Questions: Why market as a truck? Does Jeff B know something about the future of the tax rebate?

[rbrak29]

Why market this as a truck that can be turned into an SUV instead of the other way around. One would think an affordable SUV would be more 'marketable' than a truck. Speaking of affordability, does Jeff Bezos have any knowledge of the future of the current tax rebates? If the rebate goes away before this enters the market, I am sure the price would be close, if not over, 30K for a vehicle with no stereo and crank windows. Seems like a hard sell to me. FYI: I have a reservation

 

[P99Guy]

I agree. If the Tax Credit goes away Slate may not be able to compete with existing or future vehicles from established brands.
The design is very flexible though so they may be able to lower the price after startup costs are amortized. I don’t think we have seen a fully electric SMALL real pickup yet though so who knows.

 

[GaRailroader]

If they did it the other way around then the people that want a pick-up have to pay for an SUV and find someplace to store a cap, roll bar and back seat. I think it is smarter to go in with the pick-up and then let people pay more for the extras to make it an SUV. I don't think they are going to have any trouble selling the 120k annual copies they are aiming for. I think the commercial demand for a $20k runabout that requires almost no maintenance is going to be high. I used to have a 2006 Ford Ranger in white, regular cab, 2WD. The first time I took it to an Advanced Auto and walked in the store an employee said, oh I thought you were Fred coming back in our truck. All of these auto parts stores had 1-2 bare bones pick-ups back in the day for making deliveries to repair shops and what not.

 

[YDR37]

I agree. If the Tax Credit goes away Slate may not be able to compete with existing or future vehicles from established brands.

The Blank Slate is priced at <$20,000, after the $7,500 tax credit. So if the tax credit goes away, which is possible given the current political situation, then the price rises to <$27,500.

At first glance, that would seem to make the Blank Slate uncompetitive with low-priced gas vehicles. The obvious comparison is with a new Ford Maverick, which starts at $27,000 MSRP. Even the lowest Maverick trim is better equipped than a Blank Slate.

But hold on. If we're talking about political changes that could affect the cost of vehicles, let's not forget that the Maverick is low-priced because it's Made in Mexico (unlike the Slate, which will be Made in the USA). The current administration may not like the EV tax credit, but you know what else they don't like? American companies that outsource their manufacturing to other countries.

So yeah, it's true that the cost of a Slate could go up fast if the tax credit goes away. But it's equally true that the prices of low-cost gas vehicles, like the Maverick, could go up fast if tariffs hit.

 

[ucfknights123]

A truck is a lot cheaper to make than a SUV, fewer seats, fewer panels, fewer seat belts, etc.

Also, we have no idea what the COGS on this thing will be. If the tax credit goes away it could be completely feasible to continue charging $25k or less. The main cost is the battery and it's fairly small.

 

[Daley]

We don’t know the size of Bezos’s stake but investors don’t run companies anyway, so it doesn’t really matter what he thinks about the future of EV rebates.

And if Slate can’t be competitive without the rebate, they should rightfully fail. I hope they can be a profitable company on their own merit instead of doing it on the backs of taxpayers.

 

[P99Guy]

We don’t know the size of Bezos’s stake but investors don’t run companies anyway, so it doesn’t really matter what he thinks about the future of EV rebates.

And if Slate can’t be competitive without the rebate, they should rightfully fail. I hope they can be a profitable company on their own merit instead of doing it on the backs of taxpayers.

It is not really on the backs of Taxpayers. Not sure why so many think that.
if you take ANY deductions on your income taxes every year you are doing the same thing.
it is just a credit on the taxes that you owe/pay. Not on anyone else having to pay it.

 

[Daley]

It is not really on the backs of Taxpayers. Not sure why so many think that.
if you take ANY deductions on your income taxes every year you are doing the same thing.
it is just a credit on the taxes that you owe/pay. Not on anyone else having to pay it.

Thanks but I don’t need advice on how taxes work. I pay enough to understand well already.

 

[P99Guy]

Then stop falsely saying it is on the backs of the taxpayers.
it isn’t.

 

[P99Guy]

I think the real problem is people calling it a rebate.
it is a credit Not a rebate.