By Phil Royle – July 16, 2026
With a bright Crayola partnership everyone will see coming, it’s a wrap for Slate. But it turns out, a Slate optioned to the hilt is far from inexpensive. With a construction based on affordability (cough, cheap, cough), people are looking for a deal, but at what cost? We talk tiny pickups on this week’s podcast with that, plus a conversation about a Telo towing. Also, the UK implements a mileage tax, EV battery recycling is a difficult business, and more.
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SHOW NOTES
UK to implement mileage tax for EVs starting in 2028: https://www.electrive.com/2026/07/14/uk-confirms-mileage-based-ev-tax-from-2028/
TWC Podcast Episode 153, Death, Taxes, and EVs: https://www.thewattcar.com/2024/01/twc-podcast-153-death-taxes-and-evs.html
EV battery recycling is not very profitable for scrap yards: https://www.npr.org/2026/07/13/nx-s1-5847025/ev-battery-recycling-economics
Rivian ECV dominating commercial EV van sales: https://insideevs.com/news/801568/rivian-van-best-selling-q2-2026/
Slate offering licensed Crayola wraps: https://www.thedrive.com/news/slate-knows-that-gray-is-boring-so-its-launching-with-legit-crayola-wraps
Think the Slate is cheap? Be careful with the options sheet: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a71856215/slate-truck-options-pricing-over-45k/
Small but mighty, Telo tows a Pebble trailer: https://electrek.co/2026/07/14/pebble-flow-telo-mt1-electric-truck-tow/
U.S. surpasses 250,000 charging point milestone: https://www.cars.com/articles/the-u-s-surpassed-250000-ev-charging-ports-is-it-enough-2-527011/
This week’s hosts: Phil Royle and Edward A. Sanchez
Episode art courtesy Slate
Music courtesy Twisterium at Pixabay
Website: https://www.thewattcar.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewattcar