Scout Has Picked An Engine For Its Range-Extended Hybrid SUVs And Trucks

The world was a bit of a different place just a few short years ago when the relaunched Scout automaker announced a new electric Traveler SUV and Terra pickup truck would go on sale by the end of the decade, with premium materials and modern BEV powertrains, but the same practical off-road ability as the original Scout models.

The company has since proven to be adaptable, later announcing that both its launch vehicles will now be available with an extended-range hybrid option dubbed the Harvester system. Questions lingered about which gas unit would get the job, but now we have more of a clue.

Scout Won’t Get Any Turbochargers, But That’s A Good Thing

Automotive News reports that Volkswagen Group (which owns Scout) CFO Arno Antlitz admitted the Scout Harvester gas engine will be naturally aspirated and come from the Group’s engine plant in Silao, Mexico, where the Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Taos, and Tiguan vehicles all source their powerplants from currently.

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Scout’s Range Extended Pickup And SUV Will Be A Disappointment In One Big Area

Details on the Scout Traveller are dripping out despite being two years away.

Previous comments from Scout’s CEO confirmed it would be a four-cylinder. All of those previously mentioned VW models are exclusively offered with turbocharged engines in the US, so it’s possible Scout will use an engine that VW recently stopped deploying in its cars, an engine from a different North American market, or simply a non-turbo version of one of the existing engines being produced. That should be good for reliability, if not for outright power.

Plenty Of Range Means Plenty Of Orders For EREVs

Previous claims put the Harvester EREV models’ range at 500 miles or more, when compared to the anticipated 350 estimated miles of range from the BEV versions of the body-on-frame Traveler and Terra. They could come equipped with a 60-70 kWh battery pack, which will be smaller than the BEV packs but likely otherwise the same type of cells and modules in a smaller configuration.

Scout has reported that as much as 80 percent of vehicle reservations so far have opted for the Harvester hybrid system, and that there are more than 50,000 reservations so far.

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Future VW And Audi SUVs Could Be Based On An American Brand’s Trucks

Without a body-on-frame design of its own, the VW Group is looking to a newcomer for help.

The Blythewood, South Carolina plant that Scout is building will have an annual capacity of as many as 200,000 vehicles if there’s enough demand. It’s possible, given the new tariffs, that VW Group uses the plant for other automakers’ models, as well.

Unfortunately, as good as the range on EREVs can be under normal driving conditions, they’re not very good at towing, much like traditional EVs.

Source: Automotive News