You got 30mpg in a 3500HD diesel towing 8K? How the heck did you manage that? I have a couple of friends that have HD diesels (for their horse trailers) and they don't get above 20mpg even without the trailer.
5klbs towing cap with gas range extender?
- Thread starter mattrawls93
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You got 30mpg in a 3500HD diesel towing 8K? How the heck did you manage that? I have a couple of friends that have HD diesels (for their horse trailers) and they don't get above 20mpg even without the trailer.
3500HD Chevy Express with a WWII searchlight behind. No idea how, but the '97, '98 &'99 models all pulled the same mpg with the same 6.5L Duramax. Those vans were pretty much empty shells that only pulled 24mpg unladen, but they consistently pulled 30mpg with the trailer back there, pretty much 100% highway mileage, driven overnight. I'm guessing something about the large round searchlight helped aerodynamics, but each fill up was tracked, gas receipts, etc. I really liked driving those vans for some reason.
Almost identical to this setup, genset up front, carbon-arc light on the back:
So you worked for Batman?
Scout themselves have said they are getting the EV Software from Rivian and it's probably getting tweaked some. The Rivian partnership has changed a lot with the development, they even had one of the mules at Rivian.
However the Range Extender software isn't ready. They're still struggling with thermals of the engine in the back but it should be able to be resolved.
However the Range Extender software isn't ready. They're still struggling with thermals of the engine in the back but it should be able to be resolved.
Welcome to the forum. Thanks for posting. As you are new can you clarify where you heard about the thermal issues?
I can't speak for the OP but I recall in one of these threads about the Harvester towing capacity and the Davis Dam test, I made the assumption that the problem was tongue weight due to the location of the engine. Jamie chimed in that passing the Davis Dam test was more about managing thermal loads. I took that as agreeing with the OP that they are limited by thermal management at this point. Still plenty of time and Harvester is playing catch-up as it was designed fairly recently but think about it - in a front-engine vehicle, you get all of that nice fresh air blowing right into the engine and the coolant runs from engine to radiator are short. Getting cool air to a mid or rear mounted engine adds challenges - hence you see a lot of creative scoops (ie NACA ducts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NACA_duct) and things on mid-engine sportscars and the like.
Update: here's the post from Jamie: https://community.scoutmotors.com/threads/scout-delayed.7517/post-73826
It is the overall thermal management, battery energy density, etc., etc. Let's see where things land in the end.
Thanks Jamie. I meant to add that I was reading between the lines of your post. I also know that the team is doing everything they can to increase the tow rating of the Harvester as that is such a quoted number in the truck world.
Thank you, it's been a long time since the VW Vortex days.
Besides just saying "Internal Sources at Rivian/Scout/Volvo-Polestar" it's just going to be a crazy random posting on a Forum.
Jamie mentioned it's an issue that needs to be tested more which was linked above.
It's been years since the BMW i3 but one of the US software limits to be an EV with the ICE Generator was the Generator was only allowed to be used during certain times once the battery was fully depleted. This affected it's highway speed as the generator couldn't keep up production. That and the Smokey Eunuch style fuel tank Bladder to limit fuel capacity was funny.
I'll take an education guess and say the disconnected from the Drivetrain, modified N/A 4 Cylinder Generator will be the choke point. The Turbocharged Atlas has a 5000lb towing capacity like many other VW SUVs so I'd say the minimum guess rating was to play it safe until they can test the engine once Software for the Vehicle and Engine are available.
Since Rivian & Scout have announced more platform sharing plans and the heavy VW investment is pretty obvious Scout pivoted to Rivian's Zonal Electrical Architecture to save on wiring & reduce modules.
Some leaks from Rivian are the "base map" if you will, is going to be EV only with no engine controls. Since Rivian does EVs only, it's understandable. The ICE Generator is some VW 4 Cylinder from the Generic Patent Images . And one of the head guys at Scout said it was one too
When the Scout Vehicles initially came out the preorders were about even. Then we know it has shifted to SIGNIFICANTLY more for the Extended Range EV.
BUT hey, fuel prices might cause that to shift again!
Discussed in the Podcast was that the Solid Axle, Fuel tank, Battery, and all will basically be interesting to package!
Having been a part of BMW's i8 and i3 Program, it's thermals and insulation are going to be the crux.
Judging by some Glass Door Reviews it and some words from former employees, especially one from Stellantis, there's a lot going on and a lot not going.
It would be a good time to release some Mule Footage and the Winter Testing video was IMPRESSIVE!
Really wanting this to succeed to get rid of my Model Y that Blake knows is just holding me over.
Thank you very much for posting this and providing background. Appreciate the education and not just random thoughts to get everybody wound up over something. Thanks again