Moore’s Law

[LonnyMacD]

Considering Moore’s Law and the amount of time it will take for the factory to be built, has anyone heard if the company is open to technology advancements getting implemented before vehicles roll off the assembly line? Between now and then many things can happen to further the value of these great trucks.

Just wondering . . .

 

[Chavannigans]

It would honestly be easier for a smaller company to pivot with new innovation.

Scout Motors is vying to be a household name again and are building a company at scale to become one.

They currently have test mules running around with their driveline design that is set for production. Once that is finalized there is testing and certifications they need to get done in order to meet the launch date.


They would need to change their tooling designs, find vendors that can supply the new widgets at scale, recertify, retest, etc. That could potentially cost tens of millions of dollars and delay the launch firther.

Unless its something dramatic like a self contained cold fusion reactor that costs them only $100 to build it is most likely that youd need to wait for a Gen 2 to see this advancement implemented.

Just look at Rivian. They are still a "small" automaker but still use 400V architecture that charges slow. They just now implemented NACS and wont be adopting 800V anytime soon, while other companies are embracing it for the gains in charging speeds.

 

[Chuckles]

It would honestly be easier for a smaller company to pivot with new innovation.

Scout Motors is vying to be a household name again and are building a company at scale to become one.

They currently have test mules running around with their driveline design that is set for production. Once that is finalized there is testing and certifications they need to get done in order to meet the launch date.

They would need to change their tooling designs, find vendors that can supply the new widgets at scale, recertify, retest, etc.

Unless its something dramatic like a self contained cold fusion reactor that costs them only $100 to build it is most likely that youd need to wait for a Gen 2 to see this advancement implemented. That could potentially cost tens of millions of dollars.

Just look at Rivian. They are still a "small" automaker but still use 400V architecture that charges slow. They just now implemented NACS and wont be adopting 800V anytime soon, while other companies are embracing it for the gains in charging speeds.

I agree. It isn't easy to make physical changes, except perhaps for wheels and tires. Software changes are easier to implement, but everything still has to be tested. I don't enjoy being a guinea pig.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Coming from space exploration, where people think we have the very newest tech, it’s always difficult to explain to people that spacecraft and instrument design, testing, safety, etc., require ages to be completed. And because of the costs of exploring space, we can’t take on brand new technology at the rate people imagine we would be able to. For robotic space flight, we’re a decade to 15 years behind the tech curve. For human spaceflight, we’re 20 years behind because every single component has to be proven to be safe. Verification and Validation takes time and energy and resources.

Similarly for vehicles. Dropping the newest tech into a car is a good way to have massive recalls, injuries, and deaths.

Leave the bleeding edge to phones, videogames, laptops, and things that don’t involve human health and life.

 

[Time2Roll]

I doubt any improvements will be made that have any chance of delaying the launch. All efforts should be on the current build.

Otherwise there is a big risk of never having a product.

Imagine if no one released a computer because so busy with improving the chips to double the capacity.

 

[6-ScoutFamily]

I’ve wondered this too; probably y’all are correct. But the magnitude of the advancement may play a part.

 

[LonnyMacD]

I appreciate this and to a certain degree, I agree. Except, right now the vehicles are concept not production. There is plenty of time to tweak. I’m not suggesting an overhaul. I’m more curious about the development of batteries or the efficiency between the engine and the motor. Or the possibility of integration of solar cels onto the vehicle (yes, this one’s crazy). But you see there are possibilities . . .

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I appreciate this and to a certain degree, I agree. Except, right now the vehicles are concept not production. There is plenty of time to tweak. I’m not suggesting an overhaul. I’m more curious about the development of batteries or the efficiency between the engine and the motor. Or the possibility of integration of solar cels onto the vehicle (yes, this one’s crazy). But you see there are possibilities . . .

Batteries need at least a couple of years of integration and testing in the vehicle before they can be put into production. They’ll be using NMC and LFP batteries because those are well-established. More than anything Scout needs their batteries to work and to work well and to work as planned. A problem with the batteries will be a death knell.

Similarly, they need software to work and to work well. Bad software *was* the death knell for Fisker because they rushed the job. Software development is upended when a new piece of hardware is introduced.

Solar similarly needs to be integrated and tested. They might be able to replace the glass roof with a glass solar panel, but it would still require significant time to do the engineering and testing before they were ready to release to the public. And there’s a lot more to it than just dropping in a panel. They would need to understand its physical, electrical, and mechanical interaction with the rest of the truck before they felt safe releasing it. What will it do in an accident—it’s not the same as the glass roof, so it’ll behave differently; how will it behave differently? Will its electrical components be able to be “shut off” in an accident so the panel doesn’t continue to produce while there’s a short? Could it cause a secondary fire? All kinds of things need to be considered.

They’ve decided on the axles (motors) and are now tweaking the interaction between the motor controller, performance, efficiency, and all the other parameters that will make the Scout worth buying. They only have two years to get these things dialed in. They have to dial them in for hot and humid areas, for cold and dry areas, for cold and wet areas, for wet and salty areas, for hot and dry areas. Each of the environments need testing and the best parameters for one environment will likely conflict with the best parameters for another. They need to figure out a massive parameter matrix to determine the least-worst compromises between all these parameters. They can’t do that in a short time period.

If someone has never done product development, it seems easy and quick to drop in a new feature, but those of us who have done it know that it takes ages to get things integrated in a way that the development team can be proud of and won’t cause the clients/customers to feel like the job was rushed and is incomplete.

I’d rather see a high-quality product that seems “out-of-date” than have them doing tons of software recalls, hardware recalls, fixing panels that are falling off, repairing motors that were driven too hard in one environment, safety features that fail, etc.

 

[LonnyMacD]

Ok

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I would be willing to bet that there’s a 5-20% time team that’s working on the next iteration to be released 3-6 years after the first models. They’re looking at what should be played with and tested. They have solid-state cells, maybe even a line on some modules; they have solar panels; they have next gen axles and motor controllers; they’re looking at 4-wheel motors; they’re looking at OEM locking/freewheeling hubs. They’re working on it now, but the brand new technology announced today isn’t going to be released in the first iteration of the Scouts.

 

[Chavannigans]

Considering Moore’s Law and the amount of time it will take for the factory to be built, has anyone heard if the company is open to technology advancements getting implemented before vehicles roll off the assembly line? Between now and then many things can happen to further the value of these great trucks.

Just wondering . . .

I just want to clarify that we have all thought the same thing and you arent asking stupid questions.

We are still in the infancy of EVs and the future is going to be incredible.

But right now my current daily is a 3 row SUV with full time AWD/4X4 and gets around 280 miles to a tank of range on 31" tires.

It does 0-60 in 14 seconds.

It does everything i need it to do, so even with the current specs provided by Scout I am going to be able to accelerate from 0-60 almost 10 seconds faster and drive 220 miles further on a tank/charge than my current vehicle.

Thats a generational leap in performance and not far off of doubling my range.


The Gen 1 Scouts will still be a huge improvement for anyone coming from an ICE vehicle and i wont feel jealous of the next gen products since its already going to blow my mind as it is.

 

[LonnyMacD]

Chavannigans, I appreciate the adult response. You’re right, gen 1 is already leaps and bounds ahead of the industry. Sadly, like computers, it’s an industry that is rapidly evolving. Gen 2, could be right around the corner. My curiosity is about the concept vehicles that are out now and how much adjustments/tweeking get made as discoveries in the industry happen. 2 years till the assembly line starts is a long time in the auto industry.

 

[Chavannigans]

Chavannigans, I appreciate the adult response. You’re right, gen 1 is already leaps and bounds ahead of the industry. Sadly, like computers, it’s an industry that is rapidly evolving. Gen 2, could be right around the corner. My curiosity is about the concept vehicles that are out now and how much adjustments/tweeking get made as discoveries in the industry happen. 2 years till the assembly line starts is a long time in the auto industry.

No worries man. There are quite a few people that have asked the same question in different ways.... including myself, and I got similar answers. But there are some well intentioned people here that really know their shit and they just dont want us to be disappointed. The folks above are correct and I hope you understand they arent inteding to be abrasive. Its kind of a dead horse thing at this point, but you had no way of knowing that.

I am a tech chaser. I had two phone lines when I was 18 so I could buy the new iPhone every year going back to the first one. I have foldable phones from China that blow the specs out of my Samsungs and iPhones out of the water. My OnePlus 13 charges at 100W and my OnePlus Watch 3 has two operating systems to make the battery last for up to two weeks on a charge. Im currently using an Apple Watch Ultra and an iPhone 15 Pro Max running IOS 26 Beta, and go back and forth when new updates in Android or IOS offer new features. It irritate my wife to no end when I switch devices constantly but it is just something I enjoy.

Normally I use them for a year and sell them or give them to a friend or family member that needs one.

But I am having to police myself with the EV thing. I have never had one, and understand I cant "Upgrade Cars" every year. That just isnt feasible despite tech always getting better and better.

Just my .02 but if you have FOMO (not shaming you if you do) maybe a lease is a better avenue for you to pursue. That way you can trade it in for the latest and greatest every few years. I think Scout is sticking to proven tech to get the ball rolling. Maybe there will be LFP, NMC, and Solid State options in the future. All we can do is sit back and see what materializes but I hope you have a better idea of where we are coming from.

Again, you arent asking stupid questions and we hope you stay while we see what unfolds for Scout and the future of Evs.

 

[LonnyMacD]

No worries man. There are quite a few people that have asked the same question in different ways.... including myself, and I got similar answers. But there are some well intentioned people here that really know their shit and they just dont want us to be disappointed. The folks above are correct and I hope you understand they arent inteding to be abrasive. Its kind of a dead horse thing at this point, but you had no way of knowing that.

I am a tech chaser. I had two phone lines when I was 18 so I could buy the new iPhone every year going back to the first one. I have foldable phones from China that blow the specs out of my Samsungs and iPhones out of the water. My OnePlus 13 charges at 100W and my OnePlus Watch 3 has two operating systems to make the battery last for up to two weeks on a charge. Im currently using an Apple Watch Ultra and an iPhone 15 Pro Max running IOS 26 Beta, and go back and forth when new updates in Android or IOS offer new features. It irritate my wife to no end when I switch devices constantly but it is just something I enjoy.

Normally I use them for a year and sell them or give them to a friend or family member that needs one.

But I am having to police myself with the EV thing. I have never had one, and understand I cant "Upgrade Cars" every year. That just isnt feasible despite tech always getting better and better.

Just my .02 but if you have FOMO (not shaming you if you do) maybe a lease is a better avenue for you to pursue. That way you can trade it in for the latest and greatest every few years. I think Scout is sticking to proven tech to get the ball rolling. Maybe there will be LFP, NMC, and Solid State options in the future. All we can do is sit back and see what materializes but I hope you have a better idea of where we are coming from.

Again, you arent asking stupid questions and we hope you stay while we see what unfolds for Scout and the future of Evs.

Thanks & I get what you’re saying. I work in the tech side of an industry that’s is constantly evolving. Competing companies are always bringing their gear market, sometimes before it’s completely ready. I’m a realist. I understand the potential dangers that could arise in the auto industry. I guess where the Scout is so far out, there could be room for improvement or safe advancement. But hey, what do I know. I do appreciate your empathy. It doesn’t go unnoticed. I am a current EV owner (presently dying to off-load it for various reasons). So I have no case of FOMO, at least, not now. This Scout will be my retirement vehicle and I’m looking forward to driving mine with my wife and Irish Wolfhound across the country.

 

[cyure]

Thanks & I get what you’re saying. I work in the tech side of an industry that’s is constantly evolving. Competing companies are always bringing their gear market, sometimes before it’s completely ready. I’m a realist. I understand the potential dangers that could arise in the auto industry. I guess where the Scout is so far out, there could be room for improvement or safe advancement. But hey, what do I know. I do appreciate your empathy. It doesn’t go unnoticed. I am a current EV owner (presently dying to off-load it for various reasons). So I have no case of FOMO, at least, not now. This Scout will be my retirement vehicle and I’m looking forward to driving mine with my wife and Irish Wolfhound across the country.

You do know it’s a rule around here that when you mention a dog we have to see more pictures of said pupper.

 

[Chavannigans]

Thanks & I get what you’re saying. I work in the tech side of an industry that’s is constantly evolving. Competing companies are always bringing their gear market, sometimes before it’s completely ready. I’m a realist. I understand the potential dangers that could arise in the auto industry. I guess where the Scout is so far out, there could be room for improvement or safe advancement. But hey, what do I know. I do appreciate your empathy. It doesn’t go unnoticed. I am a current EV owner (presently dying to off-load it for various reasons). So I have no case of FOMO, at least, not now. This Scout will be my retirement vehicle and I’m looking forward to driving mine with my wife and Irish Wolfhound across the country.

Heard.

My passion for tech got me an IT position at the University of Texas and I didn't even have a degree or certifications. I get what you mean about tech constantly evolving.

We are responsible for a few hundred classrooms at the Tyler Academic, Tyler Medical, Houston, Longview, and Palestine campuses. Last year we were experiencing failures of some devices that were aging out so we replaced them with new ones from a vendor we get most of our equipment form. The new devices turned out to have a flaw that firmware cannot fix, and when we have to drive hours away to fix/replace devices its a massive pain in the ass and it cost our department tens of thousands of dollars.

We have been burned by new tech (even from trusted established vendors) and had to rip out things that were promised to do something and falls flat. Then pay to replace it with something else. Sometimes new doesnt always mean better.

I am sorry to hear about your current EV situation and hope you can dump it and find something to get around with in the meantime.

 

[LonnyMacD]

You do know it’s a rule around here that when you mention a dog we have to see more pictures of said pupper.

Happy to oblige. Besides my profile (that was 8yrs ago {10months}).

 

[Chavannigans]

Happy to oblige. Besides my profile (that was 8yrs ago {10months}). View attachment 7759View attachment 7760View attachment 7761

Sweet Doggos!!

Thank you for sharing.

 

[cyure]

Happy to oblige. Besides my profile (that was 8yrs ago {10months}). View attachment 7759View attachment 7760View attachment 7761

So cute! And giant! Yet adorable!!

 

[J Alynn]

Thanks & I get what you’re saying. I work in the tech side of an industry that’s is constantly evolving. Competing companies are always bringing their gear market, sometimes before it’s completely ready. I’m a realist. I understand the potential dangers that could arise in the auto industry. I guess where the Scout is so far out, there could be room for improvement or safe advancement. But hey, what do I know. I do appreciate your empathy. It doesn’t go unnoticed. I am a current EV owner (presently dying to off-load it for various reasons). So I have no case of FOMO, at least, not now. This Scout will be my retirement vehicle and I’m looking forward to driving mine with my wife and Irish Wolfhound across the country.

I think something else that gets overlooked is where SM is on their company timeline. I agree with @Chavannigans earlier comments but what hit me the other day is a large majority of members joined at or after the reveal (8months ago), others like myself have been here since nearly day 1. But even prior to this forum launching-SM was already in the works-breaking down competitor vehicles, working with engineers, master “dreaming” and establishing vehicle goals, etc….
My point is-theoretically SM has been developing these vehicles for nearly 4 years already- not the 8 months since the general public was introduced so a lot of decisions are likely (and I’m speculating) very deep into the process and fairly locked in. The axles and the batteries are no doubt the two biggest and critical components followed by the UX and its cross-over from Rivian so while there may be a little flexibility at this point the best hope is to offer feedback to SM for the Gen2 or future new models. Introducing new tech now may come back to bite them or it may be life altering and worth the risk. For those that love new tech I think the Scouts will be cutting edge within the EV market even though the general tech world is much further ahead. It’s definitely a balancing act for SM. The great thing is the tech architecture is OTA based so many things can be updated as they nail down and test the newer tech. But it’s great you are offering and posting ideas that will support long term planning by SM.