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Comment by nebula8804 | Hacker News Reader

I guess we will find out if many of these things actually matter with the Slate truck. It is in many ways the antithesis of this electric F-150. If that vehicle fails then there are no more excuses, a significant chunk of Americans just don't like electric vehicles and are destined to be laggards.

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I'm just a Dutch guy that emigrated to Thailand, but I'd never trade my Toyota Hilux diesel for an electric truck. I don't want to have to rely on electric to be able to drive my car. A hybrid could be ok though.

The nice thing about diesel, in case of emergency is you can have a couple of filled jerrycans around so you can always move if needed. I like the reliability, it feels more anti-fragile, if that makes sense.

I wonder if the Gibraltar company that produces Toyota trucks for UN [0] is going fully electric anytime soon, if ever.

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[0]: https://www.offgridweb.com/transportation/toyota-gibraltar-t...

“ in case of emergency is you can have a couple of filled jerrycans around so you can always move if needed”

How many times has this been a problem for you?

Luckily I haven't had any emergencies. But in Thailand recently there's been flooding in the south, many people stuck. And in eastern part many people have been evacuated due to border tensions with Cambodia.

I live in the north-west Thailand, close to the border with Myanmar. An area known as the Golden Triangle [0].

About once a month or so we don't have electricity for a about 10-12 hours or so.

I also experienced a quite big earthquake here about a year ago.

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[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Triangle_(Southeast_Asi...

Seems like an electric vehicle that could serve as an electricity backup might actually be more useful for you than not.

That's a need that can also be met with a towable trailer that locks up tools, carries batteries, and supports panels for charging, eg:

* https://www.solarbatterywarehouse.com.au/solar-battery-shop/...

In an emergency you can leave the house in regular vehicle leaving trailer behind to power the freezer.

In other times it's handy for powering tools away from a main supply.

It's also a honeypot of nickable stuff so it'd be good to invest in quality locks and towball / wheel locks.

While ICE vehicles need gas/diesel specifically to run, EVs can be charged from a variety of sources, including a diesel generator. Electricity is the great unifier. You could pedal a bike to make some electricity, but no amount of pedaling will create fossil fuels.

The Slate initially looked good to me, but there were three things about it that were not upgradeable that seemed problematic:

* Bed size is fairly small

* Towing capacity is low (Just 1000lbs)

* RWD -> AWD

I liked the idea of buying a barebones truck and customizing it myself, but if it can't tow much, can't carry much, and can't go off-road, it's only really a truck in terms of its shape.

There really is always going to be something. shrug

Those are all the things people use trucks for

Yes. If I fold the back seats down in my wife's SUV, it already does all of those things better.

I might be biased because I hang out in the slate subreddit and have been pretty attentive to The product as a whole since they announced it this spring but I think they're on to something assuming they can figure out how to build out the service and parts network.

The vehicle itself may be a runaway sales success but if there's only or two locations in each major state where you can get it serviced, that runaway success will be extremely short-lived.

In theory the simplicity means that it shouldn't be difficult to partner with any independent shop... No complicated or proprietary software theoretically means that any shop with tools and a lift can do the work.

Time will tell, though. I remain optimistic and eagerly await delivery of my truck.

They seem like Framework for cars. Am also following closely.

Have they even given anyone a test drive or shown anything other than that single press car at all their events? Im starting to get worried that as we approach release expectations may fall flat. I am tired of all the youtuber just sitting in the truck and repeating the same press release.

As far as I know they are hoping to do this in early 2026. So far the only vehicles they have shown off have been validation prototypes.

Their wikipedia page says they announced “a partnership with RepairPal, a network of certified auto repair shops and dealerships across the US, to give owners access to 4000 service points from day one”. I don’t know if a “service point” is the same as a mechanic shop though.

RepairPal is just a rent seeking middleman like Angi's list. I don't see what that partnership will provide, certainly not shops that are trained to repair the truck.

I hadn’t heard of it before reading that paragraph on wikipedia, but the name combined with the wording made me suspect as much.

That only matters if said repair shops are A: actually trained on the vehicles and B: can get parts.

I love electric vehicles, but I want something that lands somewhere between the DIY-esque Slate and the literally-costs-more-than-I-paid-for-my-house F-150 Lightning. I have a 23 Chevy Bolt EUV which is the sweet spot for me right now, I just wish it had AWD for the winters where I live.

Ok, where are houses going for 60k? I need to know this secret.

Haha, I'm in rural Iowa – my house was $89k for 3 beds, 2 baths in 2016. When we were looking at electric vehicles at the end of 2022/early 2023, the F-150 Lightning was pushing 70k-100k for the trims and ranges we were looking at.

Yes, early adopters paid extra, as is normal when demand is high and supply is low.

I want a BYD that costs less than a 2000 Camry did brand new in 2000.

EVs are inherently pretty simple machines. All the complexity is in the battery, and China’s crushing everyone at battery tech. It’s not even close. It’s like a human trying to beat a polar bear in hand to hand combat.

They really need to deregulate the auto industry and let us buy the Yugos with a Jetsons battery. America is a poor country now. Nobody can afford used cars in this economy, never mind new ones.

> literally-costs-more-than-I-paid-for-my-house F-150 Lightning

I'm on board for a house that cost less than 50K.

I preordered a lightning. When they finally released it, it could not be obtained for less than $85k, and many were marked up or added-on for upwards of $100k.

Ford having set my expectations at a $40k starting price, I canceled my order.

I gave Slate my $50, though since the price is creeping up (not their fault), I may or may not bite. I am hoping the Nio Firefly[1] becomes the EV equivalent of the VW Beetle and conquerors the world, but I am not holding my breath on it making it to the US in the present (political) climate.

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_(vehicle)

>DIY-esque Slate

Slate is very far from DIY.

A DIY Slate would be conversion kits/service for existing trucks.

>I just wish it had AWD for the winters where I live.

Why? People always say this. AWD doesn't help you stop faster. It won't help you get around the corner. You aren't on a racetrack.

Buy better tires. A real set of winter specialized tires will do better than any powertrain option. If you are absolutely insistent that no really you are totally special, get studded tires.

The best snow performance I've ever had out of a vehicle came not from the AWD trucks people around me owned, but from $34 walmart winter tires on a Dodge Neon. Because being light is a benefit.

Or, and this is the big one, stop being so bad at driving! My mom would spend $350 a tire on the best best best snow tire money could buy and fill it full of studs and still feel like she was out of control in the snow, because if you put your foot down on the pedal, any vehicle with more than 20HP will spin the tires.

Learn how to steer in the snow and slightly out of control. It's pretty intuitive IMO and fun.

Just be gentler. Press the pedal less to start. Or don't, modern ESC has no problem modulating the throttle for you.

> Why? People always say this. AWD doesn't help you stop faster. It won't help you get around the corner. You aren't on a racetrack.

So I don't get stuck lol

> Or, and this is the big one, stop being so bad at driving! [...] because if you put your foot down on the pedal, any vehicle with more than 20HP will spin the tires.

> Learn how to steer in the snow and slightly out of control. It's pretty intuitive IMO and fun.

> Just be gentler. Press the pedal less to start. Or don't, modern ESC has no problem modulating the throttle for you.

Don't patronize me. I've lived in Iowa for 35+ years, I know how to drive in the snow.

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