SLATE Truck revealed as modular Pickup & SUV

[ShadowsPapa]

And one of the big tax incentives they have is drilling costs being deductible which is promoting new business.

Gee, just like farm equipment, repairs to farm equipment, rat traps and poisons, vet fees for a cat or dog if they are "outside controlling rodents", land rental, fencing, installing livestock watering equipment, building maintenance, or the deduction for using your vehicle for a business, business use of home, portion of your phone bill used for business, home mortgage deductions................

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[Zachanadandy]

Gee, just like farm equipment, repairs to farm equipment, rat traps and poisons, vet fees for a cat or dog if they are "outside controlling rodents", land rental, fencing, installing livestock watering equipment, building maintenance, or the deduction for using your vehicle for a business, business use of home, portion of your phone bill used for business, home mortgage deductions................

Write offs aren't subsidies, let's not conflate the 2.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Write offs aren't subsidies, let's not conflate the 2.

I referred to a quote about deductions. "drilling costs being deductible".............

The reason for Slate's intro vehicle being so cheap is a stack-up of "incentives" on the manufacturing end and the consumer end.

On the other hand - I'm not at all against those with the money to do so, propping up a startup to help get things going.

Maybe I didn't word things well - I don't think we're really far apart on such things in the end.

I thought federal bribes/incentives were ended?

As of this point in time, an EV that meets all the right criteria still gets the buyer a tax credit.

I do believe that before people jump up and down about the 20K price and read all sorts of things into it that they need to understand it's a base model, very limited, etc. - and most people won't be all that happy with the 20K version and would buy up. However, there will be enough who will want to get into EVs and can't afford the offerings of the "big guys" out there and who will be very interested in this.
The major auto makers are trying to convert their old ways, methods of manufacturing, vehicle structures and more into the EV world - ideally, a company would go in and totally ignore what GM, Ford, Toyota and others have done and start from scratch making an EV using methods ideal for the EV, not converting a century old way of auto making into the EV world.

Instead of people dissing it - it should simply be seen as yet another OPTION for those interested. There's a world of consumers out there who aren't at all like Jeep forum members, all ages, all walks of life, all income levels.
Frankly, I can't handle the looks of it and there's other reasons I'd not be interested, but it's not because of the thing having a charging port.
I know there will be people following this very closely.
And I have a feeling it's going to shake things up a bit - is that a bad thing?

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Gee, just like farm equipment, repairs to farm equipment, rat traps and poisons, vet fees for a cat or dog if they are "outside controlling rodents", land rental, fencing, installing livestock watering equipment, building maintenance, or the deduction for using your vehicle for a business, business use of home, portion of your phone bill used for business, home mortgage deductions................

Write offs aren't subsidies, let's not conflate the 2.

The assets mentioned that can be written off in the year purchased are just like the drilling costs. Subsidized with an immediate deduction rather than being amortized or depreciated over a future period.

 

[Mad Mac]

First thing that came to mind was a Suzuki Kai Truck.

Kai Trucks are COOL!!!

Exactly!

With one hand Big Brother is forcing us into big expensive safety and emission laden vehicles and guilt shaming us about gas mileage while the other hand is blocking imports of economical vehicles used by the rest of the world, ostensibly to protect us from ourselves when actually protecting U.S. manufacturing from competition. Tariffs aren't the only way to restrict imports.

When I was stationed in West Germany, I had a Fiat 850. The tiny clown car was known as a Limousine because most Fiats were 500, 600, 700 or 750. That was the engine size my friends. 850 ccs is a mere 52 cubic inches. The typical street bike sold in America today is 800 to 1600 ccs.

How much vehicle does one need to commute to work or school (in bumper to bumper traffic), go shopping or run errands that represent 90 percent of one's driving? Does one need a 5,000 pound ICE vehicle or a 6,000 pound EV to do that?

Thank you. I feel much better now.

 

[JAY]

Lots of good info revealed during the press event.

Watch: Slate Truck Official Reveal - Press Event Stream

 

[JAY]

See the Slate builds people have configured and post your own here:

https://www.slateforums.com/forum/threads/post-your-slate-build-configurations.12605/

 

[Mad Mac]

I put down my deposit.
Hope it does not jinx them.

I made a non-refundable $100 deposit
on a three-wheeled Elio. Not because I thought Paul Elio would succeed, but because I wanted him to succeed.
Lost my $100 but got a nice T-shirt.

I also put $100 down on a Ford Lightning
but got cold feet, canceled that, got my money back and bought the Gladiator.

Slate has the right concept.
I wish them success.

When the VW beetle was first introduced in the United States their timing was good and it was a roaring success. Basic transportation. My grandfather had a '56 model that I learned to drive in when I was 14. It did not even have a fuel gauge. Just a lever to switch to the reserve tank, like a motorcycle.

A Japanese company came to the U.S. and in 1963 when I was 16 I got my Dad to go for a test drive. He pronounced that it was a sidewalk car. You may have heard of the company, Nissan. It was Datsun back then.

 

[OffAxis2021]

And no I don't want to watch this thread. Why is it that if I make a comment the forum automatically thinks I want to add the thread to my watch list?!

Preferences… it is really not that hard.

 

[Sweetums]

A start up building ICE vehicles would make me nervous (and yet thousands, especially in our 4x4 communities are buying grenadiers starting at $65k), but by comparison an EV is so simplistic. Look at owning, operating, and maintaining a simple 2 stroke yard tool like a weedeater or chainsaw (especially in our ethanol fuel era) vs the battery version of the same. Fuel lines and carbs gummed up between seasons. Priming bulbs that crack every few years, mixing fuel, tuning the carb, washing/replacing the air filter after just 1 day of hard work in a Dusty environment, pull start that with all the above mentioned headaches is extra frustrating as you figure out why it doesn't want to start. Vs put in charged battery and pull trigger. Then there's the price. No I'm not buying a startup EV at $80k+ when I could buy from a more reputable source. But half the price of the nearest competitor and purposely simple and easy to work on? That is literally the recipe for reliability that nobody follows anymore. No transmission, no fluids, no air/fuel ratios, just an electric motor and a battery. And even the battery sounds like it will be easily replaced as they claim you can upgrade to the larger pack diy.

The Grenadier used proven power train components.

 

[Supazuk]

Not to ba a "nay-sayer", BUT... Yugo did this a few decades ago. They are mis-collector's items now. The wierd guy a mile away from you may have 5 stashed in his weeded property.

You get what you pay for, and reliability is expensive.

JT's are overpriced IMO but so is every new car.

To me, a 20K new truck or SUV is a joke, or an old Ford Bronco II made electric with a toy train motor and one thousand disclaimers.

You really cant put this in the Yugo category (for record I have driven one) that was a crap company selling crap

Slate is more along the lines of the 80's Nissan Hardbody P/U. It was a good little reliable truck , that you could buy with little to no options and didn't take all your money. It could be bought with a 2wd, 5 speed 4 cylinder, bench seat, no radio, one side view mirror, no A/c

 

[Supazuk]

It's Bezos vs. Musk.....

The name has to be is word play, there is no way its not an anagram on purpose!

T E S L A
S L A T E

 

[Zachanadandy]

The Grenadier used proven power train components.

BMW... known for reliability...by a British car manufacturer which has always screamed reliability? Versus an electric motor and no transmission? I'll bet on the later every time.

 

[van_tri]

I'm chuckling at the hate on the value and utilitarianism of this vehicle amidst our forum community's disappointment in Jeep abandoning manual locks and windows as well as skyrocketed MSRPs.

Hey ... People in my neighborhood are whipping around in golf carts that cost more than this thing

 

[Figmo]

I totally agree with you, yet I notice the Environmentalist Wacko's still believe that we ALL must go along with what THEY think is best.

Like you, I believe that EV's should be available, for those that want them.

I also believe that ICE vehicles should be available for those of us that want them.

Why is that so difficult to understand for the Environmentalist Wacko's?

I can tell you why, because that is their religion, and because that is their religion, they will continue to force EV's down our throats.

You are 100% right about the wackos and their mandates - but you're also ignoring a very real problem that government is really trying to solve: infrastructure.

There are plenty of folks who would be interested in an EV, but would never buy one because "where am I gonna charge it"? Charging overnight in your garage is great for the commuters. But those who want to exceed the 150mi range (which, we all know is not *ACTUALLY* going to be 150mi) need to feel confident that they can find a charging station along their route or they'll never buy into the technology. No matter how much they may desire to.

This whole "let those who ride, decide" mindset is just another way of saying "protectionism" for the current paradigm. Because without the infrastructure, people really don't have a choice.

I think what government is trying to say here is, "let's help those who decide be able to ride". Which, at least is the right idea. Just twisted and perverted by government inefficiencies and corruption like any government venture.

Which sucks but...hey..... even Hitler had one or two good ideas. Let's not throw the baby out with the sewage water. There's gotta be a happy medium that allows those who ride to truly be able to decide.

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