Alright, we get it. Y’all are enthusiastic about Slate. We thought the little Slate Truck was cool, however based mostly on the variety of clicks and feedback on our Slate Auto articles up to now, you’d wish to know extra. Lots of you wrote in with questions and various individuals raised some doubts.
So, we needed to handle as a lot of these as we might. Right here’s your one-stop store for Slate solutions based mostly in your questions — plus a number of of our personal.
What are the Slate’s full specs, and the way does it examine to a Ford Maverick or F-150?
The Slate is clearly a car constructed for on a regular basis utility, and whereas it’ll make for a useful machine for hauling a variety of issues, massive towing and heavy cargo have been clearly not a prime precedence. Listed below are the important thing specs, in contrast towards the four-wheel drive hybrid Ford Maverick with the two.5-liter engine and a Ford F-150 4×2 with a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6.
Slate TruckFord MaverickFord F-150Horsepower (hp)201191325Curb weight (lbs)3,6023,6744,171Max payload (lbs)1,4331,5001,775Max towing (lbs)1,0002,0008,400Bed size (ft)54.55.5, 6.5, or 8Bed width (max / min, in)50 / 54.942.6 / 53.350.6 / 66.9Seats255
It’s value noting that these Ford numbers range extensively based mostly on configuration. For instance, you will get a “4K Tow Package deal” on the Maverick that reinforces towing to 4,000 lbs, and the F-150 has a whole lot of variations relying on want. Max towing on an F-150 is 13,500 lbs. The numbers above characterize the figures quoted by Ford for a base, option-free car.
And one closing observe: towing considerably reduces the effectivity of the tow car, as a result of weight of the trailer and its extra aerodynamic drag. For an electrical car just like the Slate, that may absolutely end in diminished vary, maybe by as a lot as half relying on the trailer.
The place will the car be manufactured?
Slate has confirmed manufacturing will happen in a former catalog printing facility in Warsaw, Indiana, which closed in 2023. Slate hopes to renovate the ability and finally make use of 2,000 employees, with an annual manufacturing quantity of 150,000 autos. And the corporate is in search of tax abatements on the manufacturing unit web site from the county authorities to start building. Full particulars on that right here.
That home manufacturing ought to imply that autos produced by Slate are eligible for the total $7,500 federal rebate — if the credit score nonetheless exists late subsequent yr when the Truck enters manufacturing.
Does the Slate Truck have a mobile connection?
No, the Slate Truck doesn’t have built-in mobile connectivity. LTE is an more and more widespread characteristic in new automobiles, enabling auto producers to do all types of stuff, together with good issues like software program updates and a few maybe not so good issues like promoting your driving knowledge.
For the previous, o-the-air updates will nonetheless be attainable by way of the Slate smartphone app. Updates shall be downloaded to the telephone after which pushed to the Slate Truck by way of USB cable. As for the latter, that leads us to our subsequent query.
Will Slate harvest and promote my driving knowledge?
Not your driving knowledge, no, however you may add knowledge in regards to the well being of your car. Jeff Jablansky, Slate Auto’s head of public relations and communications, gave us this instance:
“A ‘verify engine’ gentle comes on: if the driving force has their telephone plugged in and has opted in to knowledge motion, the corporate will ship a notification to the Slate app to allow them to concentrate on potential service wants.”
Jablansky confirmed that no knowledge shall be bought to 3rd events.
Can I precondition my Slate Truck?
One of many joys of proudly owning a contemporary EV is straightforward preconditioning. No matter the place your automotive is parked, you will get the inside warmed up or cooled down from just some faucets in your smartphone, all with out having to fret about filling your storage with carbon monoxide.
Are you able to try this within the Slate Truck? Possibly. The shortage of mobile connection means you received’t be capable to wirelessly connect with your Truck from anyplace, however Jablansky didn’t rule it out solely, saying, “That is one thing we’re engaged on by way of the app.”
Will Slate make fashions obtainable for designing 3D-printed equipment?
Able to obtain some STL/3MF information in the present day and begin designing your final cupholder? Us, too, however we’ll must be affected person for just a little bit. “The Maker group is extremely essential to Slate, and we’re on observe towards delivering on this dedication nearer to launch,” Jablansky says.
So keep tuned on that entrance. Jablansky says this may also embrace particulars on third-party accent suppliers and licensing.
Why didn’t Slate use commonplace DIN slots for ease of putting in audio?
The DIN slot, often known as the ISO 7736 or Deutsches Institut für Normung 75490 slot, has lengthy been the usual for in-dash audio. Why, then, are there no DIN slots on the Slate Truck? Slate says it was to supply better flexibility. “We needed to permit the shopper to select and select their equipment with out forcing mixtures of choices collectively in packages. This involves life in our audio technique to permit clients to decide on to put in something from a Bluetooth speaker to a full audio system,” Jablansky says.
So the dangerous information is if you wish to use a normal DIN receiver, you then’ll have to DIY an enclosure for it. The excellent news is for those who simply wish to mount a Bluetooth sound bar, you then received’t have to fret about filling any gaping rectangular holes within the dashboard.
Picture: Slate Auto
Is a extra superior lively driver help system within the works?
No. “Per our broader method, we centered our engineering to make a Slate an incredible truck to drive,” Jablansky says.
Hold these palms on the wheel, of us.
Why select a Truck to begin as an alternative of a sedan or compact SUV?
Price and ease, it seems. Jablansky says that “a two-door type issue meant much less materials, much less complexity, decrease value.” He provides that the lockable frunk means there’s sedan-like safe storage in your stuff, with the additional benefit of a giant mattress out again. And, in fact, you may add on the SUV equipment for those who want extra seating or extra lined storage.
Will any particular instruments be required for any of the DIY upgrades and add-ons?
Per Jablansky, particular instruments usually are not anticipated to be required.
Will this factor actually promote for $20,000? What about tariffs? What if the EV incentives go away?
It’s a dynamic world and dynamic trade on the market proper now, however Slate isn’t backing down. “We’re dedicated to our anticipated value level of $20,000 after federal incentives,” Jablansky says, which suggests an MSRP of roughly $27,500. “If incentives go away, Slate will stay well-positioned within the U.S. with a robust proposition of worth, security, and customization.”
Will these attributes be sufficient to woo individuals away from a Ford Maverick, which begins at simply over $28,000? We’ll have to attend and see.
Jablansky says that Slate can be dedicated to US manufacturing, which ought to fend off a lot of the tariff fears, and that the corporate continues to be on observe to begin manufacturing in 2026.
