Slate's $24,950 electric truck is on track for release this year — here's how it stacks up against the cheapest EVs I've tested

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https://www.tomsguide.com/vehicle-tech/evs/slates-usd24-950-electric-truck-is-on-track-for-release-this-year-heres-how-it-stacks-up-against-the-cheapest-evs-ive-tested

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I want one of those so badly since it’s perfect for my use cases but I also don’t want to be an early adopter.

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Jeff Bezos being one of the owners is a big turn off for me.

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You might’ve been misled there: bezos is an early investor in slate, but he doesn’t own the company and doesn’t even currently have representation on the company’s board. Bezos reportedly hasn’t been involved in decision-making for the company and doesn’t have an ownership stake, so I’m willing to accept that slate simply took his early support without handing him the reins

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Bezos Expeditions has a seat on the board, what are you talking about?

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Might as well be a Tesla. No thanks.

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Bezos isn’t an owner and slate says he hasnt been making decisions. Not to mention, as much as I hate bozos, he hasn’t came out as a nazi, so elons still waaayyy worse.

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Yeah, I mean, there’s no such thing as a free range, ethically sourced, organic car, either. At least Slate isn’t a megacorp.

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These reviews entirely miss the point of the slate. Like they’re mentally incapable of making the comparison because to them, the lack of features is a bug, not a feature in and of itself. I’m buying a vehicle. Not a phone. I have a phone. I don’t need my vehicle to be a phone.

I think the best comparison would be to the original Toyota pickup/hilux, like the 2nd and 3rd gen. The slate having manual windows is an intentional design choice, but a modern review outlet can’t comprehend that people value simplicity and things which don’t allow for surveillance. It’s a platform you can build on. It’s leveraging the fact that an ev power train is actually much simpler and less likely to fail than an ice power train.

Questions I want to know which should be compared: repairability, serviceability, maintenance cycles. How extendable is the platform? How easy will the electric system be able to be tapped into?

I’m in line for the slate and planning on getting one. I’m thinking utility truck first then maybe conversion to a food truck.

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I want the Slate to succeed, but unless you need a truck bed daily, a used Bolt offers greater value for the average person at a lower price.

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Oh stow that counterproductive bullshit.

Yeah, used cars are always better value than new ones because someone else has already eaten the depreciation. That’s why no one makes new cars, they just can’t compete on value.

I find “daily” to be too strict a criteria, go for “routinely.” I’m a woodworker, I haul lumber, tools, scrap and finished projects around in my S10, sometimes multiple loads a day, sometimes not for weeks. It’s been 8 days since I hauled something heavy in my pickup, I bought a new compressor and it wasn’t gonna fit in my Buick.

Plus…some people want a truck because they like them. If you want the unwashed masses to drive more EVs, you’re going to have to allow EVs to be things other than expensive luxury sport sedanover Model Y clones or “cut off your genitals to save weight and get better mileage” self-flagellation machines for self-loathing Green party voters like the Leaf and Bolt. Bring back fun little toy cars like the Geo Tracker and the Subaru BRAT but with electric powertrains. Something that’s just as fun to slide through the mud as a Wrangler or Bronco but 7/8ths as big, something a blonde named Tina wants to drive to her job at the Great Clips in Rocky Mount.

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I feel like it’s more for someone going to Home Depot and IKEA most weekends than someone who needs a truck bed daily to haul gravel and 15 horses 800 miles across a glacier

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Doesn’t that apply to ANY vehicle with a truck bed? You’re just comparing apples and oranges.

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I’m a bit out of the loop, the slate doesn’t have a modem and GPS? I assume the bolt does? Seems like an important factor these days.

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It’s a car, not computer. Lack of wireless connectivity is nothing but a plus in my books. My phone has an internet and GPS for when I need them.

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Seems like an important factor these days.

Seems like something I’d want to avoid at all costs these days.

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And if you need a truck bed daily you’re probably going to buy a truck with a full size one, instead of a 5ft bed which barely gives you more storage space than the trunk of a wagon.

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I love this concept, just wish I had the money or use case for one.

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