A 45-minute drive through the Washington, DC, area in a well-used Slate Auto prototype offered an early look at the startup’s deliberately simple electric truck. The prototype had about 6,000 miles (9,656 km) on its odometer, a minimalist cabin, manually operated controls, and a layout representative of the production model, although many of its interior materials were temporary.
A well-used prototype
Slate Auto brought one of its prototype trucks to town and invited me to drive it from Southwest DC to Rockville, Maryland. The truck appeared to have already seen substantial use. Its small digital display was minimalist but easy to read, showing the vehicle’s approximate mileage and speed, along with a backup-camera view when the truck was in Reverse.
The cabin’s layout was representative of the production version, but the surfaces were not. Instead, the prototype used a considerable amount of hard, glossy black plastic. Strips of Velcro remained in several places from when the interior had been covered for public demonstrations.
Simple controls and a roomy driving position
Getting used to the Slate was surprisingly easy. The door handles, reminiscent of those on a Morris Marina, opened with a satisfying mechanical motion. Both the seat and steering column could be adjusted manually, but they offered a generous range—something many lower-priced vehicles omit to reduce costs.
After the key fob was plugged into the dashboard and the truck was switched on, a column-mounted shifter provided choices of Drive, Neutral, Park, and Reverse. The mirrors were also adjusted by hand, and then the truck was ready to move.
Visibility from the two-seat cabin was good. Although the Slate is relatively small, it stands 68 inches (1.7 meters) tall—the same height as many crossovers—so the driver sits noticeably higher than in a sedan.
Minimalist by design
I still remembered how to operate a manual window crank. Three dashboard dials controlled the cabin temperature and airflow, providing a direct way to make the interior hotter, colder, or somewhat breezier. It was close to a straightforward ideal of climate control.
A phone mounted on the dashboard would have been sufficient for navigation, although the area now known as North Bethesda was familiar territory. My past life was science policy. Because the roads were mostly where I remembered them, I could focus on the drive.
Source: arstechnica.com
