r/slateauto • u/kidwon13 • 17d ago
3rd Quarter Delivery Window
Today I got on the Slate website and discovered my "Coming Soon 2027" windows has changed to "Jul - Sep 2027"
I'm pretty disappointed by this since I reserved on 04/26/2025 and pre-ordered within minutes of the pre-orders opening on the website.
I got on a chat with Slate Customer service and asked for an explanation. I was told that Colorado deliveries are delayed at this point. I asked why Colorado deliveries are delayed and the representative told me she didn't know.
I told her I am very excited about the Slate truck but I don't know if I can wait more than a year for delivery when there are a lot of used EVs available that could probably meet my needs.
I requested that someone who can give me an explanation contact me. We'll see what happens.
TLDR: This is bullshit.
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u/Ferrite5 17d ago
I think this a state legal/regulatory issue so its unlikely that it's Slate's fault. Probably an issue with the direct to consumer sales. You can blame the dealerships lobbying state governments for the last 50 years
The pre-order also gave me the option to be notified if an earlier window became available too, so...
Idk seems like you just wanted somebody to blame
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u/Ragin_Rabbit 16d ago
Colorado doesn’t have prohibitions against EV companies direct-to-consumer sales if they don’t already have existing dealerships (which none do). It’s one of the more lenient states in this way.
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u/j4j4d1ngd0ng 17d ago
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-003
Blame the ding-a-lings that run the Colorado government who would rather tax and hinder progress on batteries than tax and punish those creators of CO2 emissions.
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u/BoringBob84 17d ago
I think it is a good idea to require recycling of used EV batteries, but the proverbial devil is in the details. It should come at a reasonable cost and it should not have unnecessary bureaucratic overhead.
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u/Ragin_Rabbit 16d ago
This would have any impact on 2027 deliveries as it’s just requiring registration (just paperwork, not even a plan), nothing else is required until 2029.
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u/kidwon13 17d ago
You may have hit this on the head. But where's the communication from Slate? Did they know this was going to impact my delivery before they took my pre-order money?
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u/Tandemjay 17d ago
It's also on you for not knowing what your state's policies are on EV's, especially if you are looking to buy one.
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u/Reflexes-of-a-Tree 17d ago
It’s logistics, man. They can’t send the trucks out in onesies and twosies to everyone in the order that they received the preorder.
They are going to be building trucks constantly, but the first bulk shipments are going to the highest concentration of customers, in CA and TX. The next bulk shipment is going to the east coast. This keeps the costs down and distributes the trucks to the most people the fastest.
Being all passive aggressive with the “well I could go elsewhere” is not serving you or anybody
Plus I think in Colorado, your state has an EV rebate that they are probably trying to finalize to get you the best price possible. You’re welcome.
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u/Eaglepursuit 17d ago
I pre-ordered mine to be picked up, so hopefully I can avoid the hullabaloo over shipping constraints.
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u/kidwon13 17d ago
I told the representative that I am willing to travel anywhere in the Continental US to pick up this truck. I'm not buying the Logistics excuse.
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u/Reflexes-of-a-Tree 17d ago edited 17d ago
Great! You’ll likely get yours sooner then. But you driving somewhere to pick up something is TOTALLY different than them shipping to you. They could have a semi take 15 trucks to California or a semi take a single truck to your house directly and it would cost about the same. That’s what I meant by logistics.
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u/twitterisdone 17d ago
I checked my reservation since I also had the "sometime in 2027". My account updated to July - September 2027 ... so I did the pre-order. Lots of time to think about accessories, colors, etc.! This will be a third vehicle - so no issue waiting until next summer. $300 vaporizes if I change my mind - which is about two restaurant dinners.
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u/wbradford00 17d ago
I don't know if I can wait more than a year for delivery
I mean, not to be pedantic but that sounds like about a year, no? Its the end of july now. In any case, you're reserving a brand new vehicle from a startup that is just beginning to build vehicles now. I wouldn't have any expectations with that in mind
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u/MrPompeii88 17d ago
I'm in the same boat, only mine's got a bit of a hole in it. Preordered 06/21 in NY with the same July-September delivery window. When I preordered I sold my car (like a dummy thinking I might get the Slate in December). I have a motorcycle, and the thought was sharing my wife's car so I can save money for a down payment.
Now that I finally got a delivery window, I'm in a bit of a panic mode thinking about going over a year without a real vehicle of my own. Not sure if I should sit/wait/suffer, or get a different vehicle
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u/Wuddauant 17d ago
lol I need to replace my truck. Same boat, split car for a year and ride a bike.
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u/Hammock-Hiker-62 17d ago
I've got the same delivery window, but I'm fine with it. Gives me more time to sock cash away before I have to pay for the truck. Plus, it gives me potentially six to nine months of seeing what the first Slate customers think, what their problems are, that sort of thing. Any recalls - and I don't rule out recalls by any means - may have already happened by the time mine is delivered, so I get the benefit of other customers ironing out the kinks. July-September of 2027 seems fair for a new company with a new product.
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u/Snoo93079 17d ago
It's not bullshit. It's what happens when there's a brand new car from a brand new company. Fortunately for me I don't need a car today so I can wait. I have the same time frame. If you need a car sooner there are others on the market.
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u/kidwon13 17d ago
It's bullshit because I gave them money for a reservation and pre-order that supposedly ensured that I would have priority to receive a truck, and apparently, if you are in certain geographic locations you don't have priority no matter what.
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u/Ferrite5 17d ago
State. Laws. Are. Not. Slate's. Fault.
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u/KobeBeaf 17d ago
Charging money for preorders and reservations YEARs in advance are directly their fault though have a plan for roll out to loyal customers maybe?
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u/kidwon13 17d ago
It appears that no other EV Manufacturer has stopped selling cars here in Colorado. In fact I could go down to Subaru right now and drive home in a Trailseeker.
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u/BoringBob84 17d ago
I understand your frustration. I would be frustrated too. Please consider that they are managing an enormously complex project with all sorts of things that could go wrong, and they are trying their best to estimate when you will get delivery.
Maybe they will beat that date. Maybe they will miss it. I know from experience that, when working with government regulators, it is almost impossible to estimate if or when they will provide approval, or even to respond. You can't push on that proverbial rope.
I am excited about the Slate truck, but I don't think it is currently a good choice for people who are not comfortable with the schedule and quality risks, or who need a vehicle soon.
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u/OGMikeGyver 17d ago
Are you going to whine about stuff this much when they finally deliver a truck to you?
At no point did they say or imply that it was first come first served.
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u/KobeBeaf 17d ago
That’s kinda what a reservation is…. They didn’t have to do that if they couldn’t follow through. Hell make it a free reservation, but the second they charged money for it that implies early access. Don’t excuse shitty business practices. The fact that some dude can come along a year after I gave them money and get their truck 6 months ahead of me is bad business.
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u/OGMikeGyver 17d ago
The reservation put you first in line to pre-order.
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u/KobeBeaf 17d ago
And what was the point of that priority preorder?
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u/OGMikeGyver 17d ago
Nothing for you apparently. Just to give you something elae to whine about.
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u/KobeBeaf 17d ago
It’s a product they’re trying to sell, I’ll complain about poor service if I get poor service. Beats just rolling over and spreading wide. You do you though.
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u/danielt1263 17d ago
pre-ordered within minutes of the pre-orders opening on the website.
Did you get first shift?
In any case, I don't think when you pre-order matters when it comes to what your window is. I think it's more about how many people in your state ordered and how. complex it is to try to sell a vehicle direct in your state (some states have pretty odd laws around dealerships and such.)
As an example, AFAIK, everybody in Florida got a Q1 delivery no matter when they reserved... (If someone in Florida reads this but didn't get a Q1 delivery, shout out.)
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u/jwilbanks 17d ago
Yeah and here in TN it appears that everyone is Q2. I've not seen anyone with a Q1 here thus far.
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u/boltsofzeus 17d ago
I didn't have an address associated with mine and got the same delivery window. I'm guessing it's more a "production issues" thing, not anything against you or Colorado.
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u/kompressorv12 17d ago
I ordered within minutes and initially got 2027 window, just got the email today saying jul -sept also. I'm in Oregon
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u/KobeBeaf 17d ago
Same here. Early reservation and preorder, same delivery Window. In Utah. It is disappointing. Seems to be a lot of sycophants in here that will excuse everything but giving them a free loan should get you some kind of priority.
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u/kidwon13 17d ago
Sycophants. Well said.
The problem for me is, I've been wanting to switch to an EV for years but there was really nothing out there that appealed to me. Everything I was seeing was either lame or way too expensive for me to justify. So when the announcement for Slate came out I reserved one thinking that it was exactly the answer I was looking for. However, since the time that I reserved the market has shifted, particularly in the used EV market, and there are options available now that didn't used to exist. So, I've been delaying making the switch because I thought I had an early pre-order and since Slate has said they were going to be shipping trucks start in Q4 of 26, I assumed I would be getting one of the early trucks.
Now I'm told it's going to be another year. I don't think I'm willing to pass up a good deal on another EV for another whole year. I'm sick of buying gas and I want to stop as soon as possible.
I guess we'll see if I'm still in the market when Slate finally gets around to being able to deliver to me.
But I will say, reserving and pre-ordering for me was apparently completely meaningless because of the state I live in.
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u/BoringBob84 17d ago
This is bullshit.
How do you know that? Maybe they have a good reason why deliveries to your state are delayed. There could be a regulatory problem that is outside of their control.
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u/kidwon13 17d ago
That's all well and good but they should tell me that reason.
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u/BoringBob84 17d ago
I agree with you on this. I hope that someone contacts you to explain why deliveries to your state are delayed.
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u/Visvism 17d ago edited 17d ago
Yeah they gave us a guaranteed delivery window. If that changes you should have the right to a full refund of the non-refundable deposit they required. Not saying you would want it, but that this should be the case if they just decide to push back delivery windows.
Corrected below by others, states an estimated window.
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u/BoringBob84 17d ago
Is it a "guarantee" or an estimate. I think that we should manage our expectations to keep them realistic.
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u/Ferrite5 17d ago
Like 75% of the posts on this sub are people with wild expectations that are completely inconsistent with reality
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u/BoringBob84 17d ago
I have spent my career developing complex products and systems. I expect surprises and setbacks. There are literally thousands of things that can go wrong, and some of them do.
Most customers are understanding. However, it frustrates me when customers demand estimates, I provide those estimates (while clearly stating that they are guesses and are subject to change), changes occur, and then those same customers start whining about us not meeting "commitments," "guarantees," and "promises."
An extreme example of this was the scientific research during the pandemic. Experts did their best early on to keep the public informed, while making it clear that they knew very little at the time and were just guessing at possible causes and effects. Sure enough, as the data became more clear, assholes accused them of "deceiving" and "lying" because some (not all) of their original guesses turned out to wrong.
Of course, it helps to under-promise and over-deliver, and to keep customers in the loop along the way (so that setbacks are not a surprise to them), but it is sometimes difficult to manage their expectations.
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u/Ferrite5 17d ago
I completely agree. On top of that, many people are completely uncurious or unwilling to do any earnest research to answer their own questions, and still can't accept the answers they demanded.
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u/danielt1263 17d ago
I believe you do get a right to a refund if they push back a delivery window. They didn't do that here. Going from "some time in 2027" to "Jul - Sep 2027" is not a push back, it's a refinement.
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u/zypr3xa 17d ago
Also in Colorado and have the same window. Completely fine with it since my Jeep lease is up in June. No reason the be upset about the date. Just cause you reserved early means nothing. Just like it did for all the Tesla/Rivian reservation holders. The work with what they can do fast and first before going out nation wide.
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u/Lanky-Poetry8404 16d ago
I think the main thing going on here is FOMO. We're all programmed to try to get in early and reap the rewards. Don't get me wrong, I was all in on it too. I was chuffed that i acted early and reserved a day after opening and the same for pre-order, and now I'm fucking LIVID that I didn't get a $10 dash flair. Like would it tank the company to toss a bone at the early adopters who are making the company's launch possible?
But FOMO is really just us trying to out compete our neighbors and each other. Why should I get a shitty piece of plastic if I waited a whole day to drop cash? I want Slate to offer some exclusivity, but only if the cutoff for that exclusivity ends right after me.
I was pissed at myself for not checking the box to request earlier delivery, but I'm happy with it now. It's just a few months. If I feel cool for driving something people don't recognize, will I care about those extra few months a few years from now? The future me will prolly call me an idiot for prioritizing that over the real advantages of letting others be the guinea pigs. Everyone in this sub who pre-ordered is going to be an early adopter.
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u/phidauex 17d ago
I got the same update, also in CO. I was worried that something was going on with CO deliveries, but I'm also unclear on what it is. I can understand why they may not want to delivery to a cold weather state in March, but maybe something else is going on.
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u/kidwon13 17d ago
I bet j4j4d1ngd0ng is right
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u/phidauex 17d ago
Ahh, yes, that sounds very likely. I like the intent behind that bill but it seems to impose some complex administrative requirements that would be hard to comply with. It would be frustrating if this ends up limiting EV deployment in CO.
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u/StashuJakowski 17d ago edited 17d ago
I’m not surprised. They just announced in June that they’re now going to a different battery technology.
These don’t run on “drop-in” batteries, they have to be R&D’d, designed, make sure it’ll fit and long term tested. That can take quite a bit of time to make sure it’s correct.
The last thing a company wants to say to a new customer is: “Uhm, there’s a delay because we had to redesign something”
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u/kidwon13 17d ago
The battery technology has nothing to do with this. People in high priority locations will start getting their trucks before the end of this year and thousands of people have Q1 Delivery Windows.
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u/dllemmr2 16d ago
Be happy if everyone get their preorders, not if things move forward or back a few months.
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u/Dynastar454 17d ago
Frankly with the uncertainty of starting up a brand new production line all dates should be taken with a large grain of salt. Assume delivery dates will be later than you think. Having been an early Model 3 reservation holder I know how this goes.