The extender will be a non-turbo four-cylinder, likely sourced from one of the Volkswagen Group brands
- The electric 2027 Scout will offer a non-turbo four-cylinder as a range extender
- Scout is a division of Volkswagen Group, and will make an SUV and pickup
- They’ll be built in South Carolina, but their batteries will be made in Ontario
That’s according to Scott Keogh, CEO of Scout Motors, who mentioned it on a podcast presented by MotorTrend, and said it will be a non-turbocharged engine. The fully-electric version, without extender, is forecast to go about 350 miles (563 km) on a charge.
First, some background. Scout was originally a utility vehicle marketed by the International Harvester truck and agricultural equipment company from 1961 to 1980. International became Navistar, which in turn became part of the Volkswagen Group, but it always kept the Scout name.
Keogh suggested the EV and extended-range model will have different battery sizes and chemistry, which will also mean they’ll have different performance levels and, potentially, higher or lower towing capacities. The range extender, dubbed the “Harvester,” will be a non-turbo four-cylinder that will probably come from the parts bin at one of Volkswagen’s brands; and the vehicle will likely have about half the battery capacity of the EV model and a range of approximately 150 miles (241 km) before it depletes and the engine starts up.
The plan is to package the small engine somewhere at the rear of the vehicle, and it could even be a modular addition. Acceleration with the battery-only model is estimated to be about 3.5 seconds from zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) while the extended-range model will add a full second to that.
Keogh said that over half of all the early reservations are for a range-extended version, and 70% want the Traveler SUV. Scout said it wants to sell directly to customers, but we’ll have to see if that happens, or if Volkswagen’s existing dealers have something to say about it.
Earlier this year, Scout Motors made its first appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where it showed its models including the Harvester extended-range; and also announced it would offer in-vehicle satellite connectivity to keep owners connected even if they go far enough off the beaten path that they’re outside of cellphone tower range.
Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on Instagram ,Facebook and X to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.