25,000 Dollar Truck Coming soon

[ScottyC]

Nothing says "Unibomber-like existence" like a single cab pickup truck..

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[gzebrick]

Chargers can be installed outdoors.



I get that. I am lucky to have an old decommissioned RV hookup spot that still has a power feed that should work for a charger, my home also has no garage and would not have sufficient capacity for an EV charger otherwise.

Though not ideal. if your home has an easily accessible electric dryer outlet already in place, there are manual and automatic plug sharing switches that will enable a dryer outlet OR switch to an EV 220v charger outlet automatically. Amazon sells these for relatively cheap and can allow basic level-2 charging in existing homes without changing/upgrading any wiring.

If your home already supports an electric dryer, it can also support something like one of these.

https://a.co/d/02l5efA2

 

[Surly Old Bill]

The problem is anyone on a shoestring budget looking for a first car, probably doesn't have at home level-2 charging as an option (apt? Condo?), so any EV, even a $27,000 one, is probably not the best play (a hybrid/PHEV or EREV might be better).

If you have the money for the SLATE as a 2nd or 3rd vehicle, and you have a place to charge, you probably have the money to take it up a notch and get something nicer with more features like the MAV, the new Ford EV trucklet, or any of the new entry level EVs.

A little inconvenient to go to a charging station for half an hour every week, true. It's also inconvenient to go to a gas station for 10 minutes every other week.

I still think that any sub-$30k vehicle will be a target for first-time owners, and the other benefits of an EV regarding operating and maintenance costs will weigh heavily against access to charging. We just use a level-1 with the Fiat and it easily charges up overnight. Granted, it has a 35kWh battery, though, about half the size of the Slate. But, I doubt many people would be discharging it all the way before charging back up. 200 miles is a long way to drive every day, it would likely be charging once a week for the average driver.

New car prices; the average price is now $50k. I don't know the Bell Curve of what people are BUYING, the center is probably less than $50k. The many cars priced above $50k, like every full size pickup and most SUVs and full size sedans, drag the "average" price up, and I suspect the great number of purchases are under $40-50k. That said, anything under $30k is a bargain car, and most likely purchased by first-time buyers and cheapskates like me (hence the Mav...). My first new car was $5200 ($16k in 2026 dollars), an '86 Suzuki Samurai. Can you imagine a new car costing only $16k now?!

 

[Surly Old Bill]

Though not ideal. if your home has an easily accessible electric dryer outlet already in place, there are manual and automatic plug sharing switches that will enable a dryer outlet OR switch to an EV 220v charger outlet automatically. Amazon sells these for relatively cheap and can allow basic level-2 charging in existing homes without changing/upgrading any wiring.

If your home already supports an electric dryer, it can also support something like one of these.

https://a.co/d/02l5efA2

A lot of old houses only have 100amp service, or even less. For some people, adding a new 220/240v outlet would require updating the entire breaker box, and maybe even the lines from the power pole. I had some open spots in my breaker box when I added a 220/240vac pair to the kitchen for the "dual fuel" range (gas burners and elec oven). That's the only 220/240 device we have, the dryer and hot water heater are gas. But I only went with a 120vac new line to the driveway to charge the Fiat with a level 1 charger. We really don't need more than 5 miles per hour charging for the Fiat, which gets charged overnight maybe once a week. It has a 24kWh battery module, and is good for 80-90 miles unless the heater or AC is on a lot, and that drops it by a third!

But, I like the DIY idea of just using the existing dryer or water heater outlet instead of installing a whole new line dedicated to the car for level 2; of which a 40amp would charge 30-35 miles in an hour.

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