Underpromise, overdeliver? Hands-on with the $24,950 Slate auto.

低承诺，高交付？24,950 美元的 Slate 电动皮卡上手体验。

LOS ANGELES—Slate Auto has pulled a Disneyland. Let me explain. At Disneyland, if a sign for a ride says the wait is 45 minutes, it’s actually less than that. The idea is to set expectations low and then exceed them. Slate originally said its electric truck’s entry-level battery would have 180 miles (290 km) of range, but that has expanded to 205 miles (330 km). The tow rating was originally 1,000 lbs (454 kg); now it’s 2,000 lbs (907 kg), a nice jump. Finally, the load rating was 1,400 lbs (635 kg), and it’s now 1,550 lbs (703 kg). The automotive startup has exceeded expectations. 洛杉矶——Slate Auto 玩了一手“迪士尼式”的策略。让我解释一下：在迪士尼，如果游乐设施的指示牌显示等待时间为 45 分钟，实际等待时间往往更短。其核心逻辑是先降低预期，然后再超越预期。Slate 最初表示其入门级电动皮卡的续航里程为 180 英里（290 公里），但现在已提升至 205 英里（330 公里）。牵引能力最初为 1,000 磅（454 公斤），现在提升到了 2,000 磅（907 公斤），增幅可观。最后，载重能力也从 1,400 磅（635 公斤）增加到了 1,550 磅（703 公斤）。这家汽车初创公司确实超出了人们的预期。

Was it part of the plan all along? Was leaking the price of the base model of $24,950 last week guerrilla marketing? Since the truck’s unveiling a year ago, Slate’s marketing has been extremely tongue-in-cheek. At the Slate launch event in Gardena, California, new CEO Peter Faricy told the assembled press that “Slate is so much more than an affordable truck.” 这一切是否早就在计划之中？上周泄露 24,950 美元的起售价是否是一种游击营销？自一年前该皮卡发布以来，Slate 的营销风格一直非常幽默且带有讽刺意味。在加利福尼亚州加迪纳举行的 Slate 发布会上，新任首席执行官 Peter Faricy 对在场的媒体表示：“Slate 绝不仅仅是一辆经济实惠的皮卡。”

Let’s ride. Unfortunately, Slate wouldn’t let me drive the truck, so I rode shotgun. What I gathered from the passenger seat is that while the Slate has built an inexpensive vehicle, it doesn’t feel cheap. The acceleration curve was smooth as the driver stomped the accelerator while turning right at an intersection. It’s not a speedy ride; the 0-to-60 is a mild eight seconds. The top speed is 90 mph (145 km/h). Not that you’d want to go faster in the little truck. The single motor outputs 181 horsepower (135 kW) and 195 lb-ft (264 Nm) of torque to the rear wheels. 让我们上车体验。遗憾的是，Slate 没有让我亲自驾驶，所以我坐在了副驾驶位。从副驾的感受来看，虽然 Slate 打造的是一款廉价车型，但它并不显得廉价。当驾驶员在路口右转并猛踩油门时，加速曲线非常平顺。它算不上快，0 到 60 英里/小时的加速时间为温和的 8 秒。最高时速为 90 英里/小时（145 公里/小时）。当然，你也不会想在这辆小皮卡里开得更快。单电机向后轮输出 181 马力（135 千瓦）和 195 磅-英尺（264 牛·米）的扭矩。

I was impressed with the pre-production vehicle’s handling of the bumps in the road and cornering. There’s an expectation that a car not quite ready for prime-time will have squeaks and some hiccups during test drives. None of that appeared during my trip around the block. I did learn that the vehicle has one-pedal-driving regenerative braking. Fans of the feature on other EVs will be happy. That said, that’s the only level of regen. I also learned that traction control can be turned off, so if you’re a maniac who loves to melt tires while drifting, you could probably pull that off with the Slate. 这辆预生产车在处理路面颠簸和过弯时的表现令我印象深刻。通常人们会预期一辆尚未完全准备好量产的汽车在试驾时会有异响或小故障，但在我绕街区行驶的过程中，这些问题统统没有出现。我了解到该车配备了单踏板模式的动能回收系统，其他电动汽车的粉丝们应该会对此感到高兴。不过，这是唯一的动能回收等级。我还了解到牵引力控制系统可以关闭，所以如果你是一个喜欢漂移烧胎的狂人，你大概也能用 Slate 实现这一点。

Another surprise: The seats were very comfortable. While my time in the vehicle was extremely short, I came away impressed. The Slate is powered by a 65 kWh gross/63 kWh usable LFP battery pack with a targeted range of 205 miles. That breaks down to 3.3 miles/kWh (19.1 kWh/100 km). It’s not the most efficient vehicle, but it’s respectable for a truck with a flat front end and single-cab silhouette. As for the long-range battery pack Slate announced at the unveiling, the automaker decided to offer a single option with more range. So that 205 miles of range is essentially a compromise. 另一个惊喜是：座椅非常舒适。虽然我在车里的时间极短，但留下了深刻的印象。Slate 搭载了一块 65 kWh 总容量/63 kWh 可用容量的磷酸铁锂（LFP）电池组，目标续航里程为 205 英里。折算下来约为每度电行驶 3.3 英里（19.1 kWh/100 km）。虽然它不是效率最高的车型，但对于一辆平头、单排座的皮卡来说，这个表现相当不错。至于 Slate 在发布会上宣布的长续航电池组，厂家最终决定只提供一种续航更长的单一选项。因此，这 205 英里的续航里程本质上是一个折中方案。

Charging is where things can get iffy if you’re planning a long road trip. At a DC-fast charger, the NACS-enabled vehicle tops out at 120 kW. Slate says the battery can charge from 20 to 80 percent in about 30 minutes. Sure, that’s possible, but expect to wait longer than you would with most other current EVs. If you’re driving around town, you’ll be fine. The other low-cost EV on the market, the Chevy Bolt, only supports DC fast-charging up to 150 kW. The Bolt starts at $27,600 ($28,995 including destination). The vehicle also ships with an EPA-estimated 262 miles (422 km) of range. 如果你计划进行长途旅行，充电可能会成为一个问题。在使用直流快充时，这辆支持 NACS 标准的车辆充电功率上限为 120 kW。Slate 表示，电池可以在约 30 分钟内从 20% 充至 80%。当然，这确实可能实现，但预计等待时间会比目前大多数其他电动汽车更长。如果你只是在城里代步，那完全没问题。市场上另一款低成本电动汽车雪佛兰 Bolt 的直流快充功率仅支持到 150 kW。Bolt 的起售价为 27,600 美元（含运费为 28,995 美元），其 EPA 预估续航里程为 262 英里（422 公里）。

AC charging is a respectable 11 kW. This charge rate should be of interest to fleet managers looking for a small electric pickup for deliveries and other uses. Slate notes that level 2 AC charging from 20 to 100 percent will take four hours. Over the course of a day with shift changes and overnight charging, a Slate truck could be work-ready without needing a DC fast-charge. Slate’s president of vehicles, Chris Barman, told Ars that the company is already in discussions with fleet managers. These companies typically want a few vehicles to test before making a purchase decision, and Slate is working with them to make that happen. Barman wouldn’t share any names, though. 交流充电功率为 11 kW，表现尚可。这个充电速度应该会引起那些寻找小型电动皮卡用于配送或其他用途的车队经理的兴趣。Slate 指出，使用 2 级交流充电从 20% 充至 100% 需要 4 小时。在一天的工作轮班和夜间充电过程中，Slate 皮卡无需直流快充即可随时投入工作。Slate 的车辆总裁 Chris Barman 告诉 Ars，公司已经与车队经理进行了商谈。这些公司通常希望在做出购买决定前先测试几辆车，Slate 正在与他们合作以实现这一目标。不过，Barman 没有透露任何具体公司名称。

The vehicle rides on McPherson struts up front and a De Dion axle with coil springs in the rear. The default ground clearance is 7.8 inches (198 mm), or 7.6 inches (193 mm) with the SUV package installed. Slate does offer a lift kit that increases the clearance, though the exact increase is unclear at the moment. A completely tricked-out Slate SUV with a lift kit and appropriate tires will cost about $35,000. 该车前悬挂采用麦弗逊式，后悬挂采用带螺旋弹簧的迪翁轴（De Dion axle）。默认离地间隙为 7.8 英寸（198 毫米），安装 SUV 套件后为 7.6 英寸（193 毫米）。Slate 确实提供可增加离地间隙的升降套件，尽管目前尚不清楚具体能增加多少。一辆配备升降套件和合适轮胎的顶配版 Slate SUV 售价约为 35,000 美元。

All the extra bits: The truck starts at $24,950. The Slate outfitted as an SUV (Squareback) will start at $29,950, bringing the price for the SUV kit to roughly $5,000. Adding the SUV package does reduce the payload capacity, dropping it from 1,550 lbs to 1,263 lbs (573 kg). That means the SUV package weighs 287 lbs (130 kg), which is a good indication that if you buy it after taking delivery of the Slate, the shipping will be pricey, and you’ll need to call a friend to help install it. The vehicle’s towing capacity drops from 2,000 lbs to 1,824 lbs (827 kg). Again, you can add that at purchase or buy the kit later. That’s one of the Slate selling points. The modular nature of the vehicle gives owners options to add features to their vehicle long after they’ve taken delivery. 所有附加件：皮卡起售价为 24,950 美元。改装成 SUV（Squareback）版本的 Slate 起售价为 29,950 美元，这意味着 SUV 套件的价格约为 5,000 美元。增加 SUV 套件确实会降低载重能力，从 1,550 磅降至 1,263 磅（573 公斤）。这意味着 SUV 套件本身的重量为 287 磅（130 公斤），这说明如果你在提车后再购买该套件，运费会很贵，而且你需要找朋友帮忙安装。车辆的牵引能力也从 2,000 磅降至 1,824 磅（827 公斤）。同样，你可以在购买时添加，也可以以后再买。这是 Slate 的卖点之一：车辆的模块化特性让车主在提车很久之后，依然可以选择为车辆增加功能。