Range is said to be 205 mi (330 km), higher than the original estimate. This price is for the basic truck. The SUV configuration is expected to be $5000 more.

  • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.wtf
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    9 hours ago

    I’m interested, despite Bezos’ involvement, but I’m going to wait until I can read up on what it’s like to own one for a while.

    • tychosmoose@piefed.socialOP
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      8 hours ago

      That’s about how I feel too. Worth considering. My hesitation was reinforced, perhaps unfairly, at a prototype/mockup event. It wasn’t very long ago, and prototype had a little too much slap-together feel. I know it was just a prototype, but I was hoping for something that looked a little closer to ‘ready for production’ if not exactly ‘finished’.

      New factory, new build methodology, new employees. I’m going to need about a year of consumer feedback, personally. But I’m glad there are more intrepid souls ready to buy now.

  • lemming741@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    However, this price doesn’t include the destination and delivery fee that’s baked into the cost of every new vehicle because it has not yet been finalized.

  • tychosmoose@piefed.socialOP
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    10 hours ago

    The modular approach is very appealing to me, even though I have little use for a pickup truck. For example, I read that the SUV configuration moves the back glass to the end of the SUV shell when you install it. That makes the SUV top lighter and cheaper.

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      Oh, that explains why the fastback is more expensive than the squareback. I’d been wondering about that.

      • burble@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 hours ago

        There must be a range difference. That’s how I’ll talk myself into the fastback, not just because it looks cooler.

        • grue@lemmy.world
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          2 hours ago

          I’m torn because the fastback looks cooler but it has less cargo capacity (both inside and on the roof rack).

          Then again, I also really like the “open air kit” which apparently requires the squareback, so maybe the decision would be easy.

  • assembly@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    This looks really promising. I never drive more than 30 miles a day outside of a couple of annual road trips. I’ll have to see a video of what the SUV config looks like as I have kids but this would probably work for my lifestyle. It’s a rarity that I have to drive anywhere outside of my town.

    • tychosmoose@piefed.socialOP
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      7 hours ago

      That’s my driving pattern too. Probably averaging <5mi since I don’t drive most days, but yeah, 30 is as far as I’m likely to go when not on a trip.

      You might also want to check out the Telo truck. It’s a little more biased toward passenger space. It has 4 doors and a bed in the footprint of a Mini.

      I wish the Telo was a bit more modular like the Slate design, with easily replaceable parts. And currently their rear glass is structural, so you can only remove the lower part of that rear partition when you put a shell over the bed, making it less like a normal SUV. I am also a bit more nervous about their viability/capitalization. Will they be around for a decade or more? Hope so, but not sure.

  • Godric@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    I’ve always wanted to go electric but the tracking in modern cars was a nonstarter for me. This is a huge step in the right direction, thank you for sharing!

      • ascend@lemmy.radio
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        7 hours ago

        Hopefully any tracking would be easy to remove, I mean it doesn’t even have a stereo so wiring should be pretty simple, of course unless its baked I to the ECU or something

        • grue@lemmy.world
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          2 hours ago

          The telematics module is an optional extra-cost accessory! It doesn’t come with it by default!

        • anomnom@sh.itjust.works
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          3 hours ago

          I’m hoping the low price will incentivize jail breaking and hacking these things if needed. We need OSH vehicles (like local motors promised but never delivered). EVs should make it a lot more possible for kit cars to exist, but maybe soon.

  • N0t_5ure@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    This would be an awesome deal and I would buy one, but… 1) There is no way it will actually be $25K. Low price points are always announced and never met; and 2) This vehicle will be full of spyware collecting all your data to be sold. Yes, Tesla does it to, but I’m not buying a Tesla either.

    • testfactor@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      Have you actually read anything about this truck? It hasn’t even got an entertainment console. No GPS tracker. Hell, it doesn’t have power windows in the base model. What spyware do you think it has?

      • N0t_5ure@lemmy.world
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        10 hours ago

        It’s not an entirely analog experience, though; a Slate smartphone app can manage settings, change drive mode, and provide range and charging info. But only when connected locally to the car—there’s no embedded modem, so forget about remote access. And the company says that while it may use data from the app to improve its products, it won’t sell that data.

        “We pinky swear that we will not sell any of the massive trove of data we’re collecting on you and your driving, especially not to insurance companies.”

        • teft@piefed.social
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          10 hours ago

          You don’t need the smartphone app at all which you’d know if you had continued to read the article.

          Security and privacy are diametrically opposed to convenience. Don’t want the app and tracking by the company then just leave the app off your phone. It’s not rocket science.

    • Brgor@lemmy.zip
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      10 hours ago

      The Slate does even have speakers. I don’t think it’ll have network connectivity.