Bringing the Scout name back purposefully plays on the nostalgia of old-school Americana. However, old-school off-road enthusiasts weren’t thrilled about the revived brand eschewing V8s and diesels for an electric powertrain. The brand’s compromise, however, is an optional gasoline range extender that can bump the Scout’s projected range from 350 miles to over 500 miles.
While a gasoline range extender might not be exactly what fans of the original brand wanted, giving them their desired diesel engine option likely wasn’t realistic. Especially with Scout’s parent company Volkswagen having a, let’s say, checkered past with diesels in America. So, both the Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra pickup truck get dual-motor electric powertrains with a motor at each axle. While specs aren’t finalized, they’re said to have up to an estimated 1,000 lb-ft of torque. That sort of power should be enough to satisfy the needs of even the most die-hard internal combustion fans, but they’re understandably concerned about what happens when an EV runs out of juice on a trail in the middle of nowhere.
There’s where Scout’s extended range electric vehicle (EREV) system, cleverly called “Harvester,” comes in. Not only does this bring back one of the brand’s original names but it adds 150 miles of range. More importantly, since the Harvester engine runs on gasoline, it allows Scout owners to bring jerrycans of fuel with them, extending that effective range even more. Additionally, Scout claims that the electric powertrain doesn’t suffer any power, response, or off-road capability-related losses while running on the gas extender.
When Scout owners do have the ability to plug their car in, they’ll be able to do so using a Tesla NACS plug. And since both Scout models have 800-volt battery architectures, they’re capable of both 350-kW DC fast charging and bi-directional charging. If equipped with the Harvester range extender, bi-directional charging can be used to power up campsites or even charge other vehicles without worrying too much about battery life.
Would most Scout fans still have preferred a big V8 or a diesel engine? Probably. But the biggest concern that traditional off-roaders have with EVs is range and charging while out in the wilderness. Offering a range extender option should calm the nerves of most enthusiasts.
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