https://www.autoblog.com/news/slate-electric-pickup-cant-track-you-because-it-has-no-modem
It’ll also be the only vehicle on the new vehicle market with manual windows rolling up. But for around $25K, it’s a real tempting offer.
6 Likes
Kind of ironic that that site is aggressive about tracking and jamming ads.
2 Likes
I like the direction that their thinking is going in but not having a modem is not equivalent to “can’t track you”. The real question that I would be asking is: does it have any software at all inside and, if so, is that software open source?
That way, you can audit what information is collected (since they say that information is collected) and audit what happens to that information - and potentially take control of that information / collection yourself.
Also, having to control something via a smartphone app seems like a step backwards, not forwards, since the app will most likely be troublesome to run in an open environment.
And manual windows doesn’t seem like a logical necessity.
1 Like
Dave: Open the driver side window Hal.
Hal: I’m afraid I can’t do that Dave.
1 Like
Surely there’s a design in between
- the door has only a sensor switch and what happens after that is up to the HAL9000, and
- manual windows.
Manual windows would be very retro.
It’s just 600 unique parts! The catch, you gotta bring your own dashboard!
Having to control an “offline” vehicle with an app which will certainly be available only for Google and Apple phones pretty much defeats the entire premise, IMO. If I’m rolling up my window with a crank, I’m gonna be fine turning a knob to select between “bumpy” and “jarring” drive modes. If that bumps the parts count up to 601, so be it.
Probably doesn’t matter anyway, I seriously doubt that I’ll ever see a consumer-purchased Slate truck in the wild.
1 Like
Unless they publish the interface so that someone can create the same application for Linux (or any other OS).
This ties closely with my reply on that other thread about transferring files by truck. Now no one can track your data transfer either.
Does the modus operandi of this truck get cancelled out if it has one of those toll road pass transponders?
The article said that they want their customers to know what kinds of data they’re collecting, and why. But it is odd that their website has tracking and jamming on it.
Without a modem, the only way they could get data from the truck is when you bring it in for servicing. But they don’t have dealerships. They have something called a university training program that is open to the public, and that trains ordinary auto repair shops and others who want to learn, how to fully service and repair those trucks. The software might even be open-source. But I doubt that any of that training teaches the repair shops to download your data while your vehicle is in for servicing or repairs, and send it to them.
The use of your phone is probably out of necessity. You at least need access to the level 3 charging systems, and have to somehow pay for your electricity there. Other uses of your phone probably allow you to leave your phone at home most of the time for local driving. I would rarely if ever use a level 3 charger in any event. Level 3 charging is known to reduce battery life if you use it often.
I like the manual rolling windows. You can pay for an upgrade that has electronic windows and door locks. But if you’re ever at the bottom of a river or lake, you’ll be glad you have a manual crank for the windows to get out.
There are many different ways of being tracked and you can’t avoid all of them. A few years ago I was in a car accident and the other driver claimed that he couldn’t drive and that his vehicle was not drivable. Several weeks later, my agent said that there is a system of cameras around town that record the passing of every license plate. The guy who couldn’t drive (because of his supposed injuries) and who’s car was not drivable was recorded driving that vehicle to work every day. Unless you’re willing to hide your license plate from everyone including law enforcement, you’re location is being tracked. I don’t mind a camera spotting my plate and recording the time and date. But I don’t want to use my resources to help them track me for commercial use.
Agreed. And while I don’t like the “don’t trust [big corporation]” arguments, I will say that the ties to Amazon+Bezos are just too strong for my liking.
I agree about the ties to Besos and Amazon. I doubt the truck designers set out to create a privacy respecting truck. It’s more likely that somewhere in the design process, they were saying ”how can we cut even a few more dollars out of our components list”. Then someone said “hey, why don’t we get rid of the modem? We can market it as a privacy feature”. But none the less, there is no modem now. I’ll take that.
I was looking for a light, inexpensive electric truck when I found this. I might get one. The 240 mile range on the bigger battery works for me for 95% of my driving. I could charge it at home using my spare solar power rather than selling my excess solar power back to my utility cheaply. Maybe I can find a way to use it as a power source when the power goes out. If we have a serious gas shortage, I can still have a vehicle that doesn’t need a petroleum product to run.
I don’t carry a device that runs apple or google apps, and just don’t use charging stations that require them. My EV would like me to have an app, but my EV has to get used to disappointment.
1 Like
To some extent, yes. And toll road widgets are only a part of a much larger problem of excessive surveillance.
For example, if the driver of the truck has a mobile phone with the cellular radio switched on then there is the coarse location tracking available anyway, even if the truck itself doesn’t have a cellular modem.
And, for example, every toll road widget goes hand in hand with surveillance cameras, in case you are doing a runner or in case you legitimately don’t have a widget and need to be followed up with a bill (plus exorbitant admin fee) - and for some other “mission creep” reasons.
etc. etc. etc.
Even so, I wouldn’t discount the truck on those grounds.
I noticed that too. It invited me to disable my ad blocker. Yeah, I didn’t but thanks for asking. 
What is missing though is that actual information. What kinds of automotive data are they collecting? And can I turn that off, in part or in whole?
Also, relayed via an ‘attached’ mobile phone. (I assume USB or Bluetooth, but not clear.)
That dodgy app that you ‘have to’ run could request the data from the car and then upload it to the app’s web site.
Well, in my country, that would be illegal. But I fully appreciate your point, surveillance is everywhere. I would just treat that as a separate, independent problem.
2 Likes
I think you would need to enquire of the manufacturer as to whether that is even possible. Some cars have an electrical charging interface that supports that. Some don’t. It is my impression that it is a more recent feature.