Slate Auto FAQ: your questions answered

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 prefer to know extra. Lots of you wrote in with questions and quite a lot of folks 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 couple of of our personal.

What are the Slate’s full specs, and the way does it evaluate to a Ford Maverick or F-150?

The Slate is clearly a automobile constructed for on a regular basis utility, and whereas it’ll make for a useful machine for hauling numerous issues, large towing and heavy cargo have been clearly not a high precedence. Listed below are the important thing specs, in contrast in opposition to 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.

It’s price noting that these Ford numbers fluctuate extensively based mostly on configuration. For instance, you may get a “4K Tow Bundle” on the Maverick that reinforces towing to 4,000 lbs, and the F-150 has tons of of variations relying on want. Max towing on an F-150 is 13,500 lbs. The numbers above signify the figures quoted by Ford for a base, option-free automobile.

And one closing word: towing considerably reduces the effectivity of the tow automobile, because of the weight of the trailer and its extra aerodynamic drag. For an electrical automobile just like the Slate, that may absolutely end in decreased vary, maybe by as a lot as half relying on the trailer.

The place will the automobile 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 automobiles. And the corporate is seeking tax abatements on the factory site from the county authorities to start building. Full details on that here.

That home manufacturing ought to imply that automobiles produced by Slate are eligible for the complete $7,500 federal rebate — if the credit score still exists late subsequent 12 months 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 function in new vehicles, enabling auto producers to do all kinds of stuff, together with good issues like software program updates and a few maybe not so good issues like selling your driving data.

For the previous, o-the-air updates will nonetheless be attainable through the Slate smartphone app. Updates will probably be downloaded to the cellphone after which pushed to the Slate Truck through 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’ll be able to add knowledge in regards to the well being of your automobile. Jeff Jablansky, Slate Auto’s head of public relations and communications, gave us this instance:

“A ‘verify engine’ mild comes on: if the driving force has their cellphone 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 will probably be offered 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 may 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 do this within the Slate Truck? Possibly. The shortage of mobile connection means you received’t be capable of wirelessly hook up with your Truck from wherever, however Jablansky didn’t rule it out completely, saying, “That is one thing we’re engaged on by means of the app.”

Will Slate make fashions obtainable for designing 3D-printed equipment?

Able to obtain some STL/3MF information right this moment and begin designing your final cupholder? Us, too, however we’ll have to be affected person for somewhat bit. “The Maker neighborhood is extremely vital to Slate, and we’re on monitor towards delivering on this dedication nearer to launch,” Jablansky says.

So keep tuned on that entrance. Jablansky says this will even embrace particulars on third-party accent suppliers and licensing.

Why didn’t Slate use customary 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 larger flexibility. “We needed to permit the shopper to choose and select their equipment with out forcing combos of choices collectively in packages. This involves life in our audio technique to permit prospects 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 regular DIN receiver, you then’ll must DIY an enclosure for it. The excellent news is when you simply need to mount a Bluetooth sound bar, you then received’t have to fret about filling any gaping rectangular holes within the dashboard.

Is a extra superior lively driver help system within the works?

No. “Per our broader strategy, we centered our engineering to make a Slate an important truck to drive,” Jablansky says.

Hold these fingers on the wheel, people.

Why select a Truck to start out as a substitute of a sedan or compact SUV?

Price and ease, it seems. Jablansky says that “a two-door kind issue meant much less materials, much less complexity, decrease value.” He provides that the lockable frunk means there’s sedan-like safe storage on your stuff, with the additional advantage of an enormous mattress out again. And, after all, you’ll be able to add on the SUV equipment when you 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 are usually 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 business on the market proper now, however Slate isn’t backing down. “We’re dedicated to our anticipated worth 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 folks away from a Ford Maverick, which begins at simply over $28,000? We’ll have to attend and see.

Jablansky says that Slate can also be dedicated to US manufacturing, which ought to fend off many of the tariff fears, and that the corporate continues to be on monitor to start out manufacturing in 2026.