Extra, Extra....Read All About It!

[cyure]

I expect a delay of all production, but I would be surprised if there’s a delay of the BEV vs the EREV. In fact, I’d expect that if one is delayed relative to the other, it will be a delay of the EREV. The market only matters so much. Materials sourcing, engineering, and production are more important at this stage. The Harvester is a more complex vehicle with more parts; parts are more difficult to source; the random tariff rules changing every other day makes sourcing materials more costly and more unreliable; the engineering of an EREV designed for long-distance use has very few experienced players (BMW i3 REx, BYD Shark, Chevrolet Volt; Stellantis if they are ever successful) so there’s not a lot of experience to pull from; the Harvester has to go through additional testing and verification that the BEV doesn’t; the control software is more complex and requires additional development and debugging; the safety concerns are greater; the environmental testing is more involved; etc., etc., etc. Everything about the Harvester makes it more costly in time, R&D, and materials.

I don’t know where to put this so I’ll just put it here. I spoke with a colleague at the work event I’m at today. They had a Tesla for 10 years and just got a Macan EV. They said the same thing all you EV owners have been saying. They will never go back to gas. He showed me the app on his phone and said he doesn’t event leave his car plugged in when he’s gone because it only loses 1%. And said the same thing about only having to get tires about every 18,000 miles. He never even needed new brakes on his Tesla in that 10 years.

So thanks all you EV owners. Just more confirmation of everything you have been telling me all these months.

 

[cyure]

I expect a delay of all production, but I would be surprised if there’s a delay of the BEV vs the EREV. In fact, I’d expect that if one is delayed relative to the other, it will be a delay of the EREV. The market only matters so much. Materials sourcing, engineering, and production are more important at this stage. The Harvester is a more complex vehicle with more parts; parts are more difficult to source; the random tariff rules changing every other day makes sourcing materials more costly and more unreliable; the engineering of an EREV designed for long-distance use has very few experienced players (BMW i3 REx, BYD Shark, Chevrolet Volt; Stellantis if they are ever successful) so there’s not a lot of experience to pull from; the Harvester has to go through additional testing and verification that the BEV doesn’t; the control software is more complex and requires additional development and debugging; the safety concerns are greater; the environmental testing is more involved; etc., etc., etc. Everything about the Harvester makes it more costly in time, R&D, and materials.

Faith and patience is all we can do right now. We don't know what we don’t know.

 

[cyure]

To quote THiL08 - "100%". EREVs are new territory. The control software alone could delay production significantly, especially if production batteries are not yet available. I am a little concerned though after listening to Scott's presentation at the UP.summit. BEV was not mentioned once when talking about the product and he said "The range extender, in my mind, is exactly what the market's looking for..." and then went on to extoll Harvester's virtues which are valid. But not mentioning the BEV option speaks volumes to me. Seems intentional for prepared remarks. The BEV didn't even make the slide deck and then there is this bit from one of the slides:
View attachment 10187I hope I am simply reading too much into his talking points but if the trend continues I think we may have our answer. I am firmly in the BEV camp and am mildly concerned about a brand new company delivering new tech without a proven track record on a brand new platform and doing so on the current timeline. What could go wrong?

That said, Scout hasn't given me a solid reason to be concerned about the fate of the BEV so far and many reasons to be hopeful that they will honor their initial vision.

​

I’m not concerned. Again, we don’t have any facts. I’m choosing to have faith. I can’t wait to be driving my BEV Scout down the road and I’m confident it’s going to happen.

 

[THil08]

To get off of the topic of Scout BEV platform not making it for a bit after EREV production starts.

Anyone watch the review by Auto Focus on aptera? He talks about how it’s pretty much free to drive because of the Solar.

Here’s my question if Aptera goes mainstream, and gas companies are like crap we don’t have much control since we don’t make sun light, like how we help produce electricity. Do we think Gas companies will talk with leaders, and make a Sun Tax?

 

[Jasco]

I’m not concerned. Again, we don’t have any facts. I’m choosing to have faith. I can’t wait to be driving my BEV Scout down the road and I’m confident it’s going to happen.

I choose to have faith too. I didn't mean to come across so pessimistic. I'm just really excited to drive my own Scout BEV. There is no better brand and no better tech as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Chuckles]

To get off of the topic of Scout BEV platform not making it for a bit after EREV production starts.

Anyone watch the review by Auto Focus on aptera? He talks about how it’s pretty much free to drive because of the Solar.

Here’s my question if Aptera goes mainstream, and gas companies are like crap we don’t have much control since we don’t make sun light, like how we help produce electricity. Do we think Gas companies will talk with leaders, and make a Sun Tax?

One thing is for sure: any revenue lost in gasoline taxes will be replaced by other things: mileage taxes, tire taxes, higher registration fees, etc.

 

[chucchinchilla]

Great points but until the final details are figured out on what the EREV is going to do this 80% number is arbitrary. Unless i missed something all we know is the engine they plan to use. So many aspects have not been figured out. This has to effect 20% of EREV reservations. If I am correct that 60/40. Not enough to delay BEV.

What don't we know that would impact buying decisions? Here's what we know so far..

• VW Sourced
• 4 cylinder NA engine
• Made in Mexico (likely EA211)
• 150mi EV range, 350mi extended range
• 5K tow capacity for Harvester equipped vehicles, as Keogh told Leno

Outside of price I'm not sure what details would make a difference here. Maintenance schedule? Like anything else, reservations =/= orders and those numbers will fluctuate but if Scott had to make a choice, as it was reported, it makes sense he chose the more popular Harvester.

Then there's this...

To quote THiL08 - "100%". EREVs are new territory. The control software alone could delay production significantly, especially if production batteries are not yet available. I am a little concerned though after listening to Scott's presentation at the UP.summit. BEV was not mentioned once when talking about the product and he said "The range extender, in my mind, is exactly what the market's looking for..." and then went on to extoll Harvester's virtues which are valid. But not mentioning the BEV option speaks volumes to me. Seems intentional for prepared remarks. The BEV didn't even make the slide deck and then there is this bit from one of the slides:
View attachment 10187I hope I am simply reading too much into his talking points but if the trend continues I think we may have our answer. I am firmly in the BEV camp and am mildly concerned about a brand new company delivering new tech without a proven track record on a brand new platform and doing so on the current timeline. What could go wrong?

That said, Scout hasn't given me a solid reason to be concerned about the fate of the BEV so far and many reasons to be hopeful that they will honor their initial vision.

​

...I didn't watch the talk because I felt it would have been more of the same corporate talking points, but that seals the deal on my believing the report. Even before this talk I felt Scout's narrative has changed since launch now almost only talking about Harvester and there it is. And I support it. Although I live in a place with some of the highest BEV adoption rates in the country, the country as a whole has a long way to go and Harvester bridges that gap.

 

[THil08]

What don't we know that would impact buying decisions? Here's what we know so far..

• VW Sourced
• 4 cylinder NA engine
• Made in Mexico (likely EA211)
• 150mi EV range, 350mi extended range
• 5K tow capacity for Harvester equipped vehicles, as Keogh told Leno

Outside of price I'm not sure what details would make a difference here. Maintenance schedule? Like anything else, reservations =/= orders and those numbers will fluctuate but if Scott had to make a choice, as it was reported, it makes sense he chose the more popular Harvester.

Then there's this...

...I didn't watch the talk because I felt it would have been more of the same corporate talking points, but that seals the deal on my believing the report. Even before this talk I felt Scout's narrative has changed since launch now almost only talking about Harvester and there it is. And I support it. Although I live in a place with some of the highest BEV adoption rates in the country, the country as a whole has a long way to go and Harvester bridges that gap.

The tow capacity is something that is up in the air again after a scout employee went and told a few viewers at NYC or Texas, that the tow rating for Harvester and BEV will be close to the same.

 

[chucchinchilla]

The tow capacity is something that is up in the air again after a scout employee went and told a few viewers at NYC or Texas, that the tow rating for Harvester and BEV will be close to the same.

That's positive news. Curious what variable had to be adjusted to support this.

 

[THil08]

That's positive news. Curious what variable had to be adjusted to support this.

Most likely balancing weight would be my guess.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I don’t know where to put this so I’ll just put it here. I spoke with a colleague at the work event I’m at today. They had a Tesla for 10 years and just got a Macan EV. They said the same thing all you EV owners have been saying. They will never go back to gas. He showed me the app on his phone and said he doesn’t event leave his car plugged in when he’s gone because it only loses 1%. And said the same thing about only having to get tires about every 18,000 miles. He never even needed new brakes on his Tesla in that 10 years.

So thanks all you EV owners. Just more confirmation of everything you have been telling me all these months.

I think there’s a typo or missing word? Tire rotations every 18k miles? Tire replacement should be in the 40k to 60k miles realm.

 

[J Alynn]

According to data from the Recovery Database Network (RDN), analyzed by CURepossession, 2025 has seen over 7.5 million repossession assignments—authorizations given to an agency to recover a vehicle on behalf of a lender. Based on historic trends, this figure is expected to reach a record 10.5 million by the end of the year.

Car repossessions approaching record high as delinquency rates soar

If current trends hold, 2025 car repossessions could reach levels last seen during the financial crisis.

www.newsweek.com

We were out to dinner about 3-4 weeks ago and watched a car get repossessed in the parking lot and that guy was in and out in no time. Nice Lexus RX

 

[J Alynn]

When did EREV development begin? I believe EREV came after BEV but was it near the beginning or just before the official debut? As Jamie explained, a pivot towards offering EREV first is only speculation however the numbers don't lie. Both this forum and the other forum are showing an 80% take rate for EREV and Scott has echo'd similar figures. The market has spoken.

If Scout has to prioritize one over the other, then it's EREV first which brings me back to my original question. If EREV development started much later (aka it's still in earlier stages of development) and EREV has to launch first, then I'm forecasting a delayed launch. Hopefully that's not the case and I fully expect a "no comment" from Scout on anything I said here, just trying to level set my expectations.

But again, if EREV is behind by 4 months (guessing obviously) why let a $2 billion dollar factory sit empty when you could produce the BEV orders at a pace that lets you spool up and be at full capacity when the EREV is ready and then you are also generating cash flow. I don’t see a business plan where you park a $2 billion plant when you have 40,000 BEVs you could be producing until the harvester comes on line. You want cash flow ASAP.

 

[J Alynn]

Great points but until the final details are figured out on what the EREV is going to do this 80% number is arbitrary. Unless i missed something all we know is the engine they plan to use. So many aspects have not been figured out. This has to affect 20% of EREV reservations. If I am correct that 60/40. Not enough to delay BEV.

I agree.

 

[J Alynn]

To quote THiL08 - "100%". EREVs are new territory. The control software alone could delay production significantly, especially if production batteries are not yet available. I am a little concerned though after listening to Scott's presentation at the UP.summit. BEV was not mentioned once when talking about the product and he said "The range extender, in my mind, is exactly what the market's looking for..." and then went on to extoll Harvester's virtues which are valid. But not mentioning the BEV option speaks volumes to me. Seems intentional for prepared remarks. The BEV didn't even make the slide deck and then there is this bit from one of the slides:
View attachment 10187I hope I am simply reading too much into his talking points but if the trend continues I think we may have our answer. I am firmly in the BEV camp and am mildly concerned about a brand new company delivering new tech without a proven track record on a brand new platform and doing so on the current timeline. What could go wrong?

That said, Scout hasn't given me a solid reason to be concerned about the fate of the BEV so far and many reasons to be hopeful that they will honor their initial vision.

​

My hunch is taking out the BEV talk takes away any negative press for the EV haters. The next cabinet and president could swing everything right back around so it’s a yo-yo situation that we just have to watch and react to carefully

 

[J Alynn]

I choose to have faith too. I didn't mean to come across so pessimistic. I'm just really excited to drive my own Scout BEV. There is no better brand and no better tech as far as I'm concerned.

My only thought if I’m going pessimistic is I hope if there is a change in direction and EREV is the primary-let those of us planning BEV know sooner than later so we don’t wait for 2 years to be disappointed

 

[Cranky Canuck]

According to data from the Recovery Database Network (RDN), analyzed by CURepossession, 2025 has seen over 7.5 million repossession assignments—authorizations given to an agency to recover a vehicle on behalf of a lender. Based on historic trends, this figure is expected to reach a record 10.5 million by the end of the year.

Car repossessions approaching record high as delinquency rates soar

If current trends hold, 2025 car repossessions could reach levels last seen during the financial crisis.

www.newsweek.com

I've been big into the finance and economics space lately and there are a lot of people talking about the automotive sector and comparing it to the old sub-prime mortgage sector. Some really smart and experienced people seem to think the next crash will come from either auto or private equity. Seeing data like this reminds me of 2007 when the sub-prime mortgage defaults started increasing but everyone ignored it. I'm starting to think the US auto market might be the first domino.

 

[Chaz26]

To get off of the topic of Scout BEV platform not making it for a bit after EREV production starts.

Anyone watch the review by Auto Focus on aptera? He talks about how it’s pretty much free to drive because of the Solar.

Here’s my question if Aptera goes mainstream, and gas companies are like crap we don’t have much control since we don’t make sun light, like how we help produce electricity. Do we think Gas companies will talk with leaders, and make a Sun Tax?

They'll probably just buy them and shut the company down if that happens.

 

[THil08]

They'll probably just buy them and shut the company down if that happens.

Now that would be a anticompetitive, which isn’t allowed and would result in a lawsuit.

 

[Cranky Canuck]

That is concerning. I certainly would lose interest in Scout Motors if the BEV is scuttled.

As would I. If the BEV version is scrapped like Stellantis did with the Ram then I wouldn't buy anything from the company and probably get a used EV9 or something.