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Comment by rpdillon | Hacker News Reader

This has been a question the Slate team has been trying to answer. They claim the weight distribution being more even front-to-back (batteries offsetting motor, I presume), but I don't know whether I believe them. I was interested in a Slate, but the changes at the company lately (new CEO from McKinsey, rather than an engineer), along with decisions like RWD, and the anemic acceleration (0-60 in 8 seconds) gives me pause.

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I don’t know how the slate is designed but I have a rivian

The battery pack is by far heavier than the motors. In the r1 they are also positioned with the wheels (quad) or front/back (dual) so weight distribution is great.

If the slate has a single motor and is RWD then I would assume the weight might be biased toward the rear where the drive unit is powering the rear wheels. Either way the motor is relatively small compared to ICE trucks and that’s where you want the weight anyway for a RWD vehicle.

Am I mistaken?

I know little about this, so I suspect you're right. I've mostly been looking for the car version of a "dumb phone", and Slate looked like a nice fit, but it's thrown me into the world of EVs and I'm still pretty new to it.

That said, your explanation makes sense. Slate engineers claimed it would handle well, but it was vague enough that I'd want more detail before I believe them.

Oh man, I love that we live in a world where an eight second 0-60 is considered anemic! For a truck!

(Not digging at you, I feel the same way you do. I just think it’s weird and amazing!)

My old car is a Honda Civic hybrid from 2008. Your comment sent me checking out the current Civic (ICE) performance, and it's also eight seconds! So I see your point, I guess my expectations have changed since EVs came on the scene.

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