"Similarly, whether intentional or not, the brand name forms an anagram of Tesla-but it stands to be the polar opposite of an electric brand whose crown is slipping in the face of rising competition and a CEO mired in controversy. Tesla's cars are highly sophisticated iPhones on wheels that come in one form with little to no alterations. Slate's spartan, tech-averse, button-filled compact pickup could be thought of as the anti-Tesla. Considering the truck's promised mid-$20,000s price tag, the Slate truck seems like a slam dunk in a world full of hyper-complicated, hyper-expensive cars."
"Until, that is, Ford came around. Ford CEO Jim Farley has openly feared that his company (and the U.S. car industry) will be left behind China if it doesn't get its act together about building reasonably priced EVs. It looks like the secret "skunkworks" project is nearing completion, as a few weeks ago, Ford announced its intention to convert a Kentucky plant from making ICE crossovers to a whole new electric vehicle, assembled and designed differently than any other Ford ever before."
Slate is building a spartan, button-filled compact pickup aimed at a mid-$20,000s price and American-made construction. The brand name forms an anagram of Tesla and the product is positioned as an anti-Tesla, low-tech alternative. Ford is converting a Kentucky plant to produce a new modular electric vehicle platform and intends to lead with a truck priced around $30,000 that Farley says will not be "stripped down." Both companies remain very early in retooling and production build. Slate does not view itself as a direct competitor to Ford despite overlapping target buyers and launch timing.
Read at InsideEVs
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