Terra - 10 Pleas and Desired Options

[E90400K]

He stated where they want to put it, and what they plan to do. There have been no official statements from Scout to confirm what will actually happen. They are not far enough into the production and design process, yet, to confirm any of that.

The CEO said it. Maybe CEOs aren't "official"? I've stated in another thread that there is time to move the ICE generator to the front where it should be.

 

[E90400K]

If a statement comes from the CEO then it's official unless it was an accidental misspeak that gets corrected. From that perspective spokespeople and PR departments in haste frequently release info that needs clarification and retraction. As a responsible manufacturer you don't go announcing details about a design until you are pretty certain it's feasible.

Everything about the Scout is a design study that they have said they expect to be greater than 80% production similar, until they announce the expected final production mockup which should be close to 100% final.

Based on all the comments from Scout PR and Leadership to this point regarding the intentions of this being a quick module swapout on the line for BEV or EREV, and being a EV first architecture they wouldn't have the time or money to redesign and crash test multiple versions, I see no reason to doubt the Harvester will be behind or just forward of the rear axle.

And given the provenance of Scout and the need for quick and cost effective development that it will be some kind of VW engine.

It will be interesting to see how they deal with the shorter rear overhang of the Traveler when trying to package everything. It makes me expect the floor of both versions will be decently high to also provide the stated ground clearance.

I think what will end up happening is the BEV gets released first, with the Harvester coming a few years later. To stuff an engine and generator in the rear of the chassis will require a significant repackaging of an existing engine and development and testing of a generator that does not yet exist.

 

[mycool]

Digital rear view mirror would be great for both vehicles. Currently have in my tundra and it is great when you have people in the back seat.
Speaking of tundra, Toyota knows how to do 360 cameras. They have an option to automatically trigger when you’re going under 10 mph. This is great for parking to have them automatically come on.

 

[MannyG20]

Did not expect to see a reference to Meraki hammocks in the Scout forum. I have one for my Bronco and it works great. A great way to sleep without the fuss of setting up a tent.

 

[Scout]

Wait WHAT??? so Scout dropped the Terra Harvester towing capacity from 10,000 to 5000???? I don’t have time to read the daily five emails that I get from Scout. I had no idea that they had done that!!! That is absolutely a deal killer for me! That is huge! There is no way that the scout engineers didn’t know that they couldn’t produce 10k towing. I guess I got suckered.

I will come back on here and edit this post once I have time to cancel my two orders with Scout. The only reason why I was going to buy the scout is because we wanted our next vehicle to be an EV, and the Bronco that we have will only tow a maximum of 3,500 pounds. We will now be going elsewhere for our next vehicle!!!!! I don’t like being given the middle finger as a consumer!

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

Wait WHAT??? so Scout dropped the Terra Harvester towing capacity from 10,000 to 5000???? I don’t have time to read the daily five emails that I get from Scout. I had no idea that they had done that!!! That is absolutely a deal killer for me! That is huge! There is no way that the scout engineers didn’t know that they couldn’t produce 10k towing. I guess I got suckered.

I will come back on here and edit this post once I have time to cancel my two orders with Scout. The only reason why I was going to buy the scout is because we wanted our next vehicle to be an EV, and the Bronco that we have will only tow a maximum of 3,500 pounds. We will now be going elsewhere for our next vehicle!!!!! I don’t like being given the middle finger as a consumer!

Yeah and like I mentioned before, we want to tow laps around this amazing USA with a 7.200 lb Mini trailer.

 

[Mousehunter]

While he has said the 5k number, he also said that nothing is set in stone yet. He mentioned that generator output should be enough to drive at 70mph without depleting the battery. It is very possible part of the 5k problem is that might not be possible with the currently planned generator - but perhaps a different generator, or accepting it will require boost from the battery might allow shorter 10k tows.

Towing takes a lot of power. Both weight and wind resistance are factors. I did a heavy tow today with my diesel F250. This trip is about a 1/2 tank normally, a bit more with a light trailer - today it was a full tank.
---
Anyway, here is my napkin math. The Harvester option has a 60kwh battery with a 150 mile range (assuming at 70mph) - about 25kw/h. Assuming that the generator is designed to go 350 miles at 70mph with no trailer - then it would be about a 25kw/h generator. Now most EV trucks have about a 140kw/h battery and get about 100 mile range with that when towing 10k - that is something closer to a 90 kw/h. Perhaps they just don't want to publish the Harvester range with a 10k lb trailer - my napkin math with a 25kw/h generator would be less than 70 miles (not to mention that might not be a comfortable draw (65kw/h) for the battery chemistry -it is greater than 1C (discharging the battery in less than 1 hr). Of course, flip side, the generator might be substantially larger (so it can tow 5k without depleting the battery) - but even doubling the generator would still only leave you with about 1.5hrs of towing with a 10k load (about 100 miles).

Dodge is getting around all of this by putting in a V6 generator with a 130kw/h output. But it is being designed as a tow vehicle (and probably necessary to hit their 14k towing capacity). That is completely overkill for 95% of the planed market for the Scout.

 

[Xlargetophat]

Trap door in truck bed to access the fuel pump for removal. Failure rate is about 200k miles. The electric motor that pumps the fuel is hard to remove.

Everyone is transfixed on having a draining cooler in the drunk or trunk..

Fuel pump Access is utility vs cooler is alcoholics

 

[maynard]

I have had well over 50 vehicles in the last 50+ years from classics to supercars and I have built, rebuilt, or restored most of them with maybe ¼ being factory new. I have also owned a start-up automobile company that almost made it through the prototype stage with an AMG powered supercar before folding. We had intentions to race a homologated class at Le Mans and even started development of an EV version around 2010. I understand much of what it takes to get a vehicle through the gamut of development including NHTSA, FMVSS, and the EPA and it can break many start-ups. Airbag development alone is insanely expensive and time consuming. Then there is crash testing; virtual and physical models. It never seems to end. So, it is wonderful to see a group of enthusiasts with the backing necessary to succeed. I am really looking forward to the Scout brand and the vision they have.

That said, I have a few suggestions that I hope make it into production.

• The vision, innovations, and styling are on point. Please do not change the prototype so much that it is not recognizable. Ram did this with their EV and it turned into a massive disappointment. The Terra and Traveler are nearly perfect in their current form. The overwhelming positive comments and reviews should be enough feedback to prove these will be winners. In my opinion, refinement rather than change will be the key to success for these models.
• Please find a way to increase the Terra Harvester towing capacity to that of a normal full-sized truck. I canceled my RamCharger and reserved the Scout last November because it had so much more. The Scout originally boasted a 10,000 lb towing capability, but today I saw that towing for the Harvester option reduced it by ½ to only 5,000 lbs. The mid-sized Canyon and Ranger even have more capacity. Extremely sad news for many of us needing towing capacity. This will most likely push me back to the RamCharger. I can only hope this changes for production.
• Since Scout is pulling from VW technologies, an option for electrochromic smart glass to replace the visors for the top of the windshield and top of the side door glass would be a great innovation; 4 controlled areas from the driver's side (driver/passenger windshield/door glass) and passenger areas controlled by the passenger (and rear passenger controls would be a nice option). Additionally, having the ability to make all windows opaque when the vehicle is parked and locked would be a nice anti-theft feature. It would also help protect the interior from UV and keep it a bit cooler when parked in direct sunlight.
• If smart glass is not possible, optional infrared-reflective laminated glass on all windows would be great to reduce heat gain, UV degradation, and help with noise reduction. Corning’s Gorilla Glass for windshield and side glass would be fantastic.
• Please allow the optional 35" wheel to fit in the underbody spare location. Carrying it in the bed is not a desirable option due to UV degradation, theft, and loss of cargo capacity. That said, bed tie-downs for dual spares would be a great feature or option (as well as for fuel canisters).
• An optional digital rearview mirror that would adjust with the seat memory presets would be a nice feature (additionally, the head-up display should adjust with seat presets).
• I like the upper track seen in the Terra bed but, on many occasions, I have required lower tie-down points. Continuing the track near the bed floor would be ideal and making it a strong mount would be appreciated. My F150 tie points are nearly worthless for anything but light loads.
• It would be great to have a pass-through from the bed into the front trunk if it is possible with a body-on-frame design and if the drop rear window does not interfere. The ability to carry some pieces of longer lumber (or other material) without having to worry about legal overhang limits or needing a trailer for small runs would be appreciated.
• I use my current truck to travel. I am 6’-3 and it would be a wonderful feature to be able to sleep comfortably in the cab. In-cab Meraki-style hammock mounting points at 4 corners would also be a great option.
• An option to cool the front trunk would be great when carrying groceries or other items that need to remain cool on a hot day.

Thank you for reading.

Really well thought out requests... Thanks!

 

[maynard]

I like alot of the suggestions, however, the electrochromatic items have killed the range on the ID Buzz, like in half, so for that reason, I am out on that as an option. I DO like the infrared reflective glass is a big YES for me. Improved towing would be great. Thanks much

Didn't realize they had that kind of drain!