Will the Scout EREV be obsolete by the time it gets here in 2027/28?

[SpaceEVDriver]

Will ai slop be obsolete before the Scout is available to buy is the real question.

Today one can go spend $75k on a vehicle with technology that is objectively terrible. The brakes can barely stop the vehicle. The subframe barely holds it together. The fuel evaporates as it’s being pumped into the combustion chamber. The visibility is terrible. The body panels barely line up. The steering is a manageable mess, at best. The seats are uncomfortable. The seat belts, if they even exist are arguably more dangerous than not having them. There are exactly zero safety features other than the previously-mentioned incapable brakes. It rattles; it coughs; it smokes. It’s loud. It’s smelly. Its NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) is off the charts.

And yet, oh, what a feeling when you smash that accelerator to the floor and pop the clutch and the rear-end torque steer threatens to take the car away from you before you’ve even had a chance to hit full speed.

https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars-for-sale/ford-mustang-for-sale?year_min=1965&year_max=1969

 

[speedrye]

Honestly all this talk about “obsolete” has got me thinking about what my husband says when it comes to car.

He always says, make sure you love what you drive because there were always be something new that comes after. Make sure that when you walk away from your vehicle you turn back to take one more look before you head off to where you are going.

That’s what the Scouts are for me. I always turn around.

I used to get a different car every six months or so, but I'm now 10 years sober with the same daily driver. It's tough, I love my vehicles and haven't seen anything else out there that I want, but they're aging, and I know I'll need to replace at least one in the coming years. I'm just hoping the Scout will make me at least 75% as happy as whatever it replaces.

 

[speedrye]

Will ai slop be obsolete before the Scout is available to buy is the real question.

https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars-for-sale/ford-mustang-for-sale?year_min=1965&year_max=1969

The AI bubble is a concern for me. When it crashes, I'll likely go into extra-conservative mode with the money, just in case, which means no Scout purchase.

 

[R1TVT]

This is why asking AI about anything doesn’t work well. Thanks @Jamie@ScoutMotors.

AI can only pull data from what already exists and what has been published online (both factual and non-factual). That's why asking AI about Scout doesn't usually work well. AI is pulling data from everyone guessing what we are doing or what we have actually said so far.

The biggest part of this "AI problem" is a people problem - not necessarily a technology problem.

If you don't put guardrails around a prompt in an AI tool, it will take whatever it can find. If you understand and recognize this, and create prompts with actual detail, context, direction and guidance, the outputs will be quite different.

To Jamie's point, if you use AI as a simple search engine, AI results may be garbage due to misinformation / disinformation.

You can put radar on a boat, then run it straight into a jetty at night... You need to know how to use it.

 

[J Alynn]

Let's play nice...

That video makes a number of assumptions that I won't go into here. We have a lot of seasoned engineers at Scout, and as part of the broader VW Group, we have substantial resources, including further engineering and battery technology. AI can't tell you what is coming and when. AI can only pull data from what already exists and what has been published online (both factual and non-factual). That's why asking AI about Scout doesn't usually work well. AI is pulling data from everyone guessing what we are doing or what we have actually said so far. Same for Solid State batteries. Solid State batteries won't be in volume production for automotive at a similar cost to existing batteries (NMC, LFP, etc., etc.) until after 2030 at the earliest. That's according to suppliers and engineers working on the technology - not someone guessing or speculating on YouTube.

Our platform is designed to accommodate future battery technology, so we can pivot to new chemistry when it commercially makes sense. Likewise, the platform supports both EREV and BEV - same platform, same assembly line. We have the flexibility to move in either direction depending on the market.

Sorry, intent was to imply AI is just repeating which to some extent is circular-per your more graceful answer and discussion. My comment sounds more harsh than I intended when I reread it. My apologies.

 

[J Alynn]

Honestly all this talk about “obsolete” has got me thinking about what my husband says when it comes to car.

He always says, make sure you love what you drive because there were always be something new that comes after. Make sure that when you walk away from your vehicle you turn back to take one more look before you head off to where you are going.

That’s what the Scouts are for me. I always turn around.

So very true. Hence the reason I can’t wait to get rid of my Accord for a Scout. It was my transition to hybrid to prepare for BEV Scout. Now we have an EV (makes us an EV family) and I never give a second glance to my accord

 

[cyure]

So very true. Hence the reason I can’t wait to get rid of my Accord for a Scout. It was my transition to hybrid to prepare for BEV Scout. Now we have an EV (makes us an EV family) and I never give a second glance to my accord

So you are an EV convert now.

 

[J Alynn]

So you are an EV convert now.

So far so good. Would I consider EREV-sure. I like my hybrid and while it is a more complex system my service at shop has been minimal and just typical “stuff”. But I’m getting 44mpg (yearly average) so I see savings and feel a hair better about myself. And the EV now helps me feel even better. Hoping my Scout will be BEV but my timing was late ‘27 and if BEV will potentially delay then I’ll consider EREV.

 

[Gottesacker]

I used to get a different car every six months or so, but I'm now 10 years sober with the same daily driver. It's tough, I love my vehicles and haven't seen anything else out there that I want, but they're aging, and I know I'll need to replace at least one in the coming years. I'm just hoping the Scout will make me at least 75% as happy as whatever it replaces.

That's where I'm at with my truck. Just past 10 years of ownership and it's been hard with that wandering eye haha, but also nothing else has quite met hopes... until the Terra was announced. There is literally nothing else out there now or on the horizon that fits the bill for what I'm wanting in my next truck.

 

[Mousehunter]

Don't have a 30 gallon tank, but pretty sure my model truck came standard with a 28. They know one of the major reasons people by heavier trucks is to tow - and mileage when towing sucks. On a long road trip - I could beat 500 miles a tank w/o the trailer, was lucky to tag 350 (and 300 was more normal) with the trailer. Where it made a difference is fuel stops. With 500 miles of range, I could pick my favorite chain (could drive from S. center Texas to Miami just fueling at Buckees). With 300 miles, I was lucky to even pick places that were not a nightmare to navigate the trailer in. That does not even touch on the fact that many places with room for trailers have a significant diesel premium (up to $1/gallon higher than competitors) - they know that truckers have fuel cards and can pick their stops for amenities rather than fuel. It is so bad that I simply avoid certain chains w/o even bothering to check their price now - I know it will have that chains premium.