With the announcement that the engine for the Scout will be 4 cylinder that the Harvester will be a flat four reproduced because of the air cooled feature?
Any chance on flat four?
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Flat 4 is very possible, though air cooled is as likely to happen as it being a 4-cyl diesel. This is mainly because there is no air cooled flat 4s still being made currently so if they were to do that it would require a brand new engine from scratch which I do not see Scout doing where there is other engines that are already being made that are cheaper to source. Though Porsche is currently making a liquid cooled flat 4 in the Boxter which is getting discontinued for an EV version this year, so I could see that engine possibly being used if VW doesn't want to lay off or move everyone who builds that engine, unless they want to move it anyway to have the engine be made in the US. It really depends a lot of diffrent factors.
The announcement also said the engine already exists, is industrial, and is already homologated.
So, that's not a flat 4.
So, that's not a flat 4.
It will be very unlikely the engine will be sourced from Porsche.
I agree but I think that is the most likely scenario if a flat four was going to be used.
Just a minor correction here; there are a number of Air-Cooled Flat-4's still in production. Some are even seeing new development in that field.
Lycoming still makes the O-360 Series of 6 Liter, four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed, air-cooled engine. They come in Carbureted, Fuel-injected, and turbocharged variants, but 6 Liters is pretty big for displacement.
Continental Motors also still makes the (Yes, confusingly-similar and confusingly-named) IO-360 5.9 Liter, four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed, air-cooled engine. It only comes in Fuel injected and turbocharged variants, but runs on a number of different fuels as well.
Rotax also makes the 912/914 and 915 iS engines, which are significantly smaller in terms of displacement (1,211cc/1.2L for the 912 and 914, 1,352cc/1.35L for the 915). They're also four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed engines, that are air-and-liquid-cooled (Air cooled cylinders, liquid-cooled cylinder heads). The 912 UL runs on Regular E10 autogas (87 RON octane), and the 914 and 915 (turbocharged) require premium (95 RON) octane gas. The 912 iS is also extremely light (140.2 lbs) and small (1,352cc), and honestly would probably be pretty good for something like a generator where you can get a perfect reduction gearbox and run it at a peak power band all the time. That's, in fact, exactly what Rotax engines were designed to do (aircraft, where you run the engine at 97% from takeoff-to-landing).
If I were a betting man... I'd bet on Rotax. Industrial, drop-in, homologated for narrow-power-band operation... Checks all the boxes to me.
Is that owned by VWAG because it was said engine would be sourced internally from VWAG.
Yes ok, but I mean there are not any at least in cars being sold in the US currently, because if it is not already for automotive use it is likely it is going to have to reworked in some way for on-road regulations, emissions, etc. I am thinking that if Scout can have existing engine from another vehicle in the US and have it as close to "plug in play" as possible that is probably the way they will go.
If that's from the same Edmunds interview I remember, Keogh said it was "likely" that it would be sourced from "Somewhere" within VWAG. Not a confirmation; leaving the door open for others, but yeah, likely a VW group engine (which Rotax isn't; they're owned by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, under Bombardier Recreational Products; neighbors, but not siblings).
If it's internal to VW, there's plenty of super small Inline-4 options in their industrial engines lines (the EA211 1.4 TSI comes to mind). But the cooling solutions would definitely be... uh, "Creative" for sure ?.
The other option, looking at all the brands under VWAG is to pull one out of one of the European brands. I’m certain Bugatti makes a 4-cylinder ?
Just chop the Veyron engine into 4 pieces, and boom, you’ll have made one engine into four!
Ok while we are guessing where VW harvests the Harvester engine....
How about an updated version of the third generation VW Gol 1.6 L flex fuel engine (2008-2023)?
The Volkswagen Gol was produced from 1980 to 2023 and it was Volkswagen's entry-level car in Latin America.
A horsepower rating around 101-104 horsepower when running on ethanol, depending on the specific model year and variant.
VW Gol 1.6L Flex Fuel engine, depending on the model year, is roughly around 20.5 inches long, 12.2 inches wide, and 11.8 inches high
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I'm guessing, as always, it's one of the off the shelf 3 cylinders they already make.
There's no need to reinvent the wheel, nor provide more then the roughly 100 hp needed to run the gen head.
There's no need to reinvent the wheel, nor provide more then the roughly 100 hp needed to run the gen head.
Scott Keogh apparently just told the world its a 4 cylinder.
https://www.motortrend.com/features...keogh-inevitable-vodcast-podcast-episode-113/
But I agree with you. Whatever it is, is likely not to be super fancy, or new. Its more likely to be something pedestrian/reliable.
I am interested in the “creative cooling” commenting made in his interview. It makes me wonder if the battery cooling and engine cooling will use the same system..likely liquid cooled. That would be the most logical given efficiency, location of the engine. Etc. it could then use the excess heat with a heat exchanger for cabin heating. I am not aware of other PHEVs that use the same cooling system between the engine and batteries. Anyone else know?
They have an Engine Manufacturing Plant in I believe Huntsville, Alabama. Just don’t know what engines are made there.
I really hope they bring engines from Germany rather than Mexico. More faith in the German quality approach
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