Ok being a bev the weigh distribution will be close to 50/50. If you have a big V8 hanging over the front axle then rwd, Especially up steep grades isn't happening. Thats why alot of people in the snow belt put 500 lbs or so in the bed of their truck.
Slate EV Pickup
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At a certain point, physics doesn't care how great a driver you are. Uphill grade + low drag factor = 2WD vehicle loses the ability to start up the hill before AWD/4WD does.
I went ahead and put a reservation in. I’ll report back in 2034 when I get the truck for $77,000.
Yes.
When I lived up north for 40 years front wheel drive was a must.
Now in the south rear wheel is fine to preferred. More so if towing a boat.
Now in the south rear wheel is fine to preferred. More so if towing a boat.
For the people going on about FWD vs RWD for snowy areas, I have a question... is there a reason for this beyond weight distribution? Because in an EV, the weight is pretty evenly distributed as the battery pretty much takes up the whole floor between the axles, unlike an ICE car where most of the weight is in the front.
Because I think RWD is a great choice if you're making a 2WD EV. More fun to drive and more space for a frunk if packaged/designed well. Like, I totally wish our Equinox EV was RWD! And heck, if Prologue was offered in RWD I wouldn't have had to upgrade to the AWD version.
Because I think RWD is a great choice if you're making a 2WD EV. More fun to drive and more space for a frunk if packaged/designed well. Like, I totally wish our Equinox EV was RWD! And heck, if Prologue was offered in RWD I wouldn't have had to upgrade to the AWD version.
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The original VW Beetle is supposedly very good in the snow, despite being RWD and very light weight. Of course the engine in the rear helped quite a bit, but that engine wasn't that heavy.
A good traction control system can help a lot in the snow, as can quality winter tires, so this might not be as much of an issue as people think it will be. Especially for fleet customers who won't care either way.
I am excited about the plastic body panels. I used to own a Saturn and that's one of the things I liked about it. I honestly don't get why vehicles with plastic body panels never caught on.
The towing capacity needs to be better than 1000 lbs. though. Even if you don't plan on towing anything, a rating that's less than what a Prius can do is not a good look, and will only serve to cause people not to take these things seriously.
A good traction control system can help a lot in the snow, as can quality winter tires, so this might not be as much of an issue as people think it will be. Especially for fleet customers who won't care either way.
I am excited about the plastic body panels. I used to own a Saturn and that's one of the things I liked about it. I honestly don't get why vehicles with plastic body panels never caught on.
The towing capacity needs to be better than 1000 lbs. though. Even if you don't plan on towing anything, a rating that's less than what a Prius can do is not a good look, and will only serve to cause people not to take these things seriously.
If it had at least an 8ft flatbed and 4wd, and a reasonable load rating, like 2-3k lbs and ~10k towing, that would handle most 1/2 ton truck duties.
I ran a 2wd 1 ton dump truck for years. I put a Detroit locker in it and got very good at throwing on tire chains.
I ran a 2wd 1 ton dump truck for years. I put a Detroit locker in it and got very good at throwing on tire chains.
Owen Lucas
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There are plenty of no-frills people like myself that will be lining up to the factory doors with fists full of cash waiting to buy a basic truck like this. If they can pull it of at $20k, it's a no brainer.
I think the common refrain 'This time it's different' genuinely applies here. First, Bezos is backing this venture, and at this stage in his career, I believe he knows how to identify and avoid poor investments. Second, the design is very simple - no body shop, basic off-the-shelf parts, if they can maintain competitive pricing, it' a no brainer. I mean, Lucid and Rivian are still alive and their product is 10x more complicated.
Supposedly the bed is longer than the Mavericks bed. The big gotcha is how they can sell it with only two airbags? Crash regulations require front and side airbags, plus tpms, plus a backup camera, etc. The Autopian has an interesting article about this. It's only offered as a single cab which instantly removes it from 80% of the US buying population as pickup trucks have replaced family sedans in a number of cases. I mentioned before if the weight balance is 50/50 than not much issue as many BMW owners drive with rwd and studded tires. If the carbon offset credits go away as well as the $7,500 tax credit it no longer looks good financially on paper. Fleet buyers with fast chargers could use this but, the 150 miles of range on a good day go out the window in a snowstorm at night, when it's -15F. Ad in -45 Alaskan winters and you'll be under 100 miles useable pretty quick.
I'm enthusiastic.
You know what would be cool?
Take the press release footage shot during Saturn's debut and see how much the dialogue matches.
And I wonder how many lessens were learned by Toyota when they marketed options for their Scion B (square thing).
It was all about those options.
You know what would be cool?
Take the press release footage shot during Saturn's debut and see how much the dialogue matches.
And I wonder how many lessens were learned by Toyota when they marketed options for their Scion B (square thing).
It was all about those options.
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I don't think weight distribution is enough. I've had FWD, RWD, and now AWD. I work weird hours and I get plowed in a lot in the winter. Anything 2WD regardless of which wheels are driven really take sending it to get over a deep snow pile. My Model Y Performance just pulls right through it. I really have to commit to get the RWD Model 3 through it. My wife stays put when the weather is bad. I don't have an option to sit it out and going to AWD was a game changer in that regard. The GTI was a disaster being 1000lbs lighter and was so quick to build boost into wicked wheelspin.
As far as only having two driven wheels, I still prefer RWD no matter the platform.
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For 20K, this little guy would be a pretty compelling proposition.
A good commuter vehicle and with some utility value.
The range would be fine in typical local use for those who invest in the infrastructure to be able to charge efficiently at home.
RWD is hardly a deal breaker, since most of us who've been driving for a while have driven many RWD vehicles through all sorts of horrendous winter conditions.
Overall, an inexpensive new vehicle that could be used and abused for the next decade or so.
A good commuter vehicle and with some utility value.
The range would be fine in typical local use for those who invest in the infrastructure to be able to charge efficiently at home.
RWD is hardly a deal breaker, since most of us who've been driving for a while have driven many RWD vehicles through all sorts of horrendous winter conditions.
Overall, an inexpensive new vehicle that could be used and abused for the next decade or so.
I think it's interesting that it says "The Slate is designed to achieve 5-star crash rating. " I'm sure some computer modeling is possible but won't know until testing. Second they HAVE to get this thing out the door on time. Just look at the Cybertruck debacle. If the tax credit goes away (and it should) a comment on the Autopian mentioned that it won't be competitive, as It sounds like the $7500 credit was baked into the price.
Tesla made it nearly impossible for people to order the "base madel 3". Sales people pushed people into higher trims. It's even crazier as apparently early on the base model 3 had power tilt steering wheel and fake leather. Later iterations had cloth seats and manual adjustment steering wheel. I saw this happen once while selling for Lexus. The regional ad said "Lexus es300 $399 per month." They forgot to ad in the plus $4,000 down die at signing. The weird thing is that it didn't have heated seats which should be standard on a Lexus. It wouldn't surprise me if car companies pushed people out of cheap transportation.
I assume the battery will be under the bed and it will have something like 40-45% front and 55-60% rear weight distribution. So with snow tires it will climb up a pretty steep hill in the snow. My Focus is around 60%F 40%R and it climbs the hill on my snow covered driveway remarkably better in reverse.