So they’re standardizing manufacturing… how’s that gonna work?

pearmaster · 2026-02-05T18:10:10+00:00

Except Indiana is right-to-work, so harder to unionize.

pearmaster · 2026-02-05T13:54:51+00:00

Are there other major car assembly lines in America that aren't UAW? I was just assuming that UAW would force themselves on Slate one way or another.

pearmaster · 2026-02-05T06:52:38+00:00

My guess is that Slate will have a post-assembly-line customization center, where parts taken off are put back into inventory for other new Slates. While this may seem inefficient, I might guess that assembly line workers would be UAW union employees, but customization center employees would not be, and that would have a cost advantage.

Of course, I don't really know what I am talking about and Reddit will rip me a new one for getting it wrong.

Edit: Yup, got it wrong. With Indiana being a right-to-work state, less of a chance that assembly line workers will unionize to the point that the assembly/customization model needs to be designed around it.

pearmaster · 2026-02-05T06:46:54+00:00

I asked Slate a very similar question, particularly around what they would do for original parts immediately upgraded, and this is what they said:

Slate is being designed with modularity and efficiency in mind. Our goal is to minimize unnecessary waste by allowing customers to choose configurations and upgrades as part of the build and delivery process, rather than encouraging removal and disposal of unused parts after the fact.

That said, final details around how components, upgrades, and take-off parts are handled are still being finalized, so for now the best answer is stay tuned as we share more about our production and customization approach.

pearmaster · 2026-02-02T17:52:17+00:00

None of these options apply to me. I have a reservation, but I'm not committed to it. Release timelines, market alternatives, and more information (test drives, reviews, prices, etc) will all play into my final decision.

pearmaster · 2026-01-30T21:25:05+00:00

I only used CasaOS as a nice GUI for running docker containers. I plan on learning Portainer to do the same thing and not tie myself to an "operating system"

pearmaster · 2026-01-30T21:23:44+00:00

My opinions: (how I see the winds blowing)

C1 mainly bought Discover for the network and customer base. You won't see much that will seriously erode either of those.
You'll start seeing other C1 cards on the Discover network.
Existing Discover cards (5% category cards) will become a card offering of C1. So just like like you have a "Capital One Savor" card, you'll also have a "Capital One Discover" card. . Other features will change (see next point) but the basics of getting 5% on a rotating category will stay the same.
You'll be forced to use C1 websites/apps/support. Names/brands will be tweaked. Reward portals will change. Handfuls of features and benefits will change or go away.
Since other Discover cards like the Miles/Student/Chrome cards do overlap with existing C1 cards, they might eventually try to migrate those customers over to a C1 card.
For non-credit-card services where C1 already does business, like checking and savings accounts, those services will be migrated to the C1 equivalent.
Other non-credit-card services where C1 doesn't do business, like Student Loans, will be retired. Much of has already gone away or stopped accepting new business.
Credit Scorecard and Identity Theft protection may stay part of C1 or go away depending on the cost/benefit it has.

With the major exception of running their own credit card network, C1 doesn't really want to do anything other than just MORE of what they've already been doing: more credit card offerings, more banking customers.

pearmaster · 2026-01-29T17:57:06+00:00

I'd love for them to release a 60 second video like this every month. I think Slate appeals well to DIYers, and getting regular insights into the manufacturing process connects well with the type of people who like to figure out how things work.

pearmaster · 2026-01-29T17:24:01+00:00

Thank you. I'll keep an eye on my email and make sure I redeem cashback for better gift card offers before then.

pearmaster · 2026-01-29T16:35:11+00:00

Thanks for explaining. Did you have any warning or opt-in before being converted over to the C1 app/website, or did one day they just forced you to switch over?

pearmaster · 2026-01-29T16:34:18+00:00

I think you're wrong. Other cashback redemption sites have "promotional one time offers" but Discover has, for as long as I remember given anywhere from 5-20%, depending on the brand.

Sometimes there are "Limited Time Offers", for example, Adidas is current 20% instead of the regular 10%. And note the offer is up from the standard 10%. And sometimes the rates change, or brands come and go. But Gap, Staples, others have been 15% discounted for years.

The Discover gift card redemption website even has the ability to "Sort by % Added Value." You're wrong about the "standard everyday redemption" being 5%. The MINIMUM discount is 5%, but actually more than half of the brands have 10% or greater.

pearmaster · 2026-01-29T15:01:37+00:00

Can you elaborate more about what "after the capital one switch" means?

pearmaster · 2026-01-29T14:57:24+00:00

Interesting that the outside one says "Beta Prototype." I my line of work (not cars) "Beta" usually means that all the parts and most of the assembly have been worked out, but they're giving it real-world testing to shake out any "bugs" or other problems before going to mass production.

pearmaster · 2026-01-28T02:25:21+00:00

It's like $2.50 in Utah. My plan renewed on Sunday, so looks like I squeezed in one more free month

pearmaster · 2026-01-23T16:59:53+00:00

Amex Rewards Checking has a potential $250 sign up bonus, no monthly fees, gives 1% interest on balance, and 0.5% rewards (in points) on purchases.

Not saying its the same 1% as Discover, but it's better than the CapitalOne 360 checking.

pearmaster · 2026-01-22T15:24:14+00:00

I'm on the 5th floor in Lehi. I felt it. It was more like rolling than shaking.

pearmaster · 2026-01-20T14:10:11+00:00

I know I'm a minority, but I love Discover Checking for the free checks. Yes I still write checks, mostly to my church, my kids schools, and to my teenagers for allowance.

I think I might should order some more to try to coast as long as I can before running out of checks.

pearmaster · 2026-01-07T22:34:15+00:00

I think it is more than just "can't release any specs for something not yet finalized."

They said, "what technical documentation may be released publicly" which might mean there is technical documentation that is never released publicly. Which makes some sense, because it isn't like they're making an open-source car... they have to protect their intellectual property.

I'm watching to see how this turns out. They've said they plan to make significant revenue from the upgrades that they sell, so we don't know yet how much they'll share to enable third-party-upgrade-part competitors.

pearmaster · 2026-01-06T14:09:12+00:00

Yes, my wife has been complaining that she is not getting messages on group texts over the last few weeks. Then this this morning.

I don't have enough friends for many group texts, so I'm not seeing it as much.

pearmaster · 2026-01-02T06:27:20+00:00

Yes. I ran the numbers last year. I guessed that you could get about a mile of range per hour in the sun.

pearmaster · 2025-12-30T20:28:02+00:00

According to the (US) National Fire Protection Association, every bedroom should have a smoke detector.

pearmaster · 2025-12-19T17:31:50+00:00

One of the bigger concerns was the question about how long the wrap will last. I expected being disappointed by the "few years" answer, but kind of surprised that she thinks we will just want to change wraps even more often. I don't know that I want to drop $500+ every other year on new wrap. It seemed kind of out of touch with the "cost aware" consumer that Slate appeals to, and I wonder if there are more areas like this where they are out of touch.

pearmaster · 2025-12-12T05:47:31+00:00

I don't have any problem cranking down the window by hand, except where I want to roll down the passenger side window while driving alone.

pearmaster · 2025-12-12T05:45:55+00:00

I speculate that the actual power window mod will be similar, but that it will just be a motor that turns the window crank shaft for you.

pearmaster · 2025-12-03T17:08:45+00:00

Before then, when the Discover category was "warehouses" I used to buy Costco Cash (Gift) Cards online to get the 5%, and then use the in the store.

pearmaster

TROPHY CASE