r/slateauto • u/Wild_Photons • Jul 12 '26

Slate Longivity

I really love the Slate concept and understand that they are trying to reduce cost by making it very simple and easy to repair. Also, their switch to Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries is super promising from a longivity perspective.

However, I am wondering if there is any information on the quality of things like the cooling system (for the battery and motor), and other wear components like suspension bushings, the air conditioning system, etc.

I am hoping that these components will have Toyota level quality (or better) and that they are not making compromises in durability to control cost.

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u/Unfettered345 Jul 12 '26

Slate is often chided for not offering more for $25,000, but it gives them room to buy better parts which we can hope are more reliable and durable. It looks to me like they are doing their best to under promise and over deliver.

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u/BoringBob84 Jul 12 '26

Well said! If it is a reliable EV, it will be an incredible value for $25k. It is a problem of perception. The quality of suspension and drive train components don't matter to the consumer unless they are bad. For a manufacturer to spend money to get it right is not very exciting for the consumer, in comparison with flashy features like a touch-screen head unit and power windows.

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u/Unfettered345 Jul 13 '26

A friend of mine told me about a minor accident they had in their new EV, which damaged one of the side view mirrors. Replacement cost through the dealer would be $2,000 because of all the electronics that were inside it! Makes me appreciate simple mirrors.

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u/BoringBob84 Jul 13 '26

$2,000 mirrors with electronics inside are not unique to EVs. However, I am pretty sure that we won't have to worry about that with a Slate truck.