Flat Tow?
- Thread starter mskarcher
- Start date
-
From all of us at Scout Motors, welcome to the Scout Community! We created this community to provide Scout vehicle owners, enthusiasts, and curiosity seekers with a place to engage in discussion, suggestions, stories, and connections. Supportive communities are sometimes hard to find, but we're determined to turn this into one.
Additionally, Scout Motors wants to hear your feedback and speak directly to the rabid community of owners as unique as America. We'll use the Scout Community to deliver news and information on events and launch updates directly to the group. Although the start of production is anticipated in 2026, many new developments and milestones will occur in the interim. We plan to share them with you on this site and look for your feedback and suggestions.
How will the Scout Community be run? Think of it this way: this place is your favorite local hangout. We want you to enjoy the atmosphere, talk to people who share similar interests, request and receive advice, and generally have an enjoyable time. The Scout Community should be a highlight of your day. We want you to tell stories, share photos, spread your knowledge, and tell us how Scout can deliver great products and experiences. Along the way, Scout Motors will share our journey to production with you.
Scout is all about respect. We respect our heritage. We respect the land and outdoors. We respect each other. Every person should feel safe, included, and welcomed in the Scout Community. Being kind and courteous to the other forum members is non-negotiable. Friendly debates are welcomed and often produce great outcomes, but we don't want things to get too rowdy. Please take a moment to consider what you post, especially if you think it may insult others. We'll do our best to encourage friendly discourse and to keep the discussions flowing.
So, welcome to the Scout Community! We encourage you to check back regularly as we plan to engage our members, share teasers, and participate in discussions. The world needs Scouts™. Let's get going.
We are Scout Motors.
I'm curious if the Terra will have the ability to gooseneck tow/5th wheel, I understand that the Rivian can not? Full disclosure, I don't intend to but I'm someone will be wondering this.
Maybe the EV only version? The Harvester images i've seen place the motor under the bed
To compete with the Bronco (what I have now) and a Jeep (had several) it needs to be flat towable. Lots of folks who off road tow to a designation behind a motorhome or other vehicle.
Since the R1T hides the Spare underneath the bed entirely, I would guess that it would never be able to tow a gooseneck.
For Terra the spare will be mounted under the bed like on a standard pickup truck, so I can't see why it couldn't tow a fifth wheel.
The problem is anchoring the fifth wheel hitch or gooseball. In ICE trucks the factory mount points are connected to frame members below the bed. EVs have the battery in the way. Even the Ramcharger won't have it.
"Alas, Ram will offer no gooseneck or fifth-wheel hitch option."
I agree that being able to flat tow would be great, "need" might be a little strong. The Traveler can win on some attributes and loose on others, win some sales loose others. It does not have to go directly head to head with Bronco and Wrangler for all uses. For example, it could be a big hit for overlanding. The Traveler will be a lot heavier than even a typical 1/2 ton ICE truck, maybe pushing the capacity of lower end tow vehicles.
I have no idea what extra cost and complexity there would be to build the proper disconnects into the drive units. My understanding is that you can't let the motors spin without proper lubrication.
So I am talking without any authoritative knowledge about Scout, but I have been around EVs for the past 15 years. My understanding is that Permanent Magnet Motors (which Google says Scout will use) cannot be towed when powered down except at very slow speeds (ie to pull onto a flatbed for towing). The reason is that the magnets will cause the motor to generate electricity when spun. This is a good thing when the vehicle is powered up and decelerating as we can use the drag to send energy back into the battery. But when powered down, sending voltage to electronics that aren't expecting it causes bad things to happen.
Async AC motors do not have this problem as they are purely electromagnets so if there is no electricity applied, no magnetic field is generated. However those motors are less efficient than permanent magnet motors. Some manufacturers are using a combination of Async AC motors and permanent magnet motors (one of each in the car) so that the Async AC motor can be shut down when not needed (ie in cruise) and can freewheel to save enevergy.
All that to say, unless Scout has some tech that can isolate the motors somehow (perhaps it can be done in the diffs?), I would not expect to be able to flat tow.
Async AC motors do not have this problem as they are purely electromagnets so if there is no electricity applied, no magnetic field is generated. However those motors are less efficient than permanent magnet motors. Some manufacturers are using a combination of Async AC motors and permanent magnet motors (one of each in the car) so that the Async AC motor can be shut down when not needed (ie in cruise) and can freewheel to save enevergy.
All that to say, unless Scout has some tech that can isolate the motors somehow (perhaps it can be done in the diffs?), I would not expect to be able to flat tow.
Last edited:
Didn’t know that about the mags. Thanks for educating me if nothing else
Makes complete sense as you broke it downSimilar threads
