen for the backup camera, with no touch elements.
The rear view mirror has been used in The past as a mini screen and I liked it. And if you unhook the camera in my Ford it would flash the little screen blue for a moment then realize nothing was hooked up and would turn off. Though you could just unhook the mirror connector and it would be just a mirror as well if you want to disassemble the interior to unplug it.
The article states it will display the backup camera feed on the dashboard screen
It has a small screen in the speedometer.
Europe and Japan had backup cameras with no touchscreen on cars 10-15 years ago. The radio head unit just switches from a small 4x6 inch LCD display to back up camera when in reverse.
No stereo is a bit spartan, but definitely a move in the right direction regardless. I want one.
I'd be surprised if people couldn't put in a simple and cheap aftermarket deck and a couple speakers, which would only be around a couple hundo. If these things are easy to work on so you can install it yourself, even better.
I had a truck without a working stereo so I just used some Bluetooth speakers
Hell yeah
Seems built In speakers will be optional
I have a stereo in mine. Has BT. I still usually just roll with ear buds. Lol.
Features I look for in a car
How hard is this?
Kind of like what Steve Martin looks for in cars:
Legally, you need quite a few more features than this just to be able to sell it.
Please add the triangle windows.
I would also include seats. And maybe doors. Also a windshield.
Overated
It has all of that except the radio x3
I thought I read that it has crank windows.
Am I reading this right and it only offers 1000lb towing capacity? Isn't that kind of utterly useless?
Oh, not at all. Not at all. Now as a full-fledged TRUCK, and hauling, yeah it's pretty pathetic. But the truck platform that this uses is clean, simple, and fucking brilliant.
A lot of non-truck city people like to cite some damning statistic, something-something-87% of truck owners haven't hauled anything significant in the past year. Correct, and I think most people simply don't have that need. The number of oversized trucks I see, that go from home to cubicle work to WalMart & back home again... 🙄🙄🙄
Full-sized trash cans don't fit in a car very well. But they fit nicely in a truck. This truck can "haul"...all kinds of bulky, awkward shit that doesn't weigh much. I've got a lot of that in my life.
I could use this as a nice, basic farm shuttle vehicle. Chores. Daily driver to & from work. Camping even, obviously light tent camping. Drive-in movie theaters. Parties. "I don't have room in my car for [junk] ." Well, throw it in my truck. Problem solved, yay 🥳
It's electric, so you could even drive it part-time & fully recharge it with the fucking sun.
I adore the standard cab, small, working man's truck. It is not kind of utterly useless, it just doesn't allow you to be the manliest man that ever manned, bro. Lift kit & shoxxx for offroading, bro. Best in class for towing, bro. Extended cab, bro. It runs on endangered species of owls, bro. ...you can keep all that. I'll take this. 🤗
Full-sized trash cans don't fit in a car very well. But they fit nicely in a truck. This truck can "haul"...all kinds of bulky, awkward shit that doesn't weigh much. I've got a lot of that in my life.
Yep, furniture especially. A Queen-size bed is bad enough, but at least you can tie that onto the roof of most sedans. A table and some chairs? Some dressers? Doesn't matter how light they are, you run out of space real quick, and that's assuming you've got your Luggage Tetris skill maxed so you can cram everything in perfectly.
...or you could just set it all in the bed and put a net over it if you really wanna make sure it won't go anywhere. I know which one I prefer.
Fair enough, I guess I've been considering my own use case, which is moving lumber.
If you need to tow something, sure. The vast majority of people who own a pickup don't tow jackshit. That goes for urban and rural areas.
And this will not fit all requirements of all people all the time. Nor does it intend to. But my god, trucks are such a practical platform & they used to be a lot smaller. The Asians do the tiny utility trucks....so well. But noooooo, Americans simply can't have anything small, or affordable, we won't allow small trucks to enter market. 🙄
It fits most cases, and a change 60-75% in the right direction is better than a 0% change in the right direction, cranking out oversized & overpriced trucks that don't fit our lifestyles.
There are lots of men not entering relationships, lots of couples not having children. This is perfect for daily living & daily tasks. Long-distance trips? Fuck no. But how often are you doing that? Price is right, if it's cheap-running & simple & reliable -- what are we waiting for?? Let's go, the Toyota Stout isn't coming to save us anytime soon. Let's go with this tiny truck until then.
my trailer weighs like 350lb total, that gives me 650lb to haul in it still
Equivalent towing capacity of a Chevy Impala, so yes.
This is less of a truck and more of a truck-shaped go-kart.
I have an older Ranger. I don't do much truck stuff. The bulk cargo area is the draw, not the weight capacity. The heaviest load I carried was 800lbs of plywood, which was 15 sheets or something. I have a 4x8 trailer that can also help haul bulky household goods for moves, a motorcycle, lumber, or furniture. While the trailer is rated for 1700lbs payload and weighs 300lbs itself, I have never put more than 500lbs on it, despite filling the 4x8 floor stackef 4ft high. I made the trailer before getting the Ranger, so now they're redundant and never actually hauled together.
If you're already towing, this probably isnt the truck for you. If you aren't towing, it provides an option to tow something if you have to. The reason I chose the Ranger is because it's cheap, gets good fuel economy, and has the capacity to grab full lumber sheet goods on my commute home. While I could find a 30mpg car for the same price, I'm still in the mid 20s. Maybe I could spend 30k on a newer F150 V6 and get similar, but then it costs 10x what I paid. Bulk space and handling scratchy cargo is the main goal. I think of the Slate as being what the Ranger should've been now.
Fair enough
I don't need a truck, but this is perfect for people who want to take a bunch of mountain bikes out to the downhill mountain bike park. Throw 5-6 bikes in the back, take the riders in a separate car.
That said, I hope they come out with a smaller wagon or sedan with clearance (so a hitch can be installed for mountain bikes).
I didn't need a truck back when I bought an Isuzu pickup. But it was the cheapest new vehicle at the time and did come in handy. Didn't even have power steering or brakes.
Yeah, for towing that's basically useless unless you're only using it to tow around a wood splitter or something.
That said, my family has had a 1993 Ford ranger for many years. I'm pretty sure even with the 4-cylinder engine it still has a towing capacity several times that much, but we have never towed anything with it. We have gotten a lot of use out of it as a truck though, moving furniture, camping gear, small loads of firewood, trips to the hardware store, etc.
I can also potentially see this being big for certain fleet vehicles. Growing my dad worked on a military base as a civilian in their wastewater treatment plant. Part of his job involved driving around the base once a day or so to take water samples from a couple places. The public works department had a couple small trucks, Chevy S10 I think, that he'd use for that. They got used by other public works employees, never for anything particularly heavy duty but they did occasionally tote around some bulky tools, equipment, materials, but a significant amount of what they used them for could probably have used a golf cart. I'd be amazed if those trucks went 10 miles most days, they sat most of the time, kind of a perfect sort of situation for them to sit on a charger.
Sign me THE FUCK up, have been looking at 90s danger rangers to sate my small truck fix but so many of them have a car-looking front end.
It only seats two yet has a bed big enough to hold a sheet of plywood. It only does 150 miles on a charge, only comes in gray, and the only way to listen to music while driving is if you bring along your phone and a Bluetooth speaker.
Instead of steel or aluminum, the Slate Truck’s body panels are molded of plastic. Or, as Slate calls them, “injection molded polypropylene composite material.” The theory is that this makes them more durable and scratch-resistant, if only because the lack of paint means they’re one color all the way through.
By eliminating paint, and thus eliminating the paint shop, Slate’s manufacturing process is massively simplified. So, too, the lack of metal body parts. “We have no paint shop, we have no stamping,”
I can't make 150 mile range work. That completely kills this one for me, personally.
Also, if it's 150 mile range, that means it's 100 miles with using the truck bed for light truck stuff, and probably a 75 mile range if it's cold out while doing truck stuff. Be great for a lot of people, but I have to get a 250 range for my viability.
They have a larger battery available.
Someone posted link to Telo trucks,
350 mile range according to the website, footprint is same as a minicooper
Can fit 8' sheets of plywlood or seating for 8 people depending on configuration of the midsection
Model is MT1 that states it.
If this thing is legit its a beast in a small package
Seems like half the article is talking about paint.
This is a truck I’d actually feel comfortable driving. Unlike those gender affirming, semi truck adjacent, embarrassing pavement princess trucks that you see everywhere now.
Reminds of the first VW Beetle under fucking Hitler. One color, black. I wish Toyota would introduce their Hilux Champ to the North American market.
The Hilux is a perfect example of why tariffs won't work the way Trump wants them to. The Hilux is not offered to the North American market because a retaliatory tariff applied over 60 years ago due to a trade dispute involving chicken (it is now known as "the chicken tax") the original reasons for which are largely forgotten to modern consumers, yet the tariff has remained in place ever since. Rather than incentivizing the makers of trucks like the Hilux to move production to the US to bypass the tariff, instead the market for such trucks simply vanished, and manufacturers never bothered investing any effort to bring it back, because... why would they? There's no profit in it for them.
The tariff hangs over the entire product category like a sword of damocles. Nobody will import them here, because they would need to be specially customized to meet domestic regulations and customers won't pay for the tariff on the imports nevermind the redesign, so all they would be left with is a bunch of unsellable prototypes . And since there's no way to test the viability of their products in the market, nobody can make a case to invest in building them here either, because the tariff could be gone tomorrow and they would instantly be put out of business by cheaper imports of the rich variety of light cargo vehicles used throughout the world. The tariff creates an insurmountable risk/reward mismatch that no sane company can ignore.
You can argue and nitpick about economics all you want, the proof is in the economy itself. If you think tariffs work, go ahead and buy a Toyota Hilux. I'll wait. Some people have been waiting 60 years. It still hasn't happened. And it's not going to.
You know what... Give me an option for a bigger battery, and ensure that replacement batteries are going to be available for a while, and I'll definitely look into it.
The article says they will have a 240 mile battery upgrade available at some point, that can be done at some yet undisclosed service center (article assumes a car service chain).
Sweet. Hopefully those batteries will also be manufactured and sold for long enough for me to get at least one first party replacement, before having to deal with third party vendors.
The article mentions an upgradable battery
Getting closer to what I want, which is a reasonably sized and priced EV truck built for actual utility. I'm ok with it leaving out all the extras that I don't need, and hopefully that means it isn't also going to be tracking people and harvesting their data.
My biggest objection to the truck itself is that it's still trying to look like an ICE truck. There's no engine in front, you could easily slide the cab forward a bit to make room for a larger bed. I would much rather have a tiny frunk and an 8 foot bed, even if it means making the whole thing slightly longer. It's shorter than a corrolla, so it's not like they couldn't add a little length to the design if necessary.
Bezos being involved is also a massive turn off, but than I'm not sure who is going to go into mass manufacturing EVs without some rich asshole funding it.
I love cab over trucks but the one thing I have experienced is the ride quality difference between an unloaded cab over and an unloaded pickup truck. The pickup wins every time due to physics. I think the other two reasons for them to pick an ICE truck look would be the limited space for covered/enclosed storage (not much of any in a cab over) and customers being used to that look. Look at the Canoo EV. That think checks all my boxes for design but is expensive and caked in features that I don’t care about.
This is a small truck. To meet safety standards without adding a lot more cost and weight, you need that front end space for a crumple zone.
What I would love to see for a pickup like this is a rentable battery slab you could drop into the bed and temporarily boost the mileage for longer trips.
The kei truck comparison seems apt. This seems like it's for people who need a runner for their ranch or farm, or local town handyman work.
One of my neighbors has a kei truck and I want one so bad.
Like, I love the functionality of a pickup, but they are wildly impractical for everyday use...not to mention the...implications....
Something cheap enough to be an auxiliary vehicle, that can carry 4x8 sheet goods and 12ft boards without much hassle would be awesome though.
As it is now, we have two cars (A VW Passat (sedan) and a Honda Odyssey (minivan)). The minivan can carry 4x8 goods and 12ft dimensional lumber, but it requires removing the middle row. Kind of a pain in the ass. It's rather uncommon to need both cars at the same time (but still comes in clutch, pardon the pun, when we do need it)...generally the sedan is for solo trips and the minivan is for family outings. I'd replace the Passat with a kei in a heartbeat.
Reserved
I am really excited for this as a DIYer and Maker
Can't wait for the 3D printed mods.
Aftermarket stereo market here I come, haven't had to buy one of those in a long time.
Completely fabricated for the sake of fundraising.
Since incentives are being killed, it will probably be about $30k. Still looks like a good design
From caranddriver with no sign-in requirement.
Apart from its digital gauge cluster that also serves as the rearview camera display, power locks, cruise control, and a forward-collision-warning system with automated emergency braking, the Truck offers little in the way of luxuries.
Sounds nice. I do like highway lane following, but not essential.
I want one. The ONLY thing that would stop me is the rear-wheel drive. We get a lot of snow and rear-wheel and snow are not compatible.
...has caught the eye of major investors, reportedly including Jeff Bezos.
Goddamnit!
This is big time give it to me now.
I don't even want a truck or an electric car (at this point), but I would love to own this.
Shut up and take my money!!!
This looks awesome.
No touchscreen, but you bet your ass it has a computer and a cell phone tracking you.
Want!
5ft bed and auto high beams, no thanks
Oh fuck. Where buy
Yes, please!
We need a wider range of vehicle prices on the market. I bet a lot of people would go for barebones models for cheap if they had the option.
But its made out of unsellable cybertruck bits?
Sure, but it's American, so it'll somehow shit out a connecting rod around 150,000 miles and will cost $8000 to repair.
Edit: some of you clearly missed the joke.
Do EVs have connecting rods? The article does go into right to repair, sounds like the company is pro DIY repair so that's promising at least.
No, EVs don't have any connecting rods, that was the joke.
What's with the American obsession with pickups? Hard to find a worst design when it comes to practicality. You carry extra people way more often then huge loads. If you do need to carry big loads just get a van, at lest your cargo is protected from the weather and people. If you don't carry extra people or cargo get a smaller car. Almost no one uses pickups in Europe and everyone is still getting their job done. Where I live most old farmers just use this:
I find a pickup to be quite practical in my line of work. Mine is regularly packed to the brim and I'm from Europe as well.
As long as it isn't a stupid big boat like the Americans.
You just don’t know how to use a pickup. Besides, what do you think SUVs are for? People+Crap
They do have an option to turn it into a 2 door 5 seat SUV style setup so that's something.
To start, yes many people get a truck that shouldn't, so no arguments there. But to think a van is just blanket superior undermines your point. They have different use cases really (I've never seen a welding van for example).
For example, as a truck owner who can only afford one vehicle, and who uses their vehicle for personal and work, a van would be no good for my needs. The vehicle needs to be able to haul both people when not in use for work (so crew cab is a must) and large/gross/messy stuff when it is. My tools need to be kept separate from the messy things, and those messy things don't need protection (and it'd be harder to load/unload them if covered like in a van anyways).
Plus, all the work vans I've seen in my area are bigger than my truck anyways so that's kinda funny.
This sounds like they are going to deliver a truck that everyone is going to want/need to upgrade at least something, and are depending on this post-production upsell to keep things going. Reminds me of the Apple tax of only bare minimum RAM and you can pay a premium to upgrade it to something usable. And for Slate this fits well with the "customer can service/upgrade everything outside of battery stuff" as this lowers their overhead, and then are making a deal with a chain to do the servicing as the only alternative (and depending on which chain that is, and if the one near you is run well, could make this wildly different experience).
The chances of this ever being sold Zero.
I figure it gets purchased by a larger, established auto firm and slowly killed off.
Explain yourself!
