Ferrari Luce is a new Ferrari that the host is talking about, even though nobody has driven it yet. They’re saying people already dislike how it looks or feels, before it’s even been tested on the road.
Johnny Ive is a famous designer, and the host says he was involved with the Ferrari Luce. The host’s argument is that his design style may have led to a look that people don’t like.
Apple is mentioned because the host is comparing design ideas. They’re saying the same kind of design approach that Apple used—very thin and minimal—may have hurt usability on the Ferrari Luce concept.
Car
Ferrari Parasangue
Ferrari Parasangue is another Ferrari SUV the host brings up as a better-looking option. They also imply that Ferraris tend to be quick, even if the main debate here is about styling.
HP is mentioned because the host is saying Johnny Ive was busy with laptop design work elsewhere. It’s not really about cars here—just about who was doing what design work.
The Rivian R2 is an upcoming electric SUV from Rivian. The hosts are talking about its big headline numbers—like how much battery it has, how far it can go, and how quickly it accelerates—because that’s what makes it interesting to buyers.
Term
zero to 163 point six seconds
This sounds like an acceleration claim—how fast the car gets from standing still to a target speed. It’s a common way people compare cars, especially when talking about EVs and their quick launches.
“88 kilowatt-hour battery” is the size of the electric battery. Bigger battery size usually means you can drive farther, but how far you actually get also depends on how efficiently the car uses that energy.
“330 mile range” is how far the car is claimed to go on one full battery charge. Real driving can be more or less depending on things like weather and how fast you drive.
The Toyota 4Runner is a midsize SUV that’s built for everyday use and rougher roads. The podcast is saying people who already own a Forerunner might be interested in the 4Runner, partly because of how the rear window looks. That kind of detail can make a vehicle feel more appealing to existing owners.
The Toyota 4Runner is a tough SUV built for rough roads and outdoor use. The host is saying it’s been around a long time and doesn’t feel as “modern” in technology as newer SUVs.
Concept
old technology
“Old technology” here is the host’s critique that the vehicle’s systems (infotainment, driver aids, or other engineering updates) haven’t kept up with newer competitors. It’s used to explain why some buyers might eventually move on if they feel the SUV is behind the times.
The Toyota Tacoma is a midsize truck that’s popular with people who want something capable off-road. The host is saying the updated Toyota 4Runner uses a similar drivetrain idea to the Tacoma.
A solid axle means the two rear wheels are connected by one sturdy bar. That can help the truck keep traction over bumps and uneven ground, which is why it’s common on off-road vehicles.
The Jeep Recon is a Jeep vehicle, but the podcast says it doesn’t come up in conversation very often. They also mention it feels “a little soft,” meaning it may not match the most rugged expectations people have. The point is that it’s there, but it’s not widely discussed.
“EPA figures” are official test results from the U.S. government. They’re used to estimate things like how far an EV can go on a charge, so you can compare different cars more fairly.
Term
configurations
“Configurations” just means the exact version of the car you’re looking at—like different battery or trim options. Those differences can change the EPA-estimated range.
The supercharger network is Tesla’s network of fast charging stations. If you’re driving farther than your local area, having access to it can make long trips much easier.
“Future proofing” here means picking an EV that will still work well for you later, especially when you start doing longer trips. It’s about making sure the charging situation won’t become a problem.
“Max” is the name of a higher trim level or version of the vehicle. In this discussion, it’s the feature package that changes which car the speaker would pick.
Crank windows are car windows you open and close by turning a handle by hand. They don’t use buttons or power motors, so they’re usually simpler and cheaper.
Automotive retail is the way cars are sold and supported after purchase, like through dealerships and service centers. The host is saying the company is betting on changes to that whole system.
Carvana is a car-selling company that’s known for buying and selling cars online and delivering them in a vending-machine style setup. Here, they’re mentioned as working with another company for selling and servicing vehicles.
This phrase means you can customize how the vehicle is put together instead of getting one fixed version. The host is using it to describe a very simple vehicle setup.
The Tesla Cybertruck is an all-electric pickup truck. It’s known for its distinctive shape and for being an EV that’s meant to be used like a truck. The podcast is referencing how people are still placing orders and reordering.
A fleet truck is a work truck used by a business, not an individual. Businesses usually care most about it working reliably and not costing too much to run.
“Spartan bare bones” means the truck is very basic, with fewer extras. The idea is that fewer features can mean less to break, but it still has to be engineered well.
Here, “reliable” means the vehicle tends to work without problems for a long time. The host is saying EVs may be less prone to failures because they have fewer moving parts than gas cars.
A manual transmission is a car where you shift gears yourself, usually using a clutch pedal and a gear stick. It can be more engaging, but it’s also more work than an automatic.
CarPlay is a system that connects your iPhone to your car’s screen. It lets you use apps like maps and music while driving.
Concept
cheap price
They’re talking about the idea that cheaper cars sometimes leave out features or feel less refined. You pay less, but you may get fewer “nice to have” things.
In the U.S., there are rules that car bumpers have to meet. The goal is to make sure the front and rear bumpers behave safely in certain kinds of crashes, even if the car’s design looks different.
All-wheel drive means the car can send power to all four wheels. That usually helps it grip better on slippery roads and can make the car feel more stable.
Horsepower is a way to describe how strong the car’s power is. Higher horsepower usually means faster acceleration, especially in a vehicle that can deliver that power quickly.
A 106 kilowatt-hour battery is how big the EV’s battery is. Bigger batteries usually let you drive farther, but your actual range still depends on driving conditions.
Payload is how much weight you can put in the vehicle for people and cargo. If you load more than the rated payload, the car can become unsafe and handle poorly.
A midgate is a movable wall/door between the front seats and the back cargo area. You can open it to slide long items through without having to fully remove seats or leave everything exposed.
Term
pass through side storage
This is storage on the side of the vehicle that you can reach through an opening, instead of only from inside the trunk. It’s meant to make loading and grabbing certain items easier.
By “mainstream,” they mean a car most people would actually want and buy. The host thinks this one is too different or too weird for the average buyer.
Concept
minivan version
They’re talking about making a similar vehicle but in a minivan shape. That usually means more space for families and easier everyday use.
Apptera is an EV startup associated with the Aptera vehicle, a very aerodynamic, three-wheeled solar-assisted concept that was long delayed before any real production. Here, the hosts’ theory is that not entering production is what ultimately “kills” the company.
Here, “production” means the point where a company can start making the cars in large numbers for real buyers. The hosts think companies that don’t reach that stage may fail.
Car
Ford $30,000 low cost pickup
They’re talking about Ford bringing a cheaper pickup—around $30,000. Their claim is that if it delivers on the hype, it could make it much harder for smaller EV truck companies to survive.
The Ford Mustang is a sports car from Ford. The podcast is talking about the base version and how fast it’s claimed to be, especially with the EcoBoost engine. That matters because buyers often compare acceleration and performance between trims.
The Toyota RAV4 is a compact SUV. In the podcast, they use it as a reference for how much interior space you get. They’re basically saying the vehicle they’re discussing feels similar in size to a RAV4.
A dealer network is the set of local car dealerships that sell the cars and help with service. It makes it easier for a brand to reach customers and support the cars after you buy them.
“Starting from scratch” means building everything new instead of using existing tools and systems. Here, it’s about not already having the factories and sales setup that established brands have.
It means the car uses a 48-volt electrical system instead of the usual 12 volts. That can make some electric systems more efficient and easier to power.
This is the battery system’s voltage and chemistry. LFP batteries are a type of lithium battery that’s generally known for being stable and lasting a long time.
The Ford Maverick is a small pickup truck from Ford. It became popular because it’s relatively affordable and practical, and the hosts are saying Ford didn’t expect it to be that much more popular than the Ranger.
The Ford Ranger is a bigger pickup than the Maverick. In this discussion, they’re comparing how the Ranger was brought back versus how well the Maverick sold.
“Long in the tooth” just means something is getting old and not very fresh anymore. Here, the hosts are saying the Ranger’s design was already outdated.
The Mazda MX-5 (Miata) is a small two-seat sports car. It’s known for being light and enjoyable to drive. In the podcast, they use it as a comparison to explain the kind of “fun” they associate with a truck.
Brand
Tello
Tello is an EV company the host is talking about. They’re interested, but they don’t know enough yet and want to look into whether the company can actually pull it off.
“Death Watch” is a slang term for when people think a company is basically on its way out. It usually means things like money problems or production delays make it look like they won’t last.
Slate is the name the host uses for an EV effort they’re watching. They’re basically saying they’re not sure it will make it, and they want to learn more before judging.
Fisker is a company that made electric cars. The host is saying they predicted Fisker would fail before it happened, like a “this is going to end soon” situation.
The Volkswagen Golf is a compact car. The podcast talks about the Golf GTI and how much it can cost in Europe. They’re using it as an example of pricing for a higher-performance version.
The Dodge Charger is a performance sedan. The podcast is talking about the company considering selling it in Europe, including a Charger Daytona version. That matters because it would affect where the car is available to buy.
LIVE
This is the Wacar EV Podcast for Thursday, June 11th, 2026. Episode 274. Wipe the slate clean.
Everything could go wrong in this episode.
Again.
Like, literally everything could go wrong.
Last week in the drama that is me and computers and trying to, as anybody who's been listening to this podcast before knows,
I do this podcast on a 14 year old laptop?
And last week it gave up the ghost.
So I had to quickly snag a new laptop or borrow a laptop and do that.
And then from last week to this week, I've now done another new laptop that hopefully is my permanent solution with a different monitor and just to throw chaos into it all.
I've completely changed my internet service provider.
And so I don't even know if I've got the bandwidth to host this because Ed and I do this remotely.
Yes.
I also have a new laptop as well.
That's right.
So we've got two new laptops, a new monitor and a new ISP for me.
So what could go wrong?
What could go wrong?
I am Phil Royal.
I am one of the co, what is that?
Hosts of, oh man, I can't do this.
I got to type everything in my manually now because it's a new laptop.
I am one of the coos here on this podcast.
And I also send you to, let me see if I can do this for audio.
This is going to be massively interesting.
I send you to thewallcard.com slash store.
Oh, hey, there it is.
Where we have a variety of shirts that you can get, including, oh, I'd forgotten about our charge baby charge red hat.
Yes.
Yeah.
So a couple of different water bottles, some sweaters.
I do recommend that sweater.
I will not be wearing it right now or for a while because it's summer, but it's really nice and warm and fuzzy.
So I recommend that you go there.
It doesn't matter who I am.
Like I've been, I do content.
This is what I do.
Automotive content.
That's my specialty.
Somehow, somehow I've made a career doing this.
Ed Sanchez.
What car hat model among other things.
I've been doing this a while.
I think, I think we've determined we've passed the official five year mark on the podcast.
So thanks for seeing this.
Do you want to talk about laptops?
Do you want to talk about post?
Yeah.
Well, I will have cut that out in post.
So people, do I now have to leave it in because you said that?
So I guess you want to talk about laptops this week.
I do want to talk about laptops.
This is an EV podcast, but I'm going to tie this into EVs and I'll do it very quickly.
A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the Lamborghini Luce.
No, Ferrari Luce.
The all new Lamborghini Luce.
Did I say that I make a career doing automotive content?
I catch myself usually before things go horribly to a ride.
So we talked about the Ferrari Luce, which was by all accounts, even though nobody's driven it, a complete disaster.
It was designed by externally and internally by Johnny Ive, the creator of the design of Apple through the 2000s that really brought it into its own,
really streamlined everything and Apple made everything super thin and unusable.
And then Johnny Ive eventually left, created his own design firm.
They got a gig for designing the Ferrari Luce and they made something that has generally been just panned.
Not well received to put it lightly.
And I was saying back then the Parasangue, the Ferrari Parasangue, the other SUV that Ferrari has that is gas powered is a superior vehicle as far as looks go.
And when it comes to Ferrari, we know it's going to go fast.
Any Ferrari is going to go fast.
But as far as the looks go, the Parasangue is in my mind completely superior to the Luce.
It's a better design.
Well, the Parasangue was designed by the Ferrari design team, the internal design team that designs a lot of the Ferraris.
They sometimes hire out Ben and Farina and whatnot.
They hire out, but the Ferrari design team is kind of what makes the Ferrari design, the Ferrari design.
They're the ones, as far as I understand, they're the ones that kind of set the tone.
But Johnny Ive comes in, does his own thing.
Well, what was the design team doing while Johnny Ive was busy ruining the next Ferrari?
Apparently they were out over with HP designing the next laptop.
So the Ferrari design team and Johnny Ive swapped seats, apparently.
And you can now buy soon, you can buy the Ferrari HP limited edition carbon fiber and glass AI PC.
So I'm assuming it's it's got everything that every chip that you would ever want and all the fans to keep it cool.
There's going to be 4999 of them made and you can pick one up for 5500 and 99 dollars.
Well, such a deal.
Yep.
And it looks better than the Luce.
Yes, this is actually not the first time there's been a Ferrari laptop.
I think they collaborate with Acer in the early 2000s.
So there was an Acer for a laptop.
And there was Razor.
I don't know if that's some company that did the scooters, but I guess they did laptops at some point to did a collaboration with Lamborghini in 2023
So I guess our branded laptops are a thing.
And Ferrari design team does design other things.
They've done an amusement park in Dubai.
I think it's.
So for our design team does do other things.
I just found it hilarious that this HP laptop is coming soon as is supposedly the Luce.
Although I don't believe it is.
It will actually comes.
So that's the dogs sleeping together.
What's the same?
Yeah, it's dogs that can't sleep together mass hysteria, something like that.
Man, I don't remember the quote anymore.
It's from Ghostbusters, best line in the movie.
And I don't remember it.
All right.
What is better than a Luce is an actual vehicle that looks good and works and you.
Most people could afford.
Most people could afford will be available very soon and is being driven by reviewers.
Yes.
So the Rivian R2, we've seen most of the specs.
We've seen pictures.
I guess they a lot led a bunch of EV influencers drive it present company accepted.
We'll drive it one day.
One of these days.
So pretty pretty good reviews.
I mean, again, this is kind of a recap coming out first with the performance.
So that's 565
Excuse me.
656 horse 609 pound feet.
Zero to 163 point six seconds.
88 kilowatt hour battery, 330 mile range.
The initial models are going to be just under 60000 cheaper models coming later.
So there you go.
The front looks a little small.
They're claiming it's five like five point two cubic feet.
Yeah, it's just like one of those where you hang.
I guess I really like the.
I forget what the R1 front looks like, but the the Ford F 150 lightning and its
power party from mega mega power front.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I really like that.
And I know the grill and everything just kind of.
Yeah.
And the Rivians, they don't do that.
They keep the grill in place.
So, you know, it's fine.
I just think with SUVs, everything's so much higher.
Like with a car, I think it's fine.
You kind of lean over, but with trucks, SUVs, I think that that could be problematic.
But this is good.
This is a good first step.
No mention of the R3 as far as I can tell.
No, sorry.
I guess I'm going to have to wait another year or two, but that's fine.
Yeah.
So this supposedly their big volume play.
It sounds like they're not so subtly targeting the Tesla Model Y with this, even though they
look very different, but price, performance, pretty similar.
I don't know if you've heard this kind of this hot take on it, which I find kind of
interesting.
They also expect possibly a lot of interest from Toyota forerunner owners, mainly because
of the rear window design.
Like it's got the roll down rear window.
So that's kind of a signature feature on the forerunners.
And this also has that.
So I do like that.
I do like the rear window on my Yukon, the rear window, and it'll be on suburban, whatever
you pop the rear hatch.
And I like that accessibility.
If it rolled down and then, you know, it's just not there and I can hang my surfboard
out the back.
Like I like that.
It's functional.
Yeah.
So, um, yeah, I don't know.
I mean, um, Toyota has pretty fierce brand loyalty.
I could see a little bit of crossover, but I don't, I don't expect a huge number of forerunner
owners to suddenly defect.
But who knows?
No.
Yeah.
I mean, I could see it.
I could see that because the forerunner price similarly, their size similarly.
So a forerunner is, it's one of those cases where Toyota's not bothered to update the
vehicle for so long.
It's turned into a hardcore vehicle, just with old technology.
And I could see eventually people going, man, this, like it's too old.
Like, I mean, they did.
I think 2025, they finally refreshed it.
Yeah.
The new ones are the turbo four.
It's basically the, the new Tacoma drive train.
Did they change out the suspension?
Did they get, or is it like still old school?
Well, it's still, I mean, still solid axle in the rear.
Yeah.
I think solid axle coil springs.
Yeah.
It's the same kind of, well, so in addition to that, it's the forerunner and Tacoma has
kind of gone from a soft-ish vehicle, whatever it was, to outdated, to at that point so old,
it's cool again, kind of like a Jeep.
Yeah.
And I could see with this, that this goes into that market.
I could totally, I can totally see that.
Because if you've got a forerunner and you're kind of like hardcore adventurer with your
forerunner Tacoma, and then you're going to go, okay, let's try electric.
Are you really going to go and get a BZ?
Like, is the BZ on your radar at all?
Like, no.
Maybe for a commuter, but if you wanted a direct replacement.
Yeah.
Something that captures the off-road spirit has a bit of personality to it.
I think Rivian's there.
I think, I think that's exactly right.
It's going to be hard for them to get Jeepers because there's not really the Jeeps that
would be comparable in this or, I don't know, a little soft.
They actually do have one, the Recon.
I really don't hear that talked about very much.
No.
I don't think that crowd is the kind that's then going to go and upgrade to something
like this.
But yeah, I think they are, whether or not they'll get the people to come.
That's a whole other question.
But I think that they could definitely get the potential of Croshoppers is right there.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, cool.
I think we discussed last week, EPA figures are actually surprisingly pretty close to
the Model Y in some configurations.
So, pricing is also right there in the ballpark.
And it'll be, I mean, I'm assuming it's next support.
There is, I think Tesla's one of, if Tesla ends up hurting in the long term, more than
the damage that Elon's doing with his personality, if it hurts, because that's a short term hurt.
If Tesla hurts in the long run, I think it could be tied back to this decision of opening
Max and allowing everybody to use this system.
Because now before all of this, somebody, if somebody said, well, which one, the R2 or
the Model Y, I'd be like, well, you know, the R2 is cooler.
But if you want to go anywhere, then you need the supercharger network and you need the Model
Y at that point.
If you're only going to stick around in your local vicinity and you charge at home, then
that's fine.
But if you ever wanted to go on a road trip, you need to get the Model Y.
That's future proofing yourself.
Now, I would not recommend the Model Y.
I'd recommend the R2.
There's nothing that makes me think that the Model Y is better than the R2 at this point.
To me, it's a matter of your preference.
That's what it comes at.
The Model Y is not better.
The R2 isn't necessarily better.
It's your preference.
And before, Max made the Model Y better.
Now it's like a non-factor.
Yeah.
Now it's a preference issue.
So if there is the downfall of Tesla or the whatever you want to call it.
I'm not saying that it's becoming climate.
Yeah.
Well, just the Tesla not doing as well as what they've been doing or in the long term,
you just see whatever the trend is.
I think this is what it all comes down to.
And this is one of the first cars where it is exactly that this is apples to apples.
Everything's the same and I would get the R2 over the Model Y.
Yeah.
If the R2 didn't have Max.
Yes.
But if the R2 didn't have Max, I would get the Model Y.
That is 100% what flops the decision for me.
Yeah.
And then you're just going to wait for forever for the R3, which is never going to happen.
As possibly some of these next vehicles we're going to talk about.
I have my doubts about these.
So you kind of go off on a tangent here on our little side notes and I wasn't sure what
in the world you were getting at.
Is it just you want to talk about similar vehicles to the R2?
Is this where we're going?
No.
I'm kind of shifting gears a little bit.
Okay.
But they also also all have Max, but that's pretty much all EVs on sale in North America
now.
So no longer differentiating factor.
But a vehicle I've just heard a lot of chatter about and I'm kind of going to kind of be
a wet rag on this a little bit.
I really don't understand the hype.
Genuinely.
The slate, the slate pickup.
And like all the enthusiast blogs and outlets are like going gaga about this and geeking
out about the crank windows and everything.
And I'm just like, I don't get it.
Am I missing something?
Well, it's cool.
Is that it?
Now, it's funny that you mentioned this.
So the article that we've pulled up, Electric, did an article about, there'll be links in
the show notes.
Carvana's bet on slate is actually a bet on itself as the future of automotive retail.
I haven't read this article, but based on the title, I would guess that they go in the
same direction as me, which is slate has a somewhat slim chance of making it.
They are a assemble your own vehicle kind of thing.
It's crank windows.
It comes with a speedometer and that's about it.
You can build it into an SUV, whatever.
And now they are going the route of, is it Aptiva?
Where they were partnering with Pet Boys, I think, to be their service stations.
Maybe I'm wrong.
You're thinking of the three-wheeler?
Yeah, the three-wheeler.
And so now what Slate's doing is they are partnering with Carvana, the vending machine
company, the car vending machine company, to be their, is it a dealer and service stations?
Is that what the deal is?
I think sales and service is the impression I got.
Now, you don't have to go back, but three to four years.
And Carvana was an inch away.
They were one of their levels away in their vending machine, away from bankruptcy.
They had been a giant house of cards that came falling down and they did massive restructuring
and closed a bunch of their shops, their facilities, which is like they built these vending machines
that they were like this crazy expensive obelisk that five or six stories tall.
There was no way that this was cost effective.
And that was probably what helped do them in was they went through all this investor capital.
They tried to promote themselves as a, like, I think like a tech company or something.
They weren't, really, they were a car max.
Yeah.
And they tried to be much like Tesla wants to be a tech company.
Carvana tried to be a tech company and Tesla is a car company.
And Carvana is a used car place.
Yeah.
So I think this is a Hail Mary for both Slate and Carvana.
And I like Slates.
I've watched a couple of the drives.
I think they would be horribly rattly.
They'd be unlivable with as a daily car.
They're not luxury for sure.
I think they kind of fall to pieces.
The version where you make the pickup truck into an SUV is going to be awful.
Because you're literally converting a pickup truck into an SUV.
So you're putting a back on it.
There's going to be no sound deadening back there.
There's going to be nowhere to put your feet.
It's just it's going to be bad.
I still like it.
But I think so.
Them partnering with Carvana makes me think they are in a world of hurt more than I thought they were in.
Why partner with a company like Carvana?
That has a shady reputation.
Yeah.
I can't remember all the ins and outs.
I'll try to dig it up.
But it was about the way that the founders had promoted it and the way they had allocated the money was shady.
And that started the failure of Carvana.
This just really like with Aptara with the three-wheeled car when they partnered with Pet Boys to be their service network was around the time that Pet Boys was also closing some of their shops.
They are their last ditch.
It was very much.
It very much reminds me of Fisker when all of a sudden they moved to like a dealer network and started shipping.
They started shipping cars to dealers so they could move vehicles when with the ocean.
And they would count the sales but they weren't actual sales.
They were sold to a dealership.
They weren't deliveries.
Yeah.
They weren't deliveries.
So they were showing all of this.
This is what this reminds me of.
And I like Slate and I know that the cars will suck.
But I still like them.
They're supposed to suck.
That's why I know that they suck.
Well, my gripe isn't with the Carvana tie up.
It's just I look at the specs and nothing about them is spectacular or really gets my attention.
I mean, I know they're built to a price.
I know they're really trying to keep the cost down and super basic.
And that's kind of their shtick.
But it's I mean, even at that, I just I don't know.
I kind of feel like they have 150 refundable preorders right now.
So now we're not talking like Cybertruck numbers.
But you know, obviously there have been some handle, you know, handraisers.
They're like, oh, I'm interested.
I want one.
I haven't feeling a lot of people will get them.
They'll live with it for a few months or a year and say this thing is.
Yeah.
I don't want to say it out loud.
But you know, this is basically a big disappointment.
This is not what I expected.
Quality is not what I expected.
The driving experience is not what I expected.
It's hard to get him serviced.
You know, I just I just kind of see this whole concept kind of.
Do you think it's life?
And I totally agree.
Totally agree.
Yeah.
Do you think it's life?
Would be more along the lines of the.
Wasn't very if you what was the one was a truck you drove?
Oh, the Lordstown endurance.
Yeah, the Lordstown endurance.
Their market was crappy trucks sold to fleets.
And so it could be crappy because it's a fleet truck who cares.
But in that case, but crappy in terms of Spartan bare bones.
As long as it's durable.
Yeah.
That's, you know, I mean, that's amazing.
You're thinking this couldn't pivot because it's not going to be durable.
I mean, reliable.
It's an EV.
Like how unreliable can it be?
There's like a few moving parts.
I just think people are more in love with the idea of it than the reality.
I think they see the, you know, the cute little round headlights and the crank windows and all that.
And they think it's going to be really cool.
But when they actually live with it, they're like, you know, what did I get?
You know, I just, I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed in it because,
you know, I know all the enthusiasts blogs geek out about, you know, crank windows, manual
transmissions and all that.
But the vast majority of car buyers, they want AC, they want power windows.
They want carplay.
You know, they want the bells and whistles.
They also want a cheap price.
But I almost think Slade has gone too far toward the cheap price to the point that they're
sacrificing some of the features and the drive.
I mean, again, I haven't driven one.
So, I mean, maybe I might drive once and say, hey, I love this.
It's fine.
It's peppy and all that.
But just looking at the specs, it's like, you know, I don't see what's special about this.
Jay Leno did a test drive of the slate on his show and a while back and he always finds
positive things to say.
And as he's driving, you could tell it was kind of crappy to drive because he keeps saying,
well, it's a little unrefined, but you know, you built this thing specifically to and then
goes and talks about how they've built it.
Whereas they just in the studio just been saying that they didn't cut corners, that they went
in and designed this like they designed it on purpose this way.
And then the price, you know, you're kind of shooting for a price, but the price kind
of worked out where the price is going to be.
And he kept everything that he made was always like, yeah, you know, yeah.
So anyway, you know, I'm not I'm not trying to poop whom I'm not trying to say I'm begging.
I mean, I'm just a rando podcast on YouTube.
So who cares about my opinion?
I'm just going to be very interested in to see how it goes.
It's not a slam dunk for sure.
No, no.
In fact, I will file them way up there.
Yeah, maybe the other one.
I'm not also not too sure about their prospects.
Now, let me preface that I personally like this vehicle.
It's kind of weird.
It's very unconventional, but the specs are got to get my attention.
I just think it's a little too out there for most buyers.
I think most people are going to look at this and like this thing is too weird.
And I don't know if you've even heard.
I'm sure you've heard of it, but I know how familiar with the tello.
Yeah, we've talked about it briefly before.
So if you're not familiar, quick recap.
Claim to fame with this is I guess bumper to bumper.
It's the same length as a mini Cooper.
So it's very compact.
Now you say bumper to bumper, but the tires extend beyond the front.
So yes, I guess tire to bumper, I guess to be more accurate.
And I did spend a little bit of time looking this up today to see if that was legal.
Apparently it is.
Yeah.
It seems to be legal.
You've still got to meet the bumper requirements, but the federal bumper requirements, but the
bumper doesn't have to be the most forward thing on the vehicle.
Yeah.
So anyway, kind of a little weird looking, but the top spec model, the all wheel drive
up to 500 horsepower in this thing, which kind of sounds insane.
The top battery spec is 106 kilowatt hour battery, which is a good size battery.
Yeah.
Up to 6600 pound claim towing capacity and up to 2000 pound payload.
Unfortunately, also up to and beyond $50,000.
And I think, I think this is going to be a tough sell in the US.
I think it's kind of part of the American kind of psyche and mystique to equate price
with size.
And I think Americans have a hard time paying a lot of money for something that's small.
If you're watching this on youtube.com slash at the walk car, which I don't remember now,
if I promote it at the beginning, but on their website, they have this little interactive
thing.
And I'm kind of showing that you can compare it to other vehicles.
And the mini, it's like bumper to bumper.
It's the same.
The Tacoma is just it's ridiculous.
Yeah.
So it's even even shorter than a transit connect.
Yeah.
Is it is quite, but of course, you know, the one feature on this that, that, you know,
has me completely sold, of course, is the midgate.
So has a midgate and it has a little pass through side storage.
A lateral kind of pass through kind of like the whatever the Rivian cubby hole or whatever
they call it.
Yeah.
I think this is cool.
I would consider one.
I think the price is a little rich for me.
If this was I'd say 40 to 42 for 500 horse and all these, you know, bells and whistles
and capabilities.
I'd, I'd be all in on this, but I think the pricing is a little ambitious for what it
is.
I think it will appeal to like some urban hipster people, but I just, I just think it's
a little too out there to be a real mainstream vehicle.
It looked on the website, it looked like they also had a minivan version, so they have some
other concepts they're working on.
Yeah.
Which made me think of canoe, remember that canoe had, they were the minivan company that
then also did a pickup that then was tested by the US military.
And we saw some of those being tested and that they went bankrupt and is this market
just is the slate tello, which isn't confusing at all since I've got one of my kids on tello
for the phone company as an MPNO for cheap.
And that's a cheap company too.
I pay $10 a month for cell phone coverage on tello or and I could buy a tello truck.
But yeah, so there's canoe.
They had their thing.
I wouldn't really put the one that, well, once again, blanked on the name of pickup truck
that you drove.
The Lordstown.
Yeah.
The Lordstown.
I wouldn't put that in the same category as these, but it kind of is, is there even
a market, is there a market for these kind of trucks or are these just because assuming
tello doesn't make it.
We know canoe didn't make it.
We know Lordstown didn't make it and slate is like it's showing all the signs of raise
your eyebrows and and hold on because it's going to be a rough ride.
Is there just not, is there just not a market for this?
Or are these companies not being run well enough to make it to production or is it production
just kills them, which is what my theory is with Apptera, that they've made it so far
because they've never entered production.
And now supposedly for like for reals guys, we're actually going to go into production.
That's what's going to kill them.
And well, I think it's not a market for it.
No, so my crystal ball theory with all this is there is a vehicle coming that will absolutely
steamroll both these guys overnight, I think, is the Ford $30,000 low cost pickup.
If that lives up to half of the promises and hype, it will it will wipe the slate clean,
so to speak, I think.
Because to me, what we know what's been announced on the Ford, it kind of hits a sweet spot
between the tello and the slate in terms of simplicity, but also in terms of features
and performance.
It doesn't as far as we know, it doesn't have 500 horse like the tello.
It doesn't have crank windows like the slate, but they are targeting give or take around
a $30,000 starting point.
I think realistically, when it goes to production, it's probably going to be more around 35.
But I still think that's pretty competitive.
And they are claiming performance equivalent to the base Mustang.
So with the EcoBoost, that's like five to six seconds, zero to 60, plenty quick.
Interior the size of a RAV4.
Anyway, you know what else they have?
Yeah.
Money.
Yes.
They have money.
They have the dealer network.
So all the hard stuff that the other companies can't do.
They were all starting from scratch.
Yeah.
Ford has that in place.
That's easy for them.
They've got the production facilities, they've got everything.
When they decide to go big with this, they're just going to Ford has always been very competitive
in trucks.
And even though this is going to be an unconventional truck, they already have that built in distribution
network, that built in customer base.
I feel just there is a certain amount of built up anticipation about it.
Now who knows, it could come out and it could get the same reception as the Luce and people
are like, Oh my gosh, this thing is ugly and stupid and all that.
Now Ford saying, Oh no, you're going to love it.
It's going to look really cool and you know, who knows until we actually see it.
But I think the Ford could basically bury both the Tello and the Slate.
And I don't say that with Geely.
I don't want them to go under.
But just, you know,
It's going to suck the air out of that market.
Yeah.
Just rationally, objectively speaking, Ford has a scale.
They've got the production capacity.
They got the dealer network.
They could just bury both of these guys like within a year, I mean.
Yeah.
So supposedly they're going to show, I'm hearing within the next couple of months,
we could see either full reveal or they're going to start teasing it.
So again, I don't wish them ill, but I just know it's a steep hill to climb.
When you look at these things now, I don't believe the Slate did this or did they?
Yeah, no, the Slate was like zero to 60 in eight seconds.
Like they fine, but it's not.
Yeah, it's fine.
It was underwhelming.
It was fine.
But when you look at things like the Tello and they're like four seconds, zero to 60,
500 horsepower, they were throwing spaghetti at the Wolf in some of those cases.
So it kind of pulled tricks in some.
And Ford is like right down the middle, five to six seconds, zero to 60 time.
The price was going to be more than the Slate, but less than the Tello.
The Ford 48 volt architecture, low voltage architecture,
400 volt high voltage LFP batteries, like it's a somewhat
blah, maybe underwhelming vehicle that strikes me as something that
wasn't a what can we do to get attention and was a we've got this expertise.
We've got the name of Ford behind us.
We've got X amount of budget.
We know how the world market works with getting parts and what we can do,
how we can do production.
And this seems like what Ford has said so far in its low cost truck seems very
reasonable and level headed.
And unless you said, you know, unless it comes out looking like a luchae or a
Cybertruck, I don't see how this can be a failure.
We've we've seen with the Cybertruck people don't want crazy.
And Ford fell into the Tesla trap with the lightning a little bit on the pricing.
Elon said $40,000 Cybertruck.
And so everybody Ford included said, Oh, our lightning will be 40,000.
They knew that they could not hit that number, but they had to say it.
They had them for whatever reason, they had to say it.
So as I don't think they're falling into that trap again,
they luckily didn't fall into the trap with the design that was already
they'd already decided we wanted a lightning that looked just like an F-150.
So I I I bet they've learned their lesson with this and that they're going.
Well, the other thing is themselves and building something independent.
The other thing too is I've actually heard Ford was a little surprised by
the positive reception on the Maverick.
I think they knew it would be popular.
I don't think they expected it to outsell the Ranger by three to one,
which it has.
Well, I'm sure they went to the Maverick and was like, Ooh,
what can we take from that?
Apply it to this to.
Yeah.
But the Ranger was at that kind of a half ass attempt at bringing it back.
Like they brought the Australian truck.
Didn't they?
They just brought an Australian.
Actually, I mean, they say already North American specific frame or whatever.
Yeah.
But it was already long in the tooth.
It was already an old design.
It didn't really have kind of had a softer front end.
It looked like they just kind of did it because they thought it could be easy money.
The Maverick has got an edge to it.
It looks cool.
Yeah.
Especially honestly, the thing is the Maverick, as long as you're not trying to project this
Alfa Macho image, if you look at it strictly from an objective like a need standpoint,
the Maverick takes most of the boxes in terms of capability, payload, fuel economy, especially
in the times we're living in.
That's a pretty big priority for a lot of buyers.
And if you're going to be all macho, you're going to buy the F-150.
You're not going to buy the Ranger.
So if you don't care about perception, you could buy the Maverick.
That's the Miata of trucks.
And then if you do care about how people perceive you, you could buy the F-150 or higher.
The Ranger is just like no man's land.
It can't tow significantly.
Well, I mean, and the other thing is Toyota is so dominant in the midsize sector with the Tacoma.
I mean, they just own that segment.
And it's just really hard to compete with that.
So I think the Ranger revival in the US was a little bit of a us too because GM
kind of came out with the second gen Colorado and Canyon.
And GM did okay with that, not like Tacoma level sales, but they sold enough of them.
And I think Ford saw an opportunity and said, oh, we'll do that too.
And it was like, where?
And then of course, the Maverick came out and everyone went crazy.
So I don't know.
I'm very curious to see what this actually looks like when they reveal it.
And like I said, I think this could be a huge hit potentially.
I'm not saying it will, but I'm saying it has the makings of it.
And sadly, I think for Tello and for Slate, I don't think they stand a chance against this
because they're going to do all the trim step ups.
They'll probably have a real bare bones fleet version for urban delivery or
courier stuff where they just want low cost of operation, easy maintenance,
up to the more, I'm sure, the fully loaded version of this thing, I'm sure is going to be
about 50 grand, but as long as they can get it in 30, 35 for the base model.
The base model they'll be sold in three years after they release these.
It's really expensive.
Well, yeah, I'll probably roll out the high trim level first.
I'm sure that seems to be the trend.
Anyway, so yeah, I like the Tello.
I'm not entirely sure they're going to make it.
I mean, I hope they do, but I just.
They're not on Death Watch yet.
Tello and Slate's not on, you know.
I don't know enough about Tello.
I need to do a little bit of a deep dive into that company.
I'm tempted to put Slate on.
Death Watch on Death Watch.
And last car, I believe I put on Death Watch was canoe.
Yeah, then you know, it wasn't canoe.
I did canoe, but I also did Fisker.
I called that one like two months before.
At that one, I was like, they're done.
It was like December or something, November.
And I'm like, they're done there.
They are absolutely done.
And then in like January, they announced January, February.
This I don't think we're there yet.
I don't think we're there yet, but we are definitely in early stages.
I'll tell you where I think Tello could do really well, ironically, as in Europe.
It looks European.
It looks European.
They're used to, you know, kind of smaller form factors.
Europe in general has been much more enthusiastic in terms of adopting EVs.
You know, there's streets are smaller there.
Do they need 500 horsepower?
Probably not.
But and they're also used to higher prices.
I mean, if you look at the pricing of European models, even relative to the same
equivalent in the US, they're more expensive.
I mean, I think like a golf GTI is like 55 grand in Europe.
You know, and they're just they just, that's just normal.
You know, they just accept it.
So could could do well in Europe.
US, like I said, I just think the whole American mentality about price versus size
is going against it.
I think it's too funky looking.
I just, would I buy one?
Sure, I think they're cool, but I'm kind of a weirdo.
So yeah, I don't know if there's enough weirdos to support it.
Well, I think we're done.
There is one more company on this watch.
Okay.
And this this strategy really has me scratching my head.
I really am not sure what they're thinking about this, but
supposedly Stellantis is looking at selling the charger and charger Daytona in Europe.
And I just, I don't know.
I don't know what I think about this.
Why do you not know what you think about it too big?
Way too big.
I mean, this thing is massive.
I mean, I think bumper to bumper, it's about the same length as an S class.
And, you know, I know their segments of the European market that really dig kind of the
American muscle type image, but I don't know.
I mean, maybe now is the time to do it because it does have the luce nose.
Kind of.
Maybe the Europeans will just eat this up.
Well, maybe I think they should concentrate on their, their core brands, you know,
Pujo Citron and Opal and just really hunker down and try to make those the best they can be
rather than trying to, trying to sell the charger.
I don't know.
We'll see.
You know what I know?
I know that the best kept secret in our store at the walker.com slash store
is my personal favorite.
I mean, they're all my personal favorite, the EV displacement replacement shirt.
Now the EV AF shirt gets a lot of lovin.
But the displacement replacement shirt, I think is one of those shirts that
I think that's a gem.
I thought a hydrogen is the future and always will be.
What's your other favorite?
They're all my favorite.
It's like my children.
I have a favorite.
I just don't say which one it is.
I say they're all my favorite.
I just keep my favorite to myself.
So go find your favorite and buy one today.
Yes, it helps support the blog and the podcast, which is really just the podcast at this point.
We are on youtube.com slash at the walk car.
We are also on the social medias.
Don't bother following us or liking us.
Who cares about that, but you can share us.
You can share those off of the blog or you can share on youtube or Spotify feed or shorts.
We've got tons of those.
Whatever you want to do.
Speaking of which, we need to do some walk car shorts.
We do actually.
I should look at that.
You know, last year I was going to shut down the store and now I'm
Now we're actually getting a few sales.
Yeah, and I raised the prices a little bit.
So we weren't losing money on every sale, which is key.
You know, you can only make up so many things in bulk when you're losing money on each one.
Yes.
So prices did go up by five bucks.
Yeah, the tariffs did not help us.
I think we're done.
Yes, more to come next week.
Hopefully no technical staff lose.
Maybe we got it all dialed in or maybe not.
Maybe this episode was a complete training.
All right, see ya.
About this episode
Episode 274 “Wipe the Slate Clean” kicks off with a behind-the-scenes reset—new laptops, a new monitor, and even a changed internet provider—before the conversation jumps into EV and truck comparisons. The hosts recap Rivian R2 specs and weigh it against the Tesla Model Y, then pivot to skepticism about Slate’s pickup/SUV hype and Carvana/Slate retail strategy. The discussion broadens to 4Runner refresh details, EV startup survival, and why Ford’s scale and pricing could “wipe the slate clean.”
The Rivian R2 is in the hands of journalists, and the reviews are in. On this week’s podcast, we discuss whether the sprightly new offering from this EV maker will be enough to take on Tesla and its dominant Model Y. Things are looking good for Rivian, but are they also looking good for the likes of Slate and Telo, especially with Ford’s new low cost EV pickup being developed? We stare into our crystal ball to see whether Ford is about to wipe the slate clean.
