Scout’s EVs And ‘Harvester’ EREV Will Use Two Different Battery Types

• Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh appeared on the YouTube channel Jay Leno’s Garage with prototypes of the Terra truck and the Traveler SUV.
• He revealed the two different battery types on the fully electric models and the extended range versions.
• The fully electric models will get 350 miles of range, whereas the EREVs will get 500 miles of range—150 of which will be fully electric. 

Automakers in the U.S. are on track to launch a flood of electric and electrified cars over the next few years. Some of them will be high-tech software-defined vehicles. Others will be retro-modern EVs designed to reflect both the past and the future. Scout Motors belongs to the latter category.

In an interview on the YouTube channel Jay Leno’s Garage, Scout Motors’ President and CEO Scott Keogh shared some new insights into the revival of the iconic American off-road brand. He said the fully-electric and extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) versions of Scout’s future models will use different battery chemistries. 

The fully electric models of the Terra truck and Traveler SUV will feature nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery packs estimated to deliver 350 miles of range. The EREVs, which will feature a back-up gas-powered generator to charge the battery when running low on energy, will get a smaller lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery pack.

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LFP batteries have become increasingly popular in the EV industry thanks to their lower cost and better durability than traditional NMC packs. They are typically less energy-dense and offer less overall range—although they are now slowly closing the gap with NMC on that front—so we usually see them on entry-level models like the rear-wheel-drive Tesla Model 3 or the standard range Rivian R1S and R1T.

On the Scout EREVs, the electric-only range will be 150 miles, far more than the 30-50 miles of range on plug-in hybrids. It’s also several times the average daily driving distance in the U.S., which is under 40 miles. The combined range on a full tank of gas and a fully charged battery is 500 miles. Owners can choose to drive the range-extenders as pure EVs, charging them regularly. 

If charging isn’t easily accessible, they can fill up the 15-gallon gas tank and forget range anxiety. Even then, the Scout EREVs will function mainly as EVs. The gas engine will have no mechanical connection to the wheels, which will be solely powered by the e-motors. The engine’s sole mission is to charge the battery and help with towing and hauling when energy requirements run high. 

Keogh said that if you’re not a hardcore gearhead and don’t want to think about what’s powering the vehicles, the experience will be hassle-free. Owners can just “stab it and steer,” and the on-board system can seamlessly switch between EV or hybrid modes.

He also shared details on the status of Scout’s under-construction $2 billion greenfield plant in Columbia, South Carolina. It seems like things are moving fast, especially given that the brand hadn’t even been fully resurrected two years ago. “Steel is going up; we’re enclosing the major shops like paint, body and assembly. And for the vehicle itself, there are prototypes we’re testing,” he said.

Scout also went on a hiring spree over the past year. It now has more than 800 employees; 350 in South Carolina and the rest at its Innovation Center in Michigan tasked with engineering the vehicles and bringing them to life. “It’s going to be a herculean effort, but the team is on it,” Keogh said.

Interestingly, Keogh reiterated what Scout is doing differently than a typical Silicon Valley automotive start-up. Scout EVs will have the option of a bench seat upfront, get real key fobs and an abundance of physical buttons and knobs inside. Owners will have as many as three roof options: solid roof, a glass roof or a folding canvas roof which the automaker has labeled as the Cabana top.

The first Scout EVs will enter production by the end of 2027. He also indicated that the VW Group’s backing is helping the automaker fast-track its plans.

“We have everything you love about a start-up,” Keogh said. “A clean slate, efficient plants and all-new technology and software. And we have the backing of the [VW] group. We know how to make a car; we know how to get material costs down.” He likened all of that to a “perfect marriage.”

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