My wife's car is a 2017 Wrangler, and my car is a 2022 Maverick. With the Scout aiming to be an off road truck, I feel I have a good idea of what that demographic is looking for. The Wranglers are often bare bones vehicles, with a main focus on off-roading first, and comfort 2nd. I think it would be fine for the Scout to forego many of the bells and whistles as it targets this audience as well. Especially if the price is right. Nobody buying a $50/k car wants to drive it off the lot, only to realize it doesn't have power windows. But when I got my '22 Maverick XL for $24k and it didn't have power mirrors, I could live with that. There are always going to be tradeoffs or compromises, but depending on the price, some are easier to make.
As an engineer with an interest in EVs generally, I have many ideas that could be applied to the Scout EV. Here are some ideas:
1. Integrated Wheel Hub Motor - I've seen these concepts at CES and Mobility trade shows, where the motor is integrated into the wheel itself. I'd like to see this on something like the Scout. I feel that doing this would make suspension design simpler and could be better for off roading. You could even make the system asymmetrical, with high-speed motors in the front and low speed in the back, to give a better overall efficiency and performance.
2. Batteries - Current battery systems usually have a base capacity (around 90KWh), and different range extender options from 20 to 40KWh. This adds complexity to the design and requires different battery housings. If I were to design a battery system, I would start with one housing design. Then I would source battery cells with different chemistry, but the same shape. Maybe a NA+ battery for the base version, FePO for the next range up, and NMC for the best range. The battery housing would just need to have a flexible design to accommodate the different battery chemistries, or a single worst-case type of design. If the motors are in the wheels like option 1, there is more space for a bigger battery. That way, even the lower density NA+ batteries can still give a reasonable range. In theory, the overall weight wouldn't change too much either. So you wouldn't need to tune the suspension for heavy range extending options.
3. Airless tires would be great for an off-road vehicle; not having to worry about flats. Not needing a spare either would make more room for the battery as well.
The only reason I haven't switched to an EV yet is mainly the price, but also the range. I go on road trips often, and don't feel like paying a premium for a mere 250 mile range. My truck gets 460miles on a tank of gas. If I could get a compact EV truck with around 400miles of range and a reasonable price, I'd trade in my Maverick today!
As an engineer with an interest in EVs generally, I have many ideas that could be applied to the Scout EV. Here are some ideas:
1. Integrated Wheel Hub Motor - I've seen these concepts at CES and Mobility trade shows, where the motor is integrated into the wheel itself. I'd like to see this on something like the Scout. I feel that doing this would make suspension design simpler and could be better for off roading. You could even make the system asymmetrical, with high-speed motors in the front and low speed in the back, to give a better overall efficiency and performance.
2. Batteries - Current battery systems usually have a base capacity (around 90KWh), and different range extender options from 20 to 40KWh. This adds complexity to the design and requires different battery housings. If I were to design a battery system, I would start with one housing design. Then I would source battery cells with different chemistry, but the same shape. Maybe a NA+ battery for the base version, FePO for the next range up, and NMC for the best range. The battery housing would just need to have a flexible design to accommodate the different battery chemistries, or a single worst-case type of design. If the motors are in the wheels like option 1, there is more space for a bigger battery. That way, even the lower density NA+ batteries can still give a reasonable range. In theory, the overall weight wouldn't change too much either. So you wouldn't need to tune the suspension for heavy range extending options.
3. Airless tires would be great for an off-road vehicle; not having to worry about flats. Not needing a spare either would make more room for the battery as well.
The only reason I haven't switched to an EV yet is mainly the price, but also the range. I go on road trips often, and don't feel like paying a premium for a mere 250 mile range. My truck gets 460miles on a tank of gas. If I could get a compact EV truck with around 400miles of range and a reasonable price, I'd trade in my Maverick today!
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