Switching Harvester to All EV Model?

[N Wilson]

I have never owned an EV, so I have a ton of questions, and a lot of thoughts about the EV world (some are probably wrong). A lot of members like @J Alynn have been really helpful without judging my lack of knowledge. If Scout would have been another Rivian I would have appreciated the design but never put down a deposit. The Scout Traveler and Terra seem really thought out with a combination of hard buttons and technology. But the Harvester package is what really sold me, if it’s done right. Scout has a chance to really change the EV world, and I think they are close. If Scout can convince somebody like me to buy one, that’s huge!

Lots of great points in this post. Thanks for putting into words what many others are probably thinking.

Scout really is meeting the market with these vehicles, and in particular, the Harvester. We are still in that transition period where EVs have shown some incredible benefits and some people are ready, or have already made the switch. For many others, there are factors like range anxiety, unfamiliarity, skepticism, etc that are keeping them from going full BEV at this point. The Harvester is the olive branch, or bridge to the EV world that will open up the possibility of EV ownership to so many that would never have considered it without the option.

The thing to keep in mind is that we are just talking about the initial lanch vehicles that will be here in a couple years. Think long term about all the new EV owners who were convinced by the Harvester initially, then 3, 4, 5, 10 years down the road when it's time for their next vehicle, charging infrastructure will be improved, battery technology will be improved, range will be better, and those people who were unfamiliar with EV tech, driving experience, etc before will now be seasoned veterans. I'd be willing to bet that at that point, many of them will choose a full BEV (hopefully another Scout) for their next vehicle purchase.

You could almost think of the Harvester as a set of training wheels for the transition period to widespread EV adoption.

 

[dreamweaver]

Lots of great points in this post. Thanks for putting into words what many others are probably thinking.

Scout really is meeting the market with these vehicles, and in particular, the Harvester. We are still in that transition period where EVs have shown some incredible benefits and some people are ready, or have already made the switch. For many others, there are factors like range anxiety, unfamiliarity, skepticism, etc that are keeping them from going full BEV at this point. The Harvester is the olive branch, or bridge to the EV world that will open up the possibility of EV ownership to so many that would never have considered it without the option.

The thing to keep in mind is that we are just talking about the initial lanch vehicles that will be here in a couple years. Think long term about all the new EV owners who were convinced by the Harvester initially, then 3, 4, 5, 10 years down the road when it's time for their next vehicle, charging infrastructure will be improved, battery technology will be improved, range will be better, and those people who were unfamiliar with EV tech, driving experience, etc before will now be seasoned veterans. I'd be willing to bet that at that point, many of them will choose a full BEV (hopefully another Scout) for their next vehicle purchase.

You could almost think of the Harvester as a set of training wheels for the transition period to widespread EV adoption.

Spot on. Always good to know what Scout is thinking. Thank You.

 

[bb00799]

this is a thought because I’ve been in Europe all week and since @04Ram2500Hemi just made the post. It’s not a directed comment or criticism, just observation as I know there is an opposite concern as well.
As Petrol (love the word) is like over $10/ gallon here, at what price does gas need to get to in the U.S. be fore you say “well maybe EV is OK and the extra wait I can live with”.
Again, no right or wrong just where are people’s pain thresholds as it related to fuel cost vs time waiting to charge?

Honestly, I pay around $75/month right now for gas (shoutout Costco and having a very walkable neighborhood), but if I have to pay over $150/month for gas (which for me means that my cars MPG would have to drop into the sub-20 range and/or I would have to use premium) I would riot.

 

[DaveGunter]

We talk a lot about the cost of gas. What I don’t know or have any experience with is the cost per charge. I know that Scout hasn’t released all the info, but let’s say a similar Rivian.
- How long does it take to charge from 20% - 80% when on a highway trip, and what’s the cost?
- How long does it take to charge from 20% - 100% when on a highway trip, and what’s the cost?

The other cost component I ask is when charging at home:
-How much is an at home charger cost to buy and have installed professionally?
-What is the average cost to charge overnight from 20% - 80%?

DC fast charging is $0.40-0.50/kWh. The Scout vehicles will likely get 2-2.5 mi/kWh in warm weather, so $0.20-0.25/mile.

Similar ICE vehicles get 20-25 mpg, with gas at $3/G that’s $0.12-0.15/mile.

Charging times will vary widely based on the power of the DC fast charger and the temperature, best case 20-80% will likely be around 30 minutes.

 

[mattbrew]

Is anyone that has reserved the harvester model considering switching to the all EV model? Especially those that live in California?

I’m sure everyone knows they can decide either way on order day but I’m waiting to see prices and real capacities. I noticed nobody has really asked about Harvester pricing. Also, I have zero range anxiety. I’ll be charging at home and rarely be traveling over 350 miles.

 

[Albal]

For people unfamiliar with EVs, I highly recommend playing around on this site, which allows you to set a road trip route and pick a car and shows you how many stops you'll have and for how long. It's a great way of getting a sense of things.

ABRP

A Better Routeplanner is the world's most popular consumer EV routeplanner - both for beginner and experienced EV drivers. And of course for anyone curious about EVs.

abetterrouteplanner.com

For a "good car", try a Hyundai Ioniq 5 Long Range.
For a "bad car", try a Toyota BZ4x.

Also, to actually get some actual seat time you can use Turo to rent a good EV from someone in your area. It's a great way of checking them out, try re-charging, etc.

https://turo.com/

 

[J Alynn]

For people unfamiliar with EVs, I highly recommend playing around on this site, which allows you to set a road trip route and pick a car and shows you how many stops you'll have and for how long. It's a great way of getting a sense of things.

ABRP

A Better Routeplanner is the world's most popular consumer EV routeplanner - both for beginner and experienced EV drivers. And of course for anyone curious about EVs.

abetterrouteplanner.com

For a "good car", try a Hyundai Ioniq 5 Long Range.
For a "bad car", try a Toyota BZ4x.

Also, to actually get some actual seat time you can use Turo to rent a good EV from someone in your area. It's a great way of checking them out, try re-charging, etc.

https://turo.com/

Great suggestions.

 

[Chuckles]

Car and Driver just wrapped up 40,000 miles in a Rivian R1T. They include a lot of cost calculations, including the difference between charging at home vs. fast chargers.

40K Miles and 19 Months: Our Long-Term Rivan R1T Bids Farewell

Over 40,000 miles and 19 months, this EV pickup proved E-Z to live with.

www.caranddriver.com

 

[J Alynn]

Car and Driver just wrapped up 40,000 miles in a Rivian R1T. They include a lot of cost calculations, including the difference between charging at home vs. fast chargers.

40K Miles and 19 Months: Our Long-Term Rivan R1T Bids Farewell

Over 40,000 miles and 19 months, this EV pickup proved E-Z to live with.

www.caranddriver.com

Pretty good article overall!

 

[SeaGeo]

J Alynn,

I've been on a the fence a bit, but for me, the journey from say Spokane WA to Vancouver WA is only about 400 miles, so I could do it with the BEV with a charge along the way (and there are good DCFC along the way). However, you have to cross the mountains, and I'm too worried that during the winter, you could get stuck on a closed pass, with 20% of the battery left while the road is closed for 12 hours while they clear avalanches and I'd rather start that part of the journey "loaded for bear" with as much potential energy (as well as other supplies like water, blankets, books) before we start climbing into the mountains.

That's one of two reasons why i LOVE the harvester approach. It lets me put the vast majority of my miles using 11c/kWh electricity, but have unlimited range for longer trips and power outages.

FWIW, I'm in Western WA with both an R1T and R1S. I get your concern, but a couple of thoughts from my experience:
1. If I'm in those conditions, I tend to charge a bit more than I would normally. For example, I have been out to ski at 49 degrees north and Silver this winter. The way back from Silver wasn't the best weather, so I charged up a bit in Cle Elum at the supercharger. The pass really isn't much of a risk with running out of charge unless you happen to really be pushing it for some reason. Regarding amount of energy usage someone I know recently camped in a generation 1 R1S (so resistive heater and not a heat pump) in -9F temp with the cabin set to 65F. They used about 17% of their battery overnight. That's a relatively extreme situation and could be mitigated in quite a few ways if needed (seat heaters, jacket, lower cabin temp, etc.). You have similar risks with a gas tank over 12 hours.

Ive also done a few of the BDR segments without much thought in my R1T, and a couple of buddies did the entire length that was open last year.

I do hope that Scout shoves closer to 180kwh than the 130kwh into the pack. But that's a different discussion.

 

[dreamweaver]

FWIW, I'm in Western WA with both an R1T and R1S. I get your concern, but a couple of thoughts from my experience:
1. If I'm in those conditions, I tend to charge a bit more than I would normally. For example, I have been out to ski at 49 degrees north and Silver this winter. The way back from Silver wasn't the best weather, so I charged up a bit in Cle Elum at the supercharger. The pass really isn't much of a risk with running out of charge unless you happen to really be pushing it for some reason. Regarding amount of energy usage someone I know recently camped in a generation 1 R1S (so resistive heater and not a heat pump) in -9F temp with the cabin set to 65F. They used about 17% of their battery overnight. That's a relatively extreme situation and could be mitigated in quite a few ways if needed (seat heaters, jacket, lower cabin temp, etc.). You have similar risks with a gas tank over 12 hours.

Ive also done a few of the BDR segments without much thought in my R1T, and a couple of buddies did the entire length that was open last year.

I do hope that Scout shoves closer to 180kwh than the 130kwh into the pack. But that's a different discussion.

180 kWh is definitely better. You got my vote.

 

[MaddMatt]

I may end up switching to BEV - my deposits are for Harvesters (will decide Terra or Traveler as the time gets closer) but that was before I had ever driven a BEV. Since that time I've leased an Ioniq5 (which I talk about elsewhere here) and have found for daily driving my range anxiety was ridiculous, for us there is no more anxiety, just a little bit different way of planning.

This summer will tell the tale, we will undoubtedly spend some time driving around in the mountains where the infrastructure may not be what we are used to - but for now I'm leaning strongly towards BEV, I don't think I would every really "need" the range extender. But that's just me...

 

[cyure]

I may end up switching to BEV - my deposits are for Harvesters (will decide Terra or Traveler as the time gets closer) but that was before I had ever driven a BEV. Since that time I've leased an Ioniq5 (which I talk about elsewhere here) and have found for daily driving my range anxiety was ridiculous, for us there is no more anxiety, just a little bit different way of planning.

This summer will tell the tale, we will undoubtedly spend some time driving around in the mountains where the infrastructure may not be what we are used to - but for now I'm leaning strongly towards BEV, I don't think I would every really "need" the range extender. But that's just me...

It’s so hard for us who have never driven an EV to imagine that we don’t need the range extender. Honestly without the range extender I probably would have discounted the Scout but now that I am on the forum I am reconsidering. Not sure yet, but learning more all the time.

 

[dreamweaver]

It’s so hard for us who have never driven an EV to imagine that we don’t need the range extender. Honestly without the range extender I probably would have discounted the Scout but now that I am on the forum I am reconsidering. Not sure yet, but learning more all the time.

I think there is quite a few of us with similar thinking, my self included.

 

[cyure]

I think there is quite a few of us with similar thinking, my self included.

Okay so the big thing that has me thinking no extender is maintenance. One of the big selling points of an EV is no oil changes etc. I am assuming with the range extender I am going to have to deal with oil changes and tune ups etc, correct?

 

[LastDayScout]

DC fast charging is $0.40-0.50/kWh. The Scout vehicles will likely get 2-2.5 mi/kWh in warm weather, so $0.20-0.25/mile.

Similar ICE vehicles get 20-25 mpg, with gas at $3/G that’s $0.12-0.15/mile.

Charging times will vary widely based on the power of the DC fast charger and the temperature, best case 20-80% will likely be around 30 minutes.

I really hope that with technology improvements by the time of launch that Scouts will get at least 3 mi/kwh or more.

 

[dreamweaver]

Okay so the big thing that has me thinking no extender is maintenance. One of the big selling points of an EV is no oil changes etc. I am assuming with the range extender I am going to have to deal with oil changes and tune ups etc, correct?

Those are on my list to consider as well.

 

[N Wilson]

Okay so the big thing that has me thinking no extender is maintenance. One of the big selling points of an EV is no oil changes etc. I am assuming with the range extender I am going to have to deal with oil changes and tune ups etc, correct?

Exactly! This is a really great point, and one of the main reasons I went full BEV from the start.

I want to get away from all that maintenance and adding the Harvester puts it right back into the equation

 

[LastDayScout]

Okay so the big thing that has me thinking no extender is maintenance. One of the big selling points of an EV is no oil changes etc. I am assuming with the range extender I am going to have to deal with oil changes and tune ups etc, correct?

Harvester will definitely require similar maintenance to any ICE. Oil and filter intervals may be a little longer due to the relatively easy use and steady rpm. Air filter will probably stay cleaner for longer as well due to its location in the vehicle.

That said, my BMW iX has needed washer fluid, one set of wipers, one set of tires (it came with summer tires that wore to the bars in about 30k miles), one brake fluid flush per the manual, cabin filter once per year and that’s it. It has 41,081 miles at the time of this typing. For all of 2024 I averaged 3.2 mi/kWh. Charging costs vary by location. In February I didn’t use any public chargers. Only home and work. The total cost for February 2025 was $87.58. I drove 1619 miles total. Pretty cheap in my book.

Another example is from a chart the my electricity provider offers. I compared the absolute most efficient production ICE vehicle on the market, a Toyota Prius, to my iX which carries 5 adults, luggage, AWD, has 516hp and
564lb-ft torque, and will do 0-60 in about 4 seconds. Yes, the Prius is way cheaper to buy and we can debate all the things in the total cost to own. This is purely an example of the cost of the “fuel”. View picture for comparison.

I hope some of you considering going all EV learn all the differences in terminology and how costs are calculated vs an ICE vehicle to help make the best decisions for yourselves. There is a ton of info out there and some brutally honest EV owners on this forum that are not just EV superfans that hate on ICE. I’m certainly not anyway.

 

[cyure]

Harvester will definitely require similar maintenance to any ICE. Oil and filter intervals may be a little longer due to the relatively easy use and steady rpm. Air filter will probably stay cleaner for longer as well due to its location in the vehicle.

That said, my BMW iX has needed washer fluid, one set of wipers, one set of tires (it came with summer tires that wore to the bars in about 30k miles), one brake fluid flush per the manual, cabin filter once per year and that’s it. It has 41,081 miles at the time of this typing. For all of 2024 I averaged 3.2 mi/kWh. Charging costs vary by location. In February I didn’t use any public chargers. Only home and work. The total cost for February 2025 was $87.58. I drove 1619 miles total. Pretty cheap in my book.

Another example is from a chart the my electricity provider offers. I compared the absolute most efficient production ICE vehicle on the market, a Toyota Prius, to my iX which carries 5 adults, luggage, AWD, has 516hp and
564lb-ft torque, and will do 0-60 in about 4 seconds. Yes, the Prius is way cheaper to buy and we can debate all the things in the total cost to own. This is purely an example of the cost of the “fuel”. View picture for comparison.

I hope some of you considering going all EV learn all the differences in terminology and how costs are calculated vs an ICE vehicle to help make the best decisions for yourselves. There is a ton of info out there and some brutally honest EV owners on this forum that are not just EV superfans that hate on ICE. I’m certainly not anyway.

Thank you for the detailed info. I don’t drive long distances often. To Chicago or St. Louis is probably the farthest on a semi regular basis. So 270 to 300 miles round trip. In cold weather could I do those distances in the EV only and not have to charge. That’s my test. For longer drives I have been watching many road trip videos. I watched one on the new ibuzz and it looked miserable but i know rhe range isn’t great on that vehicle. My issue is the first time I was low on charge and was driving around trying to find a working public charger I would be kicking myself for not having the Harvester.