Slate says its electric pickup will never track you

With no embedded modem, the Slate Truck is the antithesis of today's connected cars.

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[Aurich]

The manual windows decision is so fundamentally insanely dumb, that it makes me discount the entire project. A company that could be so dumb to make a feature an option that 99.99% of customers will choose (necessitating that additional cost to have the manual and automatic part for no reason) will probably make other more critical dumb decisions that will probably result in a faulty product.

I posted that reddit poll, and while I think we can all agree it's pretty much just for fun and non-binding, the fact that 2/3rds of the people were interested in the manual option feels more relevant to me than your asserting that 99.99% won't want it.

 

[Random_stranger]

I think you have to consider how many people are considering the Slate as a secondary vehicle where manual windows aren't going to be a day-to-day headache. In its base form, its also a "small" two door vehicle which means you can generally reach both handles.

As for ice makers, I know a lot of people that would like the door space back in their fridge.

Yeah, our ice maker is permanently turned off - too many leaks in the stupid tiny lines - and we would prefer it NOT have one.

 

[GaitherBill]

Slate may not have a cellular modem, but it would be extremely dumb for them not to have a WiFi capability, otherwise how are they going to OTA software updates?
Therefore we should presume they have Internet Connectivity, but not while driving.

You didn’t read the article, did you.

 

[AusPeter]

The manual windows decision is so fundamentally insanely dumb, that it makes me discount the entire project. A company that could be so dumb to make a feature an option that 99.99% of customers will choose (necessitating that additional cost to have the manual and automatic part for no reason) will probably make other more critical dumb decisions that will probably result in a faulty product.

You would think that the management of Slate would have thought this through before selling a novel product, wouldn't you? I can't attest to their thinking, but a company with a $1.2 billion valuation, trying to deliver a physical product might have run the numbers before now.

 

[sbradford26]

You would think that the management of Slate would have thought this through before selling a novel product, wouldn't you? I can't attest to their thinking, but a company with a $1.2 billion valuation, trying to deliver a physical product might have run the numbers before now.

Well Tesla is worth a lot more money and has a fully connected car. Are they more right? Apple is worth a lot of money and they removed the headphone jack, so clearly they must be right?

Companies both big and small make good and bad design choices. Sometimes those mistakes can come from listing to only enthusiasts which can lead to making too
niche of products. Sometimes those mistakes can come from ignoring those enthusiasts because they are the people who spend the most money on your product.

At the end of the day saying a company has a high valuation therefore they must have a fully thought out product ignores a long list of hyped up companies/products that have crumbled.

 

[dagar9]

...I think they like the idea of wanting it, they like the '80s minitruck associations with it, they like the symbolic aspects of honestly and simplicity that come with it....but does anyone actually want to crank down the windows? Day in, day out, drive-thrus, tollbooths, enter the gate code, get the mail? It'll get old the first week.

Day in, day out? It's probably been 6 months or longer since I've gone through a drive-thru, a decade since a tollbooth, I don't think I've ever entered a gate code or needed my vehicle to get the mail (unless it was at the post office, and for the last 40 years I could walk there, it's less than a mile).

I guess life is different if you're stuck in the hinterlands.

 

[Random_stranger]

You hit the nail on the head: "it's the principle of the thing."

And, yes, cars were easier and less expensive to work on. Car ownership did not require years of debt. And a repair was a far simpler fix: you could do it yourself if you had the know-how and the willingness; you could pay Bubba to fix it for half the price of a professional shop (and he could do it!); or you could take it to the shop, and a mechanic (not a "technician") would fix it.

A car does not need to be the starship Enterprise. A car should not need to run 150 million lines of code, contain a modem, require firmware updates, require subscriptions, or require a professional technician to change the battery or fix a tail light. Don't get me wrong: if someone wants a car like that, then they should be able to buy it. But for many people--indeed most people--simpler, less expensive, and easy-to-maintain cars would be a blessing, especially for those in less fortunate economic circumstances who need to avoid deeper poverty as a result of the extraordinary expenses involved with twenty-first-century car ownership.

I get your point, but it only goes so far.. A Honda Civic from 2005 runs way, way, WAY more "code" than a 1976 CVCC (with all those vacuum hoses to actuate different timings, carburetor, points ignition IIRC, manual choke, etc). And yet, the 2005 is probably easier to fix, will run trouble-free for way longer, less emissions, better mileage, etc.

I think many of us here want 200x era cars back, and undo the last 10-15 years of "connected everything", "software-defined vehicles", "every model has all the bells and whistles", "you can buy any car you want as long as it's an SUV", etc.

And yet, despite all the "extra" features that are mandatory, my almost $50K 2019 coupe doesn't have a rear windshield wiper.. Although it does in other markets, I believe. Similar to the Subaru WRX/STI. I'd PAY EXTRA for that.

 

[Mrbonk]

I posted that reddit poll, and while I think we can all agree it's pretty much just for fun and non-binding, the fact that 2/3rds of the people were interested in the manual option feels more relevant to me than your asserting that 99.99% won't want it.

Yes and just to add , after years of problems with electric windows too and my childhood memory of hating manual windows. I decided manual isn't that big of a deal and could probably upgrade.

That and the no connected car finally did it for me and I plonked down the 50$ for the reservation. Every other time Ars posted a story I was on the fence. But I'm game now.

I drive a 2007 HHR that has seen some shit and 80% of the electronics don't work. Lol. They even have a wrap in a color very close to the one I have now which they didn't before I think.

 

[Snark218]

Day in, day out? It's probably been 6 months or longer since I've gone through a drive-thru, a decade since a tollbooth, I don't think I've ever entered a gate code or needed my vehicle to get the mail (unless it was at the post office, and for the last 40 years I could walk there, it's less than a mile).

I guess life is different if you're stuck in the hinterlands.

Yeah no, I'm not factoring the hinterlands in at all, given that most of the target market for this thing doesn't live there.

 

[huskcummerbund]

And yet, despite all the "extra" features that are mandatory, my almost $50K 2019 coupe doesn't have a rear windshield wiper.. Although it does in other markets, I believe. Similar to the Subaru WRX/STI. I'd PAY EXTRA for that.

One of the two main reasons I love hatchbacks and hate liftbacks, even though many people seem to think they are the same thing or nearly there.

 

[Random_stranger]

My first car had manual windows. Not really something I want to go back to. When the handle broke (and yes, it will break at some point) I used vise grips in the place of the handle. Good times...

Yeah, that brought back a vague memory.. Why TF did they put such wimpy teeth into those handles / crank mounting points? With that cheap cast iron (I think) manufacturing, those teeth stripped so easily..

 

[Random_stranger]

No, but there's space behind the dash panels that could easily fit a shallow-depth (no CD player) DIN head unit. Personally, I'm probably going to be fine just putting a Bluetooth speaker in the dash. One of the intents of the vehicle, though, is to be highly customizable. 3D print whatever mounts and adapters you want to make. Go nuts.

Is it assumed that if you're crazy enough to buy one of these, you already have a 3D printer??

 

[Cranioclast]

Day in, day out? It's probably been 6 months or longer since I've gone through a drive-thru, a decade since a tollbooth, I don't think I've ever entered a gate code or needed my vehicle to get the mail (unless it was at the post office, and for the last 40 years I could walk there, it's less than a mile).

I guess life is different if you're stuck in the hinterlands.

I haven’t been through a manned tollbooth in a decade. They’re all just plate readers now, aren’t they?

I’m trying to think of the last time I opened a car window. I’m sure I’ve done it, but I just can’t recall. It’s certainly not part of my regular driving experience.

I feel like the manual windows were included in the original concept car because it fit the whole retro design philosophy, but then they became such a talked-about feature that they couldn’t drop them. It’s wild to me how much their existence seems to piss people off, though. I’m in favor of them just for that.

 

[Snark218]

You are getting downvoted but you are right: regulators hate it when OEMs provide workarounds to FMVSS/crash certification by selling it aftermarket.

The DOT isn’t going to say “well technically you helped a customer turn a truck into an SUV after sale, so I can totally ignore the subsequent rollover deaths because your truck as sold isn’t subject to the same rollover standards as SUVs”

Yeah, we'll see. I am not entirely convinced this is as plug-and-play as Slate says it is. But I am also on record as a hater, so.

 

[Random_stranger]

Maybe it isn't so much "misplaced nostalgia" as that those people value things that you don't. The ritual of selecting a record, cleaning it, dropping the needle, and then being responsible to flip the record after a little while just changes how you engage with the music. You put more thought into your selections, are more likely to listen to full albums -- in the song order that the musicians/producers intentionally chose -- and that can give you a different listening experience than streaming random songs by random artists in random order. You can, of course, still get the same albums out of streaming services, but I find that I am usually a lot less engaged with the music when I stream, for whatever reason. It's been years since since I used a film camera, but I could imagine that something similar is going on there.

I guess that sometimes it's as much about the "how" than the "what" for me. Convenience and perfect sound quality have their places, but convenience and perfect sound quality aren't necessarily the ne plus ultra for everyone in every situation.

If it makes people pay more attention TO THE ROAD WHILE DRIVING, then please, EVERYONE BUY A SLATE. I'm tired of people clearly reading email while driving...

 

[Snark218]

I haven’t been through a manned tollbooth in a decade. They’re all just plate readers now, aren’t they?

I’m trying to think of the last time I opened a car window. I’m sure I’ve done it, but I just can’t recall. It’s certainly not part of my regular driving experience.

I feel like the manual windows were included in the original concept car because it fit the whole retro design philosophy, but then they became such a talked-about feature that they couldn’t drop them. It’s wild to me how much their existence seems to piss people off, though. I’m in favor of them just for that.

I got corrected, correctly, for making the last thread all about how cynical I think this thing is, and I am endeavoring to not be a butthead about it. But yeah, they do piss me off. They're not necessary. They strike me as a pretentious, performative nostalgia dog-whistle with no actual, objective engineering requirement to justify them; their only value is to appeal to the people who embrace the cranky backlash against vehicle electronics. Slate strikes me as a company relying far too hard on cranky backlash and nostalgia to generate buzz and far too little on delivering a viable, affordable EV to a broad section of the market.

Maybe it isn't so much "misplaced nostalgia" as that those people value things that you don't. The ritual of selecting a record, cleaning it, dropping the needle, and then being responsible to flip the record after a little while just changes how you engage with the music. You put more thought into your selections, are more likely to listen to full albums -- in the song order that the musicians/producers intentionally chose -- and that can give you a different listening experience than streaming random songs by random artists in random order. You can, of course, still get the same albums out of streaming services, but I find that I am usually a lot less engaged with the music when I stream, for whatever reason. It's been years since since I used a film camera, but I could imagine that something similar is going on there.

I guess that sometimes it's as much about the "how" than the "what" for me. Convenience and perfect sound quality have their places, but convenience and perfect sound quality aren't necessarily the ne plus ultra for everyone in every situation.

That applies to espresso and turntables and film cameras, sure. I would love to meet the weirdo who actually cranks his own windows down for the superior sense of engagement and tactile pleasure, but I suspect we'd have to weed out a lot of folks who fondly recall their crank-window Nissan Hardbody or whatever and would secretly hate the crank windows on a Slate before the paper plates expire.

 

[trashcanman]

Like many others here have said, if it becomes a reality and isn’t a lemon, I am 100% in on this. Perfect for hauling small loads around the local area. The fact that it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles only makes me want it more.

If they can deliver on their claims, I think they’ll find plenty of eager customers.

 

[huskcummerbund]

Is it assumed that if you're crazy enough to buy one of these, you already have a 3D printer??

Or have access to a search engine and a credit card.

 

[huskcummerbund]

I got corrected, correctly, for making the last thread all about how cynical I think this thing is, and I am endeavoring to not be a butthead about it. But yeah, they do piss me off. They're not necessary. They strike me as a pretentious, performative nostalgia dog-whistle with no actual, objective engineering requirement to justify them; their only value is to appeal to the people who embrace the cranky backlash against vehicle electronics. Slate strikes me as a company relying far too hard on cranky backlash and nostalgia to generate buzz and far too little on delivering a viable, affordable EV to a broad section of the market.


That applies to espresso and turntables and film cameras, sure. I would love to meet the weirdo who actually cranks his own windows down for the superior sense of engagement and tactile pleasure, but I suspect we'd have to weed out a lot of folks who fondly recall their crank-window Nissan Hardbody or whatever and would secretly hate the crank windows on a Slate before the paper plates expire.

It could also be, as others have noted, more about getting people talking about them in the comments section than providing a feature they think a ton of people want. The sunk R&D cost is just part of the marketing of the vehicle. I mean, once again, it's another article about the Slate that is six pages deep with people either talking about how much they love it or ranting about how stupid manual windows are. Either way, people are talking about this pickup.

 

[Snark218]

It could also be, as others have noted, more about getting people talking about them in the comments section than providing a feature they think a ton of people want. The sunk R&D cost is just part of the marketing of the vehicle. I mean, once again, it's another article about the Slate that is six pages deep with people either talking about how much they love it or ranting about how stupid manual windows are. Either way, people are talking about this pickup.

Sure. That just seems like a greasy way to promote a vehicle to me, and an implicit admission that they're afraid it won't sell on its actual merits.