A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen

It has a base range of 150 miles [0], which won't resolve range anxiety worries as the average American travels 42 miles a day [1] and only has 2 seats. I think it will do well for hobbyists and EV enthusiasts, but it would be hard to compete with a slightly pricier Tacoma. When people buy a pickup truck, they often use it as a daily commuter as well.

> Got a road trip planned? These trips are all doable on a single charge of our standard battery. If you want to go even farther, our extended range battery increases the range to a projected 240 miles from a projected 150 miles. [0]

[0] - https://www.slate.auto/en/charging

[1] - https://www.axios.com/2024/03/24/average-commute-distance-us...

Edit: The average pickup truck purchaser's has a household income of around $110,000 and 75% live outside cities [0]. When they are purchasing a pickup, it is meant to be both a daily driver and an errand vehicle.

Spending $20,000 on a 2 seater bench pickup with 150mi range is ludicrous when you can buy a used 5 seater Honda Fit or Toyota Tacoma for $0-7k more.

This is most likely targeted at fleet usecases like a factory or local deliveries, but this won't make a dent in the primary demographic that purchases pickups, and being overly defensive is doing no favors in thinking about HOW to build a true killer app EV for the American market.

The thing about range: it’s always reducing (as the batteries age). And then it also reduces based on factors like temperature. The anxiety is solely from the not knowing.

All true but totally irrelevant. I wouldn't get this to make a cross-country trip, but I would absolutely, 100% get this to have an errand vehicle that never leaves the metro area.

Yep, and it's something that Slate's marketing doesn't directly address. Before Tesla's brand perception meltdown due to Elon, a major reason why Tesla was much more popular than other brands was because of the Supercharger network, which helped reduce range anxiety worries in the West Coast.

> All true but totally irrelevant

Not really. The average pickup truck purchaser's has a household income of around $110,000 and 75% live outside cities [0]. When they are purchasing a pickup, it is meant to be both a daily driver and an errand vehicle.

Not have 4 seats AND having a lower range makes it a niche vehicle from a consumer sales perspective.

This is most likely being targeted at fleets, which tend to have a local presence and don't have the consumer usecase attached.

> I would absolutely, 100% get this to have an errand vehicle that never leaves the metro area.

You're a software engineer in the Bay Area. You were never the target demographic for pickup truck sales, but you would in fact be a target demo for a product like a Slate Truck.

[0] - https://www.americantrucks.com/pickup-truck-owner-demographi...

Disagree. I would buy this as a secondary vehicle for in-city needs, not for road trips. I've been thinking about getting a second car to complement our Kia EV6, but don't want to spend a ton.

>> All true but totally irrelevant

> Not really.

The person you're replying to shares their perspective about why they think your complaints are irrelevant to them. You can't "not really" someone's lived experience. Well you can, but it sounds smug and out of touch.

> It has a base range of 150 miles [0], which won't resolve range anxiety worries as the average American travels 42 miles a day [1]

What am I missing here? Charge at home and you’ll easily do those 42 miles every day surely?

Especially since your other point said these would be aimed at those outside of cities and those people will presumably have parking/charging at their home.

This is obviously not intended to compete with F-150s and Tacomas. And Honda doesn’t make the Fit anymore. See here for a current Fit owner’s take:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43794437

> Not have 4 seats AND having a lower range makes it a niche vehicle from a consumer sales perspective.

The base model only has two seats. The article explicitly states there will be an SUV conversion kit that you can purchase and install at home. There will also be an extended battery available. It's a very customizable vehicle.

New Tacoma's are like $40k for a pretty basic model these days.

> Not have 4 seats AND having a lower range makes it a niche vehicle from a consumer sales perspective.

In the Bay Area alone, that's huge. A cheap electric 2-seater that can get you into the HOV lanes? Yes please! Who cares if it happens to be truck-shaped. Squint and pretend it's an Electric Camino.

> You're a software engineer in the Bay Area.

...who grew up in the Midwest, learned to drive in a 1970 Chevy Custom with 3-on-the-tree, spent many adult years on the Great Plains, and who happens to live in the Bay Area now.

I am no stranger to trucks.

There are a million things I could use a pickup for today, especially for that price.

>New Tacoma's are like $40k for a pretty basic model these days.

I thought so too, but apparently they make an extended cab one that is like 31k for the base model.

> a major reason why Tesla was much more popular than other brands was because of the Supercharger network, which helped reduce range anxiety worries in the West Coast.

Can't basically every other brand use those now? Between the compatible Tesla chargers and all the other ones through Charge America and charging overnight at home, there is no concern from a daily driving, or even moderately ranged trip, standpoint. The downside to long trips is the 30+ minute wait at each charging stop, not the lack of chargers.

Average need not beethe target. There are large niches that don't need as much. Many work trucks never go on road trips. Are those niches big enough is a question.

While there are enough charges to make the trip they are not as common as gas stations and often not in visible locations. You can't just drive until the light goes on and then stop at the next exit like a gas car.

>While there are enough charges to make the trip they are not as common as gas stations and often not in visible locations.

Sure but everyone with an EV has an app that tells them where they are and helps with route planning.

>You can't just drive until the light goes on and then stop at the next exit like a gas car.

You nearly can. Most ICE cars turn the light on at 50 miles. Other than maybe the middle of the desert, there is going to be a charger within 50 miles.

Using an app while driving is dangerious. Most places illegal as well. The charger will be within 50 miles but you won't find it without the app which means annoying. And if you forgot your phone you are in trouble.