Thoughts on Long-Term Charging Plans for Overlanding and Rural Travel?

[jhonnmick]

Hey Scout community

I’m super excited about the return of the Scout and the potential it brings for electric overlanding and off-road adventures.

One thing I’ve been thinking about is:

How are you all planning to handle charging infrastructure for longer rural or backcountry trips?

Some questions I’ve been noodling on:

• Will Scout support portable solar charging or towable battery packs?
• Any plans for third-party charging solutions (like Goal Zero or EcoFlow) that might integrate well?
• Do you expect community-built charging maps to emerge for off-road-friendly routes (like Gaia GPS or iOverlander-style)?

Curious how others are approaching this — especially those of you coming from diesel/4x4 overland backgrounds.

Looking forward to learning from the community and sharing ideas as we get closer to launch.

— jhonnmick

 

[cyure]

Hey Scout community

I’m super excited about the return of the Scout and the potential it brings for electric overlanding and off-road adventures.

One thing I’ve been thinking about is:

How are you all planning to handle charging infrastructure for longer rural or backcountry trips?

Some questions I’ve been noodling on:

• Will Scout support portable solar charging or towable battery packs?
• Any plans for third-party charging solutions (like Goal Zero or EcoFlow) that might integrate well?
• Do you expect community-built charging maps to emerge for off-road-friendly routes (like Gaia GPS or iOverlander-style)?

Curious how others are approaching this — especially those of you coming from diesel/4x4 overland backgrounds.

Looking forward to learning from the community and sharing ideas as we get closer to launch.

— jhonnmick

Welcome to the community! I’m super excited too! The search function is very helpful. There are some guys on here who have EVs and take them all over camping and there have been lots of discussion on solar charging for going off grid.

A couple great follows are @Jamie@ScoutMotors he keeps us updated from the manufacturer side.

Another is @SpaceEVDriver he has a Lightning and camps quite a bit and has posted details about his trips and charging along the way.

There’s also a really good thread, we own EVs ask us anything. That thread answers a lot of questions.

Glad you found the forum. Have fun, there’s 2-1/2 years of info on here. Welcome!

 

[chucchinchilla]

Honestly your best option is to order the Harvester range extender and carry some jerry cans with you. Solar would take forever to give meaningful range, even if you lugged an extra Nissan Leaf battery with you, thats only 50mi more and would like be a janky setup.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

There are a few threads some of us have going to discuss these topics.

I wouldn't expect Scout to build out any charging infrastructure. The Rivian Adventure Network has only sort-of worked for the company and its customers. You'll hear good things from Rivian owners, but it's a small network and hasn't been largely impactful to the infrastructure across North America. And only a few chargers are in an otherwise charging desert. I've never used a RAN DCFC because until very recently they were Rivian only. They're also mostly not where I go.

I've been using a 5kWh, 0.4-2.0 kW charging solution for camping purposes. I can easily add 30+ miles while camping over a weekend.

I'm also pricing out the first prototype for an overlanding trailer that can provide a charge (while stopped). If Scout decides to use a dual-converter AC charging solution like the Lightning, you can dump ~20 kWh (15-20% of the vehicle battery) into the truck during an hour-long lunch stop. Or you can charge the truck over several hours, for example at night. To refill that by the dinner stop, you would need 5 kW of solar production. That's not realistic for a smaller trailer. You need about 4-5 m^2 per kW of production. But if you stay in one spot for a couple of days, you can quickly refill the auxiliary battery and put some of it into the truck. With a longer stay (several days), you can refill the truck too. The timeframe, of course, is dependent on where you are overlanding. In the US Southwest, you can get quite a bit more quite a bit faster. I'm basing the estimates on the average of 4 hours of solar production a day across the US and Canada.

It's quite possible to overland with an all-electric setup. Including no propane for cooking.

 

[mowow]

There are a few threads some of us have going to discuss these topics.

I wouldn't expect Scout to build out any charging infrastructure. The Rivian Adventure Network has only sort-of worked for the company and its customers. You'll hear good things from Rivian owners, but it's a small network and hasn't been largely impactful to the infrastructure across North America. And only a few chargers are in an otherwise charging desert. I've never used a RAN DCFC because until very recently they were Rivian only. They're also mostly not where I go.

I've been using a 5kWh, 0.4-2.0 kW charging solution for camping purposes. I can easily add 30+ miles while camping over a weekend.

I'm also pricing out the first prototype for an overlanding trailer that can provide a charge (while stopped). If Scout decides to use a dual-converter AC charging solution like the Lightning, you can dump ~20 kWh (15-20% of the vehicle battery) into the truck during an hour-long lunch stop. Or you can charge the truck over several hours, for example at night. To refill that by the dinner stop, you would need 5 kW of solar production. That's not realistic for a smaller trailer. You need about 4-5 m^2 per kW of production. But if you stay in one spot for a couple of days, you can quickly refill the auxiliary battery and put some of it into the truck. With a longer stay (several days), you can refill the truck too. The timeframe, of course, is dependent on where you are overlanding. In the US Southwest, you can get quite a bit more quite a bit faster. I'm basing the estimates on the average of 4 hours of solar production a day across the US and Canada.

It's quite possible to overland with an all-electric setup. Including no propane for cooking.

As a Rivian owner, I almost exclusively use RAN chargers when I am on trips and have found them to be in great locations and always working + fast (unlike many other charger networks). These days, I pretty much will only charge at a Tesla supercharger or Rivian charger when I am on a road trip as I've had too many issues with other networks where I arrive and the charger isn't working or is slow, or payment processing is broken etc.

 

[cyure]

As a Rivian owner, I almost exclusively use RAN chargers when I am on trips and have found them to be in great locations and always working + fast (unlike many other charger networks). These days, I pretty much will only charge at a Tesla supercharger or Rivian charger when I am on a road trip as I've had too many issues with other networks where I arrive and the charger isn't working or is slow, or payment processing is broken etc.

Welcome to the community!

 

[J Alynn]

As a Rivian owner, I almost exclusively use RAN chargers when I am on trips and have found them to be in great locations and always working + fast (unlike many other charger networks). These days, I pretty much will only charge at a Tesla supercharger or Rivian charger when I am on a road trip as I've had too many issues with other networks where I arrive and the charger isn't working or is slow, or payment processing is broken etc.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the forum!

 

[J Alynn]

As a Rivian owner, I almost exclusively use RAN chargers when I am on trips and have found them to be in great locations and always working + fast (unlike many other charger networks). These days, I pretty much will only charge at a Tesla supercharger or Rivian charger when I am on a road trip as I've had too many issues with other networks where I arrive and the charger isn't working or is slow, or payment processing is broken etc.

I can see SM giving funding support to Ionna like so many of the other manufacturers. And the retro “pump” look suits the Scouts.

 

[AZ-TCB-Jeep]

Hello jhonnmick, The points you bring up are interesting. To have a solar power station charging all day then plug in at night and support the Scout battery is hopefully the future. Will be fun to test it out and see if it is possible/feasible.

Having a gasoline generator on the Scout as your ultimate backup is important for now. This Scout will be fine for Overlanding but I'm not sure how well for true 4x4 due to how wide the current specification shows. I come from driving Jeep Wranglers and I could be bias.

The Ineos Grenadier will in my option be the competition to the Wrangler due to how wide it is. The Grenadier is coming with Hybrid version and also Hydrogen version.

 

[04Ram2500Hemi]

Honestly your best option is to order the Harvester range extender and carry some jerry cans with you. Solar would take forever to give meaningful range, even if you lugged an extra Nissan Leaf battery with you, thats only 50mi more and would like be a janky setup.

I agree 100%. I think for those who may wonder off the beaten path, the Harvester is a great solution.

 

[Chavannigans]

I think I am going to buy some bifacial solar panels and work with some of the guys in our engineering department to come up with a folding roof mounted solar solution. I would also use a 270 degree awning with reflective coating to bounce some light to the bottom sides of the panels.

 

[J Alynn]

I think I am going to buy some bifacial solar panels and work with some of the guys in our engineering department to come up with a folding roof mounted solar solution. I would also use a 270 degree awning with reflective coating to bounce some light to the bottom sides of the panels.

Interesting ideas

 

[chucchinchilla]

I think I am going to buy some bifacial solar panels and work with some of the guys in our engineering department to come up with a folding roof mounted solar solution. I would also use a 270 degree awning with reflective coating to bounce some light to the bottom sides of the panels.

I would first check to see what a meaningful output would be to you because it takes a lot of panels to achieve good wattage. Below is a pretty common setup for vanlifers and it only puts out 800W. Lots of panels there and it works for recharging things you're using in the van, but not enough to charge an EV...I ran that scenario through ChatGPT and it estimated you'd only be adding like 6mi a day in range with this setup.

 

[Chavannigans]

I would first check to see what a meaningful output would be to you because it takes a lot of panels to achieve good wattage. Below is a pretty common setup for vanlifers and it only puts out 800W. Lots of panels there and it works for recharging things you're using in the van, but not enough to charge an EV...I ran that scenario through ChatGPT and it estimated you'd only be adding like 6mi a day in range with this setup.
View attachment 7797

The stick on type panels many people use for vans or RVs dont produce as much wattage compared to fixed panels. Even at five miles a day is worth it to me though if I dont need to run a generator to run my camp. Especially on 3-5 day trips.

I was looking at these. Four of them could hit 1kW (in optimal conditions)

Renogy 250 Watt 16BB N-Type Bifacial Solar Panel

Renogy 250W 12V N-Type TOPCon Solar Panel offers 25% efficiency, 30% more energy, IP68 rating, easy installation, and a 10-year warranty.

www.renogy.com

My thinking is I would have two panels permanently mounted side by side longways on the roof. When in transit there would be two bifacial panels on top of them. Once I get somewhere I would either unfold the upper panels to give me one panel hanging over each side of the camper shell, or slide them out on a track system.


CLOSED (From the rear of the vehicle)

OPEN (From the rear of the vehicle)

(Reflective Awning deployed beneath the panels)

The panels hanging over an awning like this would be catching light from the top and bottom.

I suppose I could add some briefcase panels into the mix if I needed more. Or even duplicate the setup on the rack of the pickup

 

[chucchinchilla]

The stick on type panels many people use for vans or RVs dont produce as much wattage compared to fixed panels. Even at five miles a day is worth it to me though if I dont need to run a generator to run my camp. Especially on 3-5 day trips.

I was looking at these. Four of them could hit 1kW (in optimal conditions)

Renogy 250 Watt 16BB N-Type Bifacial Solar Panel

Renogy 250W 12V N-Type TOPCon Solar Panel offers 25% efficiency, 30% more energy, IP68 rating, easy installation, and a 10-year warranty.

www.renogy.com

My thinking is I would have two panels permanently mounted side by side longways on the roof. When in transit there would be two bifacial panels on top of them. Once I get somewhere I would either unfold the upper panels to give me one panel hanging over each side of the camper shell, or slide them out on a track system.


CLOSED (From the rear of the vehicle)


View attachment 7800

OPEN (From the rear of the vehicle)

View attachment 7803
(Reflective Awning deployed beneath the panels)

The panels hanging over an awning like this would be catching light from the top and bottom.

View attachment 7798

I suppose I could add some briefcase panels into the mix if I needed more. Or even duplicate the setup on the rack of the pickup

Oooh I like those panels, way more efficient than the ones I was factoring in. I would consider adding a release mechanism so you could easily remove and set them up on the ground near the vehicle. Would allow you to park the car where you want and potentially add an even bigger array on the ground vs just the real estate you have on the car (or both at same time).

For fun I had ChatGPT recalculate what this would look like if I had 6 of those panels using a Rivian R1S Dual large since it's similar to what Scout will be. It said you could essentially add 18mi of range per sunny day or 125mi a week. Now we're talking!

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

The stick on type panels many people use for vans or RVs dont produce as much wattage compared to fixed panels. Even at five miles a day is worth it to me though if I dont need to run a generator to run my camp. Especially on 3-5 day trips.

I was looking at these. Four of them could hit 1kW (in optimal conditions)

Renogy 250 Watt 16BB N-Type Bifacial Solar Panel

Renogy 250W 12V N-Type TOPCon Solar Panel offers 25% efficiency, 30% more energy, IP68 rating, easy installation, and a 10-year warranty.

www.renogy.com

My thinking is I would have two panels permanently mounted side by side longways on the roof. When in transit there would be two bifacial panels on top of them. Once I get somewhere I would either unfold the upper panels to give me one panel hanging over each side of the camper shell, or slide them out on a track system.


CLOSED (From the rear of the vehicle)


View attachment 7800

OPEN (From the rear of the vehicle)

View attachment 7803
(Reflective Awning deployed beneath the panels)

The panels hanging over an awning like this would be catching light from the top and bottom.

View attachment 7798

I suppose I could add some briefcase panels into the mix if I needed more. Or even duplicate the setup on the rack of the pickup

Be careful with thermals with the reflections from the awning. PV reduces efficiency as their temperature increases. You’ll want to make sure there’s enough airflow and especially allow for some vertical air flow so you get a good convecting flow.

 

[Chavannigans]

Oooh I like those panels, way more efficient than the ones I was factoring in. I would consider adding a release mechanism so you could easily remove and set them up on the ground near the vehicle. Would allow you to park the car where you want and potentially add an even bigger array on the ground vs just the real estate you have on the car (or both at same time).

For fun I had ChatGPT recalculate what this would look like if I had 6 of those panels using a Rivian R1S Dual large since it's similar to what Scout will be. It said you could essentially add 18mi of range per sunny day or 125mi a week. Now we're talking!

Thats not a bad idea. If I can rope some of the engineers in on making it a student project I will definitely see about an alternate design that I can slide the panels out of.

I have also seen some pretty interesting results from people trying vertical panels. There may be a way to slip a 5th on in there without taking up too much space.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Thats not a bad idea. If I can rope some of the engineers in on making it a student project I will definitely see about an alternate design that I can slide the panels out of.

I have also seen some pretty interesting results from people trying vertical panels. There may be a way to slip a 5th on in there without taking up too much space.


View attachment 7811

If you do it that way, you'll want the potentially-shaded panels to be in parallel rather than series so they don't crash the generating capacity.

 

[Chavannigans]

Be careful with thermals with the reflections from the awning. PV reduces efficiency as their temperature increases. You’ll want to make sure there’s enough airflow and especially allow for some vertical air flow so you get a good convecting flow.

Good point. I am way out of my depth with a lot of this stuff.
The plan would be to have the roof top MaxxAir Deluxe fan mounted centered on the roof with the exhaust facing towards the panels.

The panels would sit on a raised roof rack above the fan. I would hope this could help generate enough airflow to keep them from baking.

 

[BeerParty]

I think I am going to buy some bifacial solar panels and work with some of the guys in our engineering department to come up with a folding roof mounted solar solution. I would also use a 270 degree awning with reflective coating to bounce some light to the bottom sides of the panels.

If you want a ready made solution, there is someone already selling something like what you describe. I don't know anything about it other than what I have seen online, so I can't vouch for them, but I thought I would pass it along.

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