When the 2022 Ford Maverick debuted, it introduced an interesting feature called the Ford Integrated Tether System (FITS), which are essentially slots or receivers designed for matching mounts to slide into and hold accessories. Aside from purchasing those accessories from Ford, owners can also download blueprints and 3D print them, or make custom items themselves. Now, Slate Auto – which is making an all-electric Maverick rival set to debut in 2027 – has launched its own, somewhat similar feature.
That feature is what the company calls a “Slatelet,” or at least, a prototype of clip-in dash badges, for now. Slatelets can be 3D-printed at home and personalized, but Slate has a broader vision for them. In fact, it sees fans and owners trading and sharing Slatelets with friends and family, helping to grow the upstart EV automaker’s reach at the same time.
For now, there are four Slatelets that users can download here – one of a wrapped model, one with a manual window crank that says “Be Hold!,” an 8-bit rendering of the vehicle, and another with graffiti on it. Slate notes that a 0.2mm 3D printer nozzle works best for this particular application, and users can affix Slatelets to things by attaching a clip to the indentation on the back of the badge with superglue.
As for the Slate itself, it’s set to be an affordable yet no-frills pickup that will be offered with a wide array of customization options, including a kit that can even transform it into an SUV. Slate plans to offer over 100 accessories for its EV when it debuts in the next couple of years, though users will have to add their own stereo system and infotainment screen. It can be had with a 52.7-kWh battery pack and a 150 kW rear-wheel drive setup giving it 150 miles of range, or a 84.3-kWh pack, which ups range to 240 miles.
All that Electric Spice looks pretty good, if we do say so ourselves.
It has remained with the original owner's family since new, too.
Three words: tech, advertising, and business.
Another nicely kept example of the newer Ranger.
