Will the Slate sell
Count me out. I wouldn’t recommend investing either. People make the mistake of thinking price is everything, when in fact it is utility. A vehicle must meet a variety of needs. Few people can have a fleet of special purpose vehicles. One for hauling plywood five miles away and another to pull a boat, and another to seat four or more people in comfort.
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Sure, we have a few on here looking for this exact vehicle, bare bones, no nothings… 
But once the 50 people in the US that would/could buy one, no more will be sold… Joking, mostly… 
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I didn’t read enough to see if a manual transmission is standard. Might get ten more buyers that way.
Yes of course, electric. My bad. Guess I was thinking of a ranger.
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IMO it will sell enough to stay in business. The executives have a history in the automobile industry and should understand how to produce the truck and deliver it to the consumer without many hiccups. I think this will be a good work truck. Add a bed liner and maybe a bed frame for ladders inside the liner and the bed won’t be marred. 150 miles should be plenty to commute to the job site and home for overnight charging for most owners. This is the equivalent of the inexpensive white work truck the Detroit 3 sell for a lot more than the $28,000 without incentives that the Slate will sell for.
Of course! It’s a one speed transmission. My Tesla has a manual transmission in that respect too. 
A manual transmission on an electric vehicle ? Is that an answer to a question no one asked?
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Most people aren’t familiar with EVs and don’t realize that a multi speed transmission. Very few models have more than one speed and they are very expensive. I refer to it as a manual transmission because I have to engage the transmission manually even thought it is technically an automatic. I think it’s fun. Remember fun?
I can see the attraction as a basic utility run-around vehicle. Not as a regular daily driver tough. But if they prove to be reasonably reliable, I can see them being attractive in many of the trades as company fleet vehicles, or just as basic work vehicles for the self-employed. That’s especially so with with bolt on SUV extension. I’ve been in painting a lot. It would actually be perfect for what I always did. I’d have to add a sound system tho…
You bet it will sell. A modern-day economy car with available compact pickup and SUV bodies, and a plug-in electric powertrain. Count me in! I have been longing for an inexpensive, very basic vehicle, and it appears I am not alone.
I can’t wait to see the final details on this, especially what the driving range will be, and how difficult this will be to recharge. Hopefully, this can charge in 12-24 hours from a standard 120V electrical outlet, like the now-departed Mitsubishi i-MIEV.
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There’s a lot more people than you think who prefer a more basic vehicle. And as the economy worsens, and household budgets are strained, even people who would prefer a fancier model will recalibrate their expectations downward. In other words, even people who would very much prefer a premium vehicle will choose an economy car if they expect poor job security, high inflation, and mounting economic uncertainty.
Every PHEV with which I familiar will do a full recharge in 10-12 hours from a 120 volt outlet, so I doubt that this PHEV pickup will be different.
I will pass on this Slate truck. The price sounds good until you start listing the things you don’t get . I think it will just be an extra toy for people who can afford it not people who need a vehicle to serve multipule uses.
They already said the range is 150 miles. If it’s similar to my EV, it should add 75 miles or so in 12 hours on a 120V line. Depending on the battery chemistry, the battery shouldn’t be charged to 100% on a regular basis. LFP batteries can be regularly charged to 100% without reducing range too much. Other battery chemistries shouldn’t be charged beyond 80% on a regular basis because that will reduce range more quickly. The good news is that charging is slower above 80%, and only charging to 80% would add more than 75 miles in 12 hours. I doubt that they are using LFP batteries because the manufacturer, CATL, is in China.
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The Slate has a projected range of 150 miles* and is designed and engineered to get you through most local daily driving needs. A longer-range battery pack extends the range to a projected 240 miles.*
LEVEL 1 – HOUSEHOLD OUTLET
Use the included Slate charging cable • No need to purchase extras • Adds 2 to 5 miles per hour of charge • Overnight charge adds 20 to 50 miles
LEVEL 2 – APPLIANCE OUTLET
Use the included Slate charging cable • No need to purchase extras • Adds 25 to 40 miles per hour of charge • Full charge in 4-8 hours
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Other sites that I have seen show tyhe price at 25k for the bare bones model. That much difference might mean it won’t sell in sufficent numbers to make it.
I thought it was $28,000 without the feds contribution. The question of why we are still paying for this with tax money comes to mind.
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Didn’t Tesla become popular with $7,500 tax deduction?
BTW, what is the situation re HVAC on EVs?
EVs and PHEVs use electrically-powered heat pumps.
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