The Scout Harvester plug-in series hybrid will use lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry, according to the company. This choice is unusual for a plug-in hybrid, as nickel manganese cobalt cells are generally the standard due to their more flexible power delivery characteristics and higher energy density.
Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh confirmed that the Harvester models will have a total range of 150 miles all-electric, and a total of 500 miles of combined gasoline and electric power. The plug-in series-hybrid powertrain features a gasoline engine that acts as a generator to continuously charge the battery pack.
LFP battery cells may help keep battery costs and carbon footprint low, which are priorities for Scout. However, they are less able to produce bursts of power when called upon, like NMC chemistry. This choice may affect the towing capability of the Harvester models.
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Towing capability will be substantially less for Harvester models than for all-electric models, Keogh indicated. The plug-in hybrids will tow up to 5,000 pounds, compared to 7,000 pounds for all-electric versions of the Traveler SUV and 10,000 pounds for the Terra pickup.
A Scout spokesperson said, “Scout Motors confirms projected towing of over 7,000 pounds for the Scout Traveler and over 10,000 pounds for the Scout Terra, both with nearly 2,000 pounds of payload.” Final towing and payload numbers for all models will be released closer to production, which is targeted to begin in 2027.
They will use a naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder engine as the range-extending generator. Harvesters will have 15-gallon fuel tanks and, in addition to all-electric and hybrid modes, a “Heavy Duty Mode” intended for severe-use applications like towing.
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Plug-in hybrids will also be 1.0 second slower from 0-60 mph than EVs, Keogh said. But at 4.5 seconds, they’ll still be pretty quick for big off-roaders. The main motivator for customers reserving the Harvester plug-in hybrids is avoiding range anxiety, so those customers may not be as bothered by a dip in performance.
Reservations for plug-in hybrid models were outpacing all-electric models at the time of an interview with Keogh in January. He also said the Traveler SUV currently accounts for 70% of reservations, with just 30% of customers opting for the Terra pickup.
It is using the body-on-frame architecture to ensure genuine off-road capability. The company will also employ the VW Group’s 800-volt expertise while adopting zonal electrical architecture, which VW now has access to under its partnership with Rivian.
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Production is targeted to begin in 2027.
They will release final towing and payload numbers for all models closer to that time.
