The One-Ton Problem with Scout’s Harvester Range Extender

[plyable]

Scout Motors almost has the winning formula for bringing a truck/SUV to market that solves all the big EV truck objections. With the Harvester gas range extender motor, owners can still do the towing and long distance road trips that the family car demands without a second thought, while still operating a full BEV for the other 95% of driving. At the campsite, tailgate, or worksite, the truck is both a battery bank and a true generator, meaning one could rely on it for boondocking with zero concern for the state of charge. It’s the perfect small- to medium-travel trailer hauler. But there’s one big problem.

The quoted towing capacities of 7,000 and 10,000 are respectable, even impressive figures for the Traveler and Terra. That puts Traveler drivers in a 20-25 foot travel trailer or lets them haul a boat that size down to the beach. For the Terra, one can comfortably haul a 30 foot trailer big enough for the whole family. We all know what happens to EV range when towing (thanks Hoovie), so the addition of a gas range extender is the only thing that can make long-distance towing practical given current battery tech. The Harvester option is the obvious choice for anyone who plans to tow…

…except that it isn’t. A couple months ago, Scott Keogh appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage. During the half-hour interview and demo of the prototype Scouts, Keogh revealed that the publicized towing figures were for the battery models only. Terra and Traveler models equipped with the Harvester - the ones that would actually make decent tow vehicles - are limited to 5,000 pounds each.

5,000 pounds! That’s a figure for a compact truck or a Korean crossover, not the hauling pedigree of a full-size body-on-frame machine. 5k is enough for an 16’ ultralight travel trailer - the kind you see being hauled by Subarus. Notably, 5,000 pounds is a full ton less than the 7k figure for the full EV Traveler and a staggering 2.5 tons less than the Harvester-less Terra.

This bombshell from Keogh went largely unnoticed and unreported in the automotive community, although it generated some passionate discussion in the Scout Forums and Facebook groups. Most of us are simply confused. How does 500 pounds of four-banger and fuel (despite also removing hundreds of pounds of extra battery) reduce the towing capacity by half, in the case of the Terra? Is it a power problem? Payload? The proposed design places the motor behind the rear axle to reduce NVH. If placement is the problem, I’m sure most owners would take the tradeoff of a little engine drone to maintain the towing capability.

With the Harvester gas range extender, Scout is poised to build the best All-American, all-purpose EV trucks yet; The only ones, so far, that actually fit the lifestyle so many rugged truck and SUV buyers aspire to. Here’s hoping Scout doesn’t squander that opportunity with a design flaw that defeats a primary purpose of this unique architecture for many would-be buyers.

-plyable

 

[cyure]

Scout Motors almost has the winning formula for bringing a truck/SUV to market that solves all the big EV truck objections. With the Harvester gas range extender motor, owners can still do the towing and long distance road trips that the family car demands without a second thought, while still operating a full BEV for the other 95% of driving. At the campsite, tailgate, or worksite, the truck is both a battery bank and a true generator, meaning one could rely on it for boondocking with zero concern for the state of charge. It’s the perfect small- to medium-travel trailer hauler. But there’s one big problem.

The quoted towing capacities of 7,000 and 10,000 are respectable, even impressive figures for the Traveler and Terra. That puts Traveler drivers in a 20-25 foot travel trailer or lets them haul a boat that size down to the beach. For the Terra, one can comfortably haul a 30 foot trailer big enough for the whole family. We all know what happens to EV range when towing (thanks Hoovie), so the addition of a gas range extender is the only thing that can make long-distance towing practical given current battery tech. The Harvester option is the obvious choice for anyone who plans to tow…

…except that it isn’t. A couple months ago, Scott Keogh appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage. During the half-hour interview and demo of the prototype Scouts, Keogh revealed that the publicized towing figures were for the battery models only. Terra and Traveler models equipped with the Harvester - the ones that would actually make decent tow vehicles - are limited to 5,000 pounds each.

5,000 pounds! That’s a figure for a compact truck or a Korean crossover, not the hauling pedigree of a full-size body-on-frame machine. 5k is enough for an 16’ ultralight travel trailer - the kind you see being hauled by Subarus. Notably, 5,000 pounds is a full ton less than the 7k figure for the full EV Traveler and a staggering 2.5 tons less than the Harvester-less Terra.

This bombshell from Keogh went largely unnoticed and unreported in the automotive community, although it generated some passionate discussion in the Scout Forums and Facebook groups. Most of us are simply confused. How does 500 pounds of four-banger and fuel (despite also removing hundreds of pounds of extra battery) reduce the towing capacity by half, in the case of the Terra? Is it a power problem? Payload? The proposed design places the motor behind the rear axle to reduce NVH. If placement is the problem, I’m sure most owners would take the tradeoff of a little engine drone to maintain the towing capability.

With the Harvester gas range extender, Scout is poised to build the best All-American, all-purpose EV trucks yet; The only ones, so far, that actually fit the lifestyle so many rugged truck and SUV buyers aspire to. Here’s hoping Scout doesn’t squander that opportunity with a design flaw that defeats a primary purpose of this unique architecture for many would-be buyers.

-plyable

Welcome to the community.

 

[plyable]

Welcome to the community.

Thanks cyure. I’ve been here awhile, just a lurker.

 

[cyure]

Thanks cyure. I’ve been here awhile, just a lurker.

Jump on in, the water is fine!

 

[Cranky Canuck]

Scout Motors almost has the winning formula for bringing a truck/SUV to market that solves all the big EV truck objections. With the Harvester gas range extender motor, owners can still do the towing and long distance road trips that the family car demands without a second thought, while still operating a full BEV for the other 95% of driving. At the campsite, tailgate, or worksite, the truck is both a battery bank and a true generator, meaning one could rely on it for boondocking with zero concern for the state of charge. It’s the perfect small- to medium-travel trailer hauler. But there’s one big problem.

The quoted towing capacities of 7,000 and 10,000 are respectable, even impressive figures for the Traveler and Terra. That puts Traveler drivers in a 20-25 foot travel trailer or lets them haul a boat that size down to the beach. For the Terra, one can comfortably haul a 30 foot trailer big enough for the whole family. We all know what happens to EV range when towing (thanks Hoovie), so the addition of a gas range extender is the only thing that can make long-distance towing practical given current battery tech. The Harvester option is the obvious choice for anyone who plans to tow…

…except that it isn’t. A couple months ago, Scott Keogh appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage. During the half-hour interview and demo of the prototype Scouts, Keogh revealed that the publicized towing figures were for the battery models only. Terra and Traveler models equipped with the Harvester - the ones that would actually make decent tow vehicles - are limited to 5,000 pounds each.

5,000 pounds! That’s a figure for a compact truck or a Korean crossover, not the hauling pedigree of a full-size body-on-frame machine. 5k is enough for an 16’ ultralight travel trailer - the kind you see being hauled by Subarus. Notably, 5,000 pounds is a full ton less than the 7k figure for the full EV Traveler and a staggering 2.5 tons less than the Harvester-less Terra.

This bombshell from Keogh went largely unnoticed and unreported in the automotive community, although it generated some passionate discussion in the Scout Forums and Facebook groups. Most of us are simply confused. How does 500 pounds of four-banger and fuel (despite also removing hundreds of pounds of extra battery) reduce the towing capacity by half, in the case of the Terra? Is it a power problem? Payload? The proposed design places the motor behind the rear axle to reduce NVH. If placement is the problem, I’m sure most owners would take the tradeoff of a little engine drone to maintain the towing capability.

With the Harvester gas range extender, Scout is poised to build the best All-American, all-purpose EV trucks yet; The only ones, so far, that actually fit the lifestyle so many rugged truck and SUV buyers aspire to. Here’s hoping Scout doesn’t squander that opportunity with a design flaw that defeats a primary purpose of this unique architecture for many would-be buyers.

-plyable

Hi, welcome to the community.

Two points here that I'd like to make. First, the final vehicle specs have not yet been nailed down so it may be a little premature to freak out about them just yet.

Second, if towing enormous trailers is your primary concern then perhaps the Silverado EV/Sierra EV or forever-delayed RAM 1500 EREV might be a better option? We don't know what the power output of the Harvester will be yet which I suspect will play a big role in towing ability. It might also be that Scott Keogh was lowballing specs to under-promise and over-deliver based on the minimum specs they know they can achieve.

We simply don't have enough information yet to make any real determinations. These vehicles are geared more to be off-road vehicles than highway haulers. The Chevy and Ram vehicles have been optimised more for towing than off-road. It's all about tradeoffs.

 

[BartMan Terra Total EV]

Scout Motors almost has the winning formula for bringing a truck/SUV to market that solves all the big EV truck objections. With the Harvester gas range extender motor, owners can still do the towing and long distance road trips that the family car demands without a second thought, while still operating a full BEV for the other 95% of driving. At the campsite, tailgate, or worksite, the truck is both a battery bank and a true generator, meaning one could rely on it for boondocking with zero concern for the state of charge. It’s the perfect small- to medium-travel trailer hauler. But there’s one big problem.

The quoted towing capacities of 7,000 and 10,000 are respectable, even impressive figures for the Traveler and Terra. That puts Traveler drivers in a 20-25 foot travel trailer or lets them haul a boat that size down to the beach. For the Terra, one can comfortably haul a 30 foot trailer big enough for the whole family. We all know what happens to EV range when towing (thanks Hoovie), so the addition of a gas range extender is the only thing that can make long-distance towing practical given current battery tech. The Harvester option is the obvious choice for anyone who plans to tow…

…except that it isn’t. A couple months ago, Scott Keogh appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage. During the half-hour interview and demo of the prototype Scouts, Keogh revealed that the publicized towing figures were for the battery models only. Terra and Traveler models equipped with the Harvester - the ones that would actually make decent tow vehicles - are limited to 5,000 pounds each.

5,000 pounds! That’s a figure for a compact truck or a Korean crossover, not the hauling pedigree of a full-size body-on-frame machine. 5k is enough for an 16’ ultralight travel trailer - the kind you see being hauled by Subarus. Notably, 5,000 pounds is a full ton less than the 7k figure for the full EV Traveler and a staggering 2.5 tons less than the Harvester-less Terra.

This bombshell from Keogh went largely unnoticed and unreported in the automotive community, although it generated some passionate discussion in the Scout Forums and Facebook groups. Most of us are simply confused. How does 500 pounds of four-banger and fuel (despite also removing hundreds of pounds of extra battery) reduce the towing capacity by half, in the case of the Terra? Is it a power problem? Payload? The proposed design places the motor behind the rear axle to reduce NVH. If placement is the problem, I’m sure most owners would take the tradeoff of a little engine drone to maintain the towing capability.

With the Harvester gas range extender, Scout is poised to build the best All-American, all-purpose EV trucks yet; The only ones, so far, that actually fit the lifestyle so many rugged truck and SUV buyers aspire to. Here’s hoping Scout doesn’t squander that opportunity with a design flaw that defeats a primary purpose of this unique architecture for many would-be buyers.

-plyable

Great that your posting now. Assuming you are going to be looking to pull a 30 + foot trailer that will liklely be pushing 5 tons with liklely in the 1,000-1,200 pound tongue weight you will need a 3/4 ton truck payload capacity. I hate to be negative Nelly here but I just dont feel like any BEV or even Harvester type hybrid is going to handle a rig that heavy.

 

[Chavannigans]

Scout Motors almost has the winning formula for bringing a truck/SUV to market that solves all the big EV truck objections. With the Harvester gas range extender motor, owners can still do the towing and long distance road trips that the family car demands without a second thought, while still operating a full BEV for the other 95% of driving. At the campsite, tailgate, or worksite, the truck is both a battery bank and a true generator, meaning one could rely on it for boondocking with zero concern for the state of charge. It’s the perfect small- to medium-travel trailer hauler. But there’s one big problem.

The quoted towing capacities of 7,000 and 10,000 are respectable, even impressive figures for the Traveler and Terra. That puts Traveler drivers in a 20-25 foot travel trailer or lets them haul a boat that size down to the beach. For the Terra, one can comfortably haul a 30 foot trailer big enough for the whole family. We all know what happens to EV range when towing (thanks Hoovie), so the addition of a gas range extender is the only thing that can make long-distance towing practical given current battery tech. The Harvester option is the obvious choice for anyone who plans to tow…

…except that it isn’t. A couple months ago, Scott Keogh appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage. During the half-hour interview and demo of the prototype Scouts, Keogh revealed that the publicized towing figures were for the battery models only. Terra and Traveler models equipped with the Harvester - the ones that would actually make decent tow vehicles - are limited to 5,000 pounds each.

5,000 pounds! That’s a figure for a compact truck or a Korean crossover, not the hauling pedigree of a full-size body-on-frame machine. 5k is enough for an 16’ ultralight travel trailer - the kind you see being hauled by Subarus. Notably, 5,000 pounds is a full ton less than the 7k figure for the full EV Traveler and a staggering 2.5 tons less than the Harvester-less Terra.

This bombshell from Keogh went largely unnoticed and unreported in the automotive community, although it generated some passionate discussion in the Scout Forums and Facebook groups. Most of us are simply confused. How does 500 pounds of four-banger and fuel (despite also removing hundreds of pounds of extra battery) reduce the towing capacity by half, in the case of the Terra? Is it a power problem? Payload? The proposed design places the motor behind the rear axle to reduce NVH. If placement is the problem, I’m sure most owners would take the tradeoff of a little engine drone to maintain the towing capability.

With the Harvester gas range extender, Scout is poised to build the best All-American, all-purpose EV trucks yet; The only ones, so far, that actually fit the lifestyle so many rugged truck and SUV buyers aspire to. Here’s hoping Scout doesn’t squander that opportunity with a design flaw that defeats a primary purpose of this unique architecture for many would-be buyers.

-plyable

Good morning!

We have had several discussions here about this concern and Jamie eventually jumped in and said the towing specs havent been finalized yet, so its safe to assume Scout is aware of our concerns and has some time to see if those numbers can go up.

The added weight of the Harvester is not as much of an issue as its ability to sustain adequate power output to recharge the battery while the battery is powering the vehicle as it goes down the road.

If you are using more energy than the generator can provide you will eventually run out of battery, and need to pull over so it can recharge itself.

 

[plyable]

Hi, welcome to the community.

Two points here that I'd like to make. First, the final vehicle specs have not yet been nailed down so it may be a little premature to freak out about them just yet.

Second, if towing enormous trailers is your primary concern then perhaps the Silverado EV/Sierra EV or forever-delayed RAM 1500 EREV might be a better option? We don't know what the power output of the Harvester will be yet which I suspect will play a big role in towing ability. It might also be that Scott Keogh was lowballing specs to under-promise and over-deliver based on the minimum specs they know they can achieve.

We simply don't have enough information yet to make any real determinations. These vehicles are geared more to be off-road vehicles than highway haulers. The Chevy and Ram vehicles have been optimised more for towing than off-road. It's all about tradeoffs.

No freak out here. I'm going based off the latest from Scout. If they change their tune, great. My point above is that they should avoid making a mistake while they still have the opportunity.

I don't need a vehicle that is optimized for towing. I don't want or need a pickup truck. I currently own a gas luxury SUV with a 7k towing capacity. That is sufficient for me for the limited hauling I do, while 5k is not sufficient.

I'm excited about the Scout Traveler is handsome and fits my use case. It will be a predominantly electric upgrade that can take me off road again (former Jeeper). If it can't do the towing too, it no longer fits my use case. Simple as that.

 

[Cranky Canuck]

Great that your posting now. Assuming you are going to be looking to pull a 30 + foot trailer that will liklely be pushing 5 tons with liklely in the 1,000-1,200 pound tongue weight you will need a 3/4 ton truck payload capacity. I hate to be negative Nelly here but I just dont feel like any BEV or even Harvester type hybrid is going to handle a rig that heavy.

Would this not do the trick?

https://www.chevrolet.ca/en/electric/silverado-ev

 

[plyable]

Great that your posting now. Assuming you are going to be looking to pull a 30 + foot trailer that will liklely be pushing 5 tons with liklely in the 1,000-1,200 pound tongue weight you will need a 3/4 ton truck payload capacity. I hate to be negative Nelly here but I just dont feel like any BEV or even Harvester type hybrid is going to handle a rig that heavy.

Those are some big assumptions. If I want to tow something that is >5k lbs but <7k lbs, I need at least 7k lbs of towing capacity. Many, many travel trailers and boats fall in this range. If I needed to tow a 30+ foot trailer pushing 5 tons, I will buy a big diesel pickup, tyvm.

 

[Cranky Canuck]

No freak out here. I'm going based off the latest from Scout. If they change their tune, great. My point above is that they should avoid making a mistake while they still have the opportunity.

I don't need a vehicle that is optimized for towing. I don't want or need a pickup truck. I currently own a gas luxury SUV with a 7k towing capacity. That is sufficient for me for the limited hauling I do, while 5k is not sufficient.

I'm excited about the Scout Traveler is handsome and fits my use case. It will be a predominantly electric upgrade that can take me off road again (former Jeeper). If it can't do the towing too, it no longer fits my use case. Simple as that.

Okay well it sounds like the Traveler BEV would fit your needs well then.

 

[plyable]

Good morning!

We have had several discussions here about this concern and Jamie eventually jumped in and said the towing specs havent been finalized yet, so its safe to assume Scout is aware of our concerns and has some time to see if those numbers can go up.

The added weight of the Harvester is not as much of an issue as its ability to sustain adequate power output to recharge the battery while the battery is powering the vehicle as it goes down the road.

If you are using more energy than the generator can provide you will eventually run out of battery, and need to pull over so it can recharge itself.

Good morning.

Yup, I posted this on Facebook and someone pointed out that the power output of the Harvester is the likely limitation. That seems like a really easy solve. They could let us be adults and manage our range, pulling over to "Harvest" or stopping to recharge as needed. Alternatively, they could up the output of the Harvester. I would gladly pay a little extra for a tow package with a beefier motor that can keep up.

 

[plyable]

Would this not do the trick?

https://www.chevrolet.ca/en/electric/silverado-ev

If towing were my main use case, sure, that would do the trick. My main use case is driving an SUV around town on battery power most of the time, taking road trips frequently, off-roading occasionally, and hauling a small trailer that is >5k lbs occasionally. A Traveler meets the use case perfectly if it can do the towing. I don't really want to drive a pickup around all the time. Been there, done that.

 

[plyable]

Okay well it sounds like the Traveler BEV would fit your needs well then.

It would not, because I need the extended range - especially when towing. As in my OP, towing is specifically the time I would need range, and also specifically when range is most impacted.

 

[Chavannigans]

Here is the previous thread and Jamie from Scout's reply.

M

Thread 'Harvester towing'

Feb 26, 2025

I would strongly suggest the harvester model towing more than 5k. This is going to be a deal breaker for most people and cause a lot of cancelled reservations. My opinion but I would not have announced something like this without all the details
In place to make a firm stance. This has created a lot of confusion and speculation and as a result many cancelled reservations. I would like to see the Terra at least able
To tow 7500 at minimum and the traveler at 5000k minimum. It makes no sense for both the tow the same with one able
To tow nearly 3k more on the pure ev models. This is just my...

• mbeadnell
• Replies: 116
• Forum: SUGGESTION BOX

• 

 

[Cranky Canuck]

It would not, because I need the extended range - especially when towing. As in my OP, towing is specifically the time I would need range, and also specifically when range is most impacted.

But it chargers really fast and with a 350 mi range, even if you cut that in half due to towing you still get 175 mi which in real units is almost 300 km, that's three hours of driving which is fine - especially given the super fast charging speed of these vehicles. If you aren't going to be towing all the time and don't need a dedicated towing-optimised truck then this sounds like it would be an excellent compromise. I don't see the problem here other than dealing with some personal (and likely unfounded) range anxiety. Once you have experience with an electric vehicle you'll find the range anxiety disappears very quickly and you just move on with life.

 

[plyable]

But it chargers really fast and with a 350 mi range, even if you cut that in half due to towing you still get 175 mi which in real units is almost 300 km, that's three hours of driving which is fine - especially given the super fast charging speed of these vehicles. If you aren't going to be towing all the time and don't need a dedicated towing-optimised truck then this sounds like it would be an excellent compromise. I don't see the problem here other than dealing with some personal (and likely unfounded) range anxiety. Once you have experience with an electric vehicle you'll find the range anxiety disappears very quickly and you just move on with life.

That is a really fair point for highway towing - I agree that a lot of range anxiety is overblown. The Harvester has so many cool benefits for boondocking and adventuring. If you have an offroad trailer and get deep into the boonies, from my perspective, the Harvester is a must.

 

[Cranky Canuck]

That is a really fair point for highway towing - I agree that a lot of range anxiety is overblown. The Harvester has so many cool benefits for boondocking and adventuring. If you have an offroad trailer and get deep into the boonies, from my perspective, the Harvester is a must.

Having lived with EVs for almost a decade and as someone who frequently goes camping with a long range EV (I'm a Scout leader and use an Ioniq 5 AWD) I can say with a fair degree of certainty that a Harvester is completely unnecessary. I use my EV's bidirectional charging regularly to run my astronomy gear out in the middle of nowhere all night, I've used it to power a campsite with my Cub pack for an entire weekend - mess tent lights and all, I've used it as a generator to run critical household appliances for an entire week-long city-wide blackout, all without ever running out of power.

In fact during the blackout while running several fridges, freezers, lights and wifi I calculated that I could go for at least 6 weeks at that time before the charge would be low enough for me to start thinking about hitting up a fast charger to recharge.

I have ordered the BEV version of the Traveller and fully intend to continue on with doing these things but in a larger, more capable vehicle than what I have now. Bidirectional power use doesn't consume as much energy as you might think and knowing the capability of my current ride and knowing that the Scout will effectively have double the capacity of my current ride I have no worries at all.

Even while boondocking, if running out of capacity were to become a concern I'd simply get a solar generator which are now very affordable and use that instead of the bidirectional charging. The only reason I don't currently own a solar generator is because with my current EV I've always had plenty of power and it's never been an issue.

At this point I see the Harvester as more of a liability than an asset.

 

[cyure]

Having lived with EVs for almost a decade and as someone who frequently goes camping with a long range EV (I'm a Scout leader and use an Ioniq 5 AWD) I can say with a fair degree of certainty that a Harvester is completely unnecessary. I use my EV's bidirectional charging regularly to run my astronomy gear out in the middle of nowhere all night, I've used it to power a campsite with my Cub pack for an entire weekend - mess tent lights and all, I've used it as a generator to run critical household appliances for an entire week-long city-wide blackout, all without ever running out of power.

In fact during the blackout while running several fridges, freezers, lights and wifi I calculated that I could go for at least 6 weeks at that time before the charge would be low enough for me to start thinking about hitting up a fast charger to recharge.

I have ordered the BEV version of the Traveller and fully intend to continue on with doing these things but in a larger, more capable vehicle than what I have now. Bidirectional power use doesn't consume as much energy as you might think and knowing the capability of my current ride and knowing that the Scout will effectively have double the capacity of my current ride I have no worries at all.

Even while boondocking, if running out of capacity were to become a concern I'd simply get a solar generator which are now very affordable and use that instead of the bidirectional charging. The only reason I don't currently own a solar generator is because with my current EV I've always had plenty of power and it's never been an issue.

At this point I see the Harvester as more of a liability than an asset.

6 weeks! I always imagined when they said the car could power things during a blackout it might be 6 hours! Truly I just need to keep educating myself.

 

[Cranky Canuck]

6 weeks! I always imagined when they said the car could power things during a blackout it might be 6 hours! Truly I just need to keep educating myself.

Yeah I was about as shocked as you are when I did the math. I even checked it a few times to be sure. It turns out fridges and freezers don't consume all the much energy, a couple hundred Watts when running and then nothing for most of the day, and the LED lights we setup didn't even register as a draw on the car, neither did the wifi so those things combined were less than 100 Watts.

With 77,000 Watt hours of capacity at a full charge I could have gone way longer but when the storm hit I had something like 64% charge in the car. During the course of that week running all that stuff I consumed about 10% of the car's charge and I knew that to get to the fast charger I only needed less than 2% of the charge (it's only a few kms away, downhill from me and it still had power so I could have gone to charge any time). So yeah, keeping 4% as a "buffer" to get to the charger and consuming about 10% per week that gave me about 6 weeks worth of energy if I needed it.