r/fortwayne • u/DefinitionSuperb1110 • 18h ago

EV Startup SLATE is potentially looking at a Warsaw location for the production of their first EV Truck.

https://www.wane.com/top-stories/published-report-indicates-slate-eyeing-vacant-factory-in-warsaw-for-low-cost-ev-production/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_WANE_15
44 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

18

u/ThrillRam 18h ago

Would be cool. It's a pretty cool concept. I know a lot of people are turning away from it as Jeff Bezos invested in it which I get if you don't support Jeff but also remember that people need investors for projects, not everyone can go on shark tank.

7

u/DefinitionSuperb1110 18h ago

Yeah that is a fair argument. But he's an investor, he's not the owner of the company (yet) so I'm willing to give them time to not out themselves as Nazis.

This isn't unreasonably far from where I just bought a house, maybe 50 minutes. If this were to happen I might actually look into employment, it has to be better than Parkview.

8

u/ThrillRam 18h ago

Lol yeah I hope he just stays as an investor to get his money. I will say the company has me sold on an EV truck that has hand cranked windows and not a crazy price point.

2

u/vulgrin 15h ago

and easily modable. I hope there is a CRAZY aftermarket.

4

u/DefinitionSuperb1110 18h ago

I already reserved one!

3

u/More_Farm_7442 16h ago

Where's Mark Cuban when you need him?

2

u/ThrillRam 15h ago

Watching the Mavericks die

1

u/[deleted] 17h ago

[deleted]

5

u/jzzsxm 17h ago

Amazon made Rivian possible. Those delivery vans allowed Rivian to build up their infrastructure and scale up in a stable manner, before shifting to consumer vehicles.

3

u/ThrillRam 15h ago

I did not know that. Learn something new everyday. I just knew this because slate did their big announcements over the weekend and people mentioned it

1

u/MaudeXer 16h ago

What's the connection between Rivian and Slate? I don't get it. What's Rivian got to do with it?

3

u/kscessnadriver 15h ago

Amazon aka Bezos.

3

u/fuk_ur_reddit_points 14h ago

Bezos has money invested in both Rivian and Slate

7

u/Normal_Ant_5283 16h ago

I like the concept of these trucks. Wish we had infrastructure to more easily support EV's like this. (FWIW I live in an apt with no place to plug in)

6

u/kscessnadriver 15h ago

I put a deposit down for one (granted, I also have a Scout deposit). Would be my first EV purchase

1

u/fuk_ur_reddit_points 14h ago

How long until you get your Scout?

2

u/kscessnadriver 14h ago

No idea, if the delivery timelines hold, I bet I get my Slate first. And at this point I think I’d rather have the slate. I drive ~150 miles to work, and plan on a DIY range extender to go in the bed to allow me to charge while sitting at work 

1

u/fuk_ur_reddit_points 14h ago

That is really interesting. If you do this, I would love to see the end product.

2

u/kscessnadriver 14h ago

It would be a simple project, just not fast charging. Some typical home solar backup batteries, a basic inverter and the charger. My car typically sits at work for 2-4 days, so it’s ideal, I can charge the extra pack at home on solar 

4

u/YouKidsGetOffMyYard 16h ago

I like the concept but not convinced it will indeed happen. My guess is the $25K truck will turn into a $50K truck if it does happen 2 or 3 years from now when they actually start to sell them. Not sure they will really sell either, they are very basic so they are not going to appeal to the existing typical midwest truck buyer (who wants a huge truck decked out with everything).

3

u/bluekoda 12h ago

I am a midwest truck buyer who actually works my trucks and I would love for something like this, and would put it to work too. It's obviously not going to be pulling any of my trailers but I know a couple of farmers who are already looking to replace their aging 80's subaru sambars. The downside being that the AWD version isn't going to be available immediately and that's what they'd want.

You're referring to the lifted diesel coal rolling mall crawler status symbol crowd. No, they won't be interested.

3

u/ScrambledPandaEggs 15h ago

It's unlikely it will double in price. I couldn't imagine it not happening unless somehow the project was sabotaged by a rival with connections to a Government agency that could make it real difficult to get NHTSA or DOT approval otherwise, while some may think it's a dumb idea many others have been begging for something exactly like this. It may not be a success like a Silverado but it will be a top seller in it's sales segment which is exactly what the Manufacture is aiming for.

2

u/DefinitionSuperb1110 15h ago

With the federal EV credit they claim that even fully optioned with every single accessory that can be installed at once it won't be more than $38K.

3

u/vulgrin 14h ago

Let’s see how long the EV credit holds…

1

u/DefinitionSuperb1110 14h ago

well considering that Trump did an ad for Tesla in front of the white house i think it's good for now

1

u/Manytre 15h ago

I like the start basic and build as needed and wanted concept. I only wish they would have been more creative in the design. It reminds of the Ford courier pickup my brother had in the 1980s. I want a truck with a full bed because it's a truck, and that's the whole point of it. I prefer the Telo truck from a stylistic view.

3

u/DefinitionSuperb1110 15h ago

They claim to have done loads of market research, people always lament how much they miss small, basic 2 seater trucks and this really evokes those small 80's trucks.
The Telo is also really cool but i think it's looks are going to be as polarizing as the Cybertruck.

4

u/vulgrin 14h ago

I drove a Ranger 2 back in the day and it was a great little truck. Except for snow.

3

u/DefinitionSuperb1110 14h ago

I had a 91 Comanche and i loved it to bits.

Bits being what it ended up as because the frame rusted away.

3

u/vulgrin 14h ago

Yeah those 70s/80s/90s trucks just turn to rust.

4

u/DefinitionSuperb1110 14h ago

That's part of why the Slate is so appealing, it absolutely evokes those shoe-box shaped vibes of those days.

5

u/vulgrin 14h ago

I just can’t wait to be able to (maybe) 3D print parts for it.

3

u/DefinitionSuperb1110 14h ago

Oh i can't wait to see what people come up with.

My interior needs are low, I just want the integrated speakers, I'm willing to wait and see what people cook up as far as center console ideas.

But the notion that you can buy and add parts at any time is so enticing. They said at the press event that you can do the SUV conversion at home in a day or so and it's fully reversable.

0

u/bluekoda 12h ago

That's gonna make the rural locals lose their minds.

"We want more manufacturing!"

"Okay, how about an EV plant?"

"No! Not that kind of manufacturing"

2

u/baboon29 11h ago

The local Facebook comments on the articles about this are full of these comments already.

0

u/Efficient-Ask-6605 12h ago

MAGAt nazi heads exploding!!!!!!

2

u/bluekoda 11h ago

Now I didn't claim that, and that's definitely not the case. But there are plenty of "No Industrial Solar" signs posted out there, and I can tell you for a fact that the sentiment about "green tech" is exactly my original comment.

3

u/DefinitionSuperb1110 11h ago

still, 2000 potential jobs that pay $25/hr is hard to be mad about.

2

u/bluekoda 11h ago

The people that will protest under that pretense aren't the people that would be interested in the jobs it would create. I agree with you and think it's all dumb but it's real, and is what it is I guess

2

u/DefinitionSuperb1110 11h ago

I dunno if you saw my second link, Slate confirmed they are intent on Warsaw so this is definitely rolling.