274: Wipe the Slate Clean
By The Watt Car Staff — June 11, 2026
The Rivian R2 is in the hands of journalists, and the reviews are in. On this week’s podcast, we discuss whether the sprightly new offering from this EV maker will be enough to take on Tesla and its dominant Model Y. Things are looking good for Rivian, but are they also looking good for the likes of Slate and Telo, especially with Ford’s new low cost EV pickup being developed? We stare into our crystal ball to see whether Ford is about to wipe the slate clean.
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SHOW NOTES
Ferrari Design Team designs an HP laptop: https://www.tweaktown.com/news/112095/hps-new-limited-edition-ferrari-laptop-is-made-from-carbon-fiber-and-glass/index.html
Rivian R2 first drive review roundup:
https://electrek.co/2026/06/09/rivian-r2-first-drive-this-is-everything-i-need-to-upgrade-my-model-y-except/
https://insideevs.com/reviews/798129/rivian-r2-first-drive-review/
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a71483800/2027-rivian-r2-drive/
https://www.thedrive.com/car-reviews/2027-rivian-r2-first-drive-review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8ii1R5aAMM
Carvana could become the de facto nationwide franchisee for Slate: https://electrek.co/2026/06/05/carvanas-bet-on-slate-is-actually-a-bet-on-itself-as-the-future-of-automotive-retail/
Slate has amassed 150,000 (refundable) preorders to date: https://insideevs.com/reviews/786896/slate-ev-pickup-truck-everything-we-know/
Telo: https://www.telotrucks.com/
Stellantis attempting to sell Charger Daytona in Europe: https://insideevs.com/news/798063/dodge-charger-daytona-ev-gas-europe/
This week’s hosts: Phil Royle and Edward A. Sanchez
Episode art courtesy Slate
Music courtesy Twisterium at Pixabay
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