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For those who don't feel like reading an article: solid plastic panels.

Way over-thinking it.

Europe and Japan 10-15 years ago all had radios with 4x6 inch no-touch displays for pre-loaded GPS with no internet connection. They switch to backup cameras when in reverse.

America doesn't need to invent anything here, this is old technology widely used by large parts of the rest is the world.

Can we get another edit for braking instead of breaking, please? Surely all this fancy new-fangled tech never breaks? 😉

all modern cars will have to have some kind of screen (whether built in the mirror, on the dash, or as part of the gauge system)

Starting in 2029 all cars will be required to have automatic breaking

As an FYI, they mention both of these in the article

The Hilux is a perfect example of why tariffs won't work the way Trump wants them to. The Hilux is not offered to the North American market because a retaliatory tariff applied over 60 years ago due to a trade dispute involving chicken (it is now known as "the chicken tax") the original reasons for which are largely forgotten to modern consumers, yet the tariff has remained in place ever since. Rather than incentivizing the makers of trucks like the Hilux to move production to the US to bypass the tariff, instead the market for such trucks simply vanished, and manufacturers never bothered investing any effort to bring it back, because... why would they? There's no profit in it for them.

The tariff hangs over the entire product category like a sword of damocles. Nobody will import them here, because they would need to be specially customized to meet domestic regulations and customers won't pay for the tariff on the imports nevermind the redesign, so all they would be left with is a bunch of unsellable prototypes . And since there's no way to test the viability of their products in the market, nobody can make a case to invest in building them here either, because the tariff could be gone tomorrow and they would instantly be put out of business by cheaper imports of the rich variety of light cargo vehicles used throughout the world. The tariff creates an insurmountable risk/reward mismatch that no sane company can ignore.

You can argue and nitpick about economics all you want, the proof is in the economy itself. If you think tariffs work, go ahead and buy a Toyota Hilux. I'll wait. Some people have been waiting 60 years. It still hasn't happened. And it's not going to.

This is 100% it.

All I want is a modular car system. Everything modular. Dashboard. Body panels. Whatever. I want 3+ cars possible on one frame, and to not need anything more than basic tools to swap parts around.

framework truck😭

If only that money wouldn't be partially going into the pockets of Bezos, it would be amazing.

And while easily replacable panels and such are a good thing. Having the mounting screws exposed like that is a horrendus idea. Because I suspect I know what much younger and very drunk people would do, based on the Mercedes hood ornaments I have in a box somewhere.

The article states it will display the backup camera feed on the dashboard screen

Europe and Japan had backup cameras with no touchscreen on cars 10-15 years ago. The radio head unit just switches from a small 4x6 inch LCD display to back up camera when in reverse.

It does say "no touchscreen", not "no screen". I'm betting it will have a small screen for the backup camera, with no touch elements.

It has a small screen in the speedometer.

my trailer weighs like 350lb total, that gives me 650lb to haul in it still

If you need to tow something, sure. The vast majority of people who own a pickup don't tow jackshit. That goes for urban and rural areas.

Oh, not at all. Not at all. Now as a full-fledged TRUCK, and hauling, yeah it's pretty pathetic. But the truck platform that this uses is clean, simple, and fucking brilliant.

A lot of non-truck city people like to cite some damning statistic, something-something-87% of truck owners haven't hauled anything significant in the past year. Correct, and I think most people simply don't have that need. The number of oversized trucks I see, that go from home to cubicle work to WalMart & back home again... 🙄🙄🙄

Full-sized trash cans don't fit in a car very well. But they fit nicely in a truck. This truck can "haul"...all kinds of bulky, awkward shit that doesn't weigh much. I've got a lot of that in my life.

I could use this as a nice, basic farm shuttle vehicle. Chores. Daily driver to & from work. Camping even, obviously light tent camping. Drive-in movie theaters. Parties. "I don't have room in my car for [junk] ." Well, throw it in my truck. Problem solved, yay 🥳

It's electric, so you could even drive it part-time & fully recharge it with the fucking sun.

I adore the standard cab, small, working man's truck. It is not kind of utterly useless, it just doesn't allow you to be the manliest man that ever manned, bro. Lift kit & shoxxx for offroading, bro. Best in class for towing, bro. Extended cab, bro. It runs on endangered species of owls, bro. ...you can keep all that. I'll take this. 🤗

I don't need a truck, but this is perfect for people who want to take a bunch of mountain bikes out to the downhill mountain bike park. Throw 5-6 bikes in the back, take the riders in a separate car.

That said, I hope they come out with a smaller wagon or sedan with clearance (so a hitch can be installed for mountain bikes).

Equivalent towing capacity of a Chevy Impala, so yes.

This is less of a truck and more of a truck-shaped go-kart.

I have an older Ranger. I don't do much truck stuff. The bulk cargo area is the draw, not the weight capacity. The heaviest load I carried was 800lbs of plywood, which was 15 sheets or something. I have a 4x8 trailer that can also help haul bulky household goods for moves, a motorcycle, lumber, or furniture. While the trailer is rated for 1700lbs payload and weighs 300lbs itself, I have never put more than 500lbs on it, despite filling the 4x8 floor stackef 4ft high. I made the trailer before getting the Ranger, so now they're redundant and never actually hauled together.

If you're already towing, this probably isnt the truck for you. If you aren't towing, it provides an option to tow something if you have to. The reason I chose the Ranger is because it's cheap, gets good fuel economy, and has the capacity to grab full lumber sheet goods on my commute home. While I could find a 30mpg car for the same price, I'm still in the mid 20s. Maybe I could spend 30k on a new F150 V6 and get similar, but then it costs 10x what I paid. Bulk space and handling scratchy cargo is the main goal. I think of the Slate as being what the Ranger should've been now.

I’ve had a lowkey obsession with this truck for a few months now. Sure, the looks aren’t for everyone. But I would get one tomorrow if I could afford it.

I have an older Kia Soul EV that I absolutely love, but could use a truck bed from time to time. I also love kei trucks (I live in Hawai’i and they’re everywhere!). Small vehicles with clever use of space is my jam. And I will never go back from an EV unless I’m absolutely forced to. This Slate truck is kinda awesome as well. Gives old 80s pickup truck vibes and I’m here for it.

Big bonus for Telo is that they support Right to Repair and are trying to use off-the-shelf parts where possible to enable end-user repairs. Oh and it isn't a unibody so, panels can be replaced if damaged.