Scout Launch Delayed to 2028: Report [ADMIN WARNING: NO POLITICS]

[TexasBob]

I will put my thoughts here: I have an old Chevy volt with a gas generator. It can barely pull itself up a hill if the battery is depleted and it’s depending on the generator to run the vehicle.
if the Scout doesn’t use some advanced logic to keep something in the batteries depending on either a selected navigation route or if the driver doesn’t use nav a screenshot of surrounding potential elevation changes, to keep the battery up, there will be some disappointed owners dragging ass uphill with the gas engine redlining.

This is a fundamental flaw in the EREV design and it is the reason the Harvester is limited to 5,000 lbs towing and the EV can do 10,000 lbs. Without getting into an annoying discussion, it is energy in / energy out. Every EREV needs to be able to produce enough electricity in the gasoline engine to recharge the batteries at the rate at which they are being discharged during the largest expected sustained load. That makes for a difficult engineering dilemma. A big enough engine to pull 10,000 lbs 80 mph into a 20 mph headwind on I-10 for 200 miles (or up a 6% grade) is a totally cr@ppy design for everyday efficiency (cf the dumb RAM). So you derate.

BTW I had a 2011 Volt. Glad to see yours still going strong-ish.

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[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

There is a market for the Slate, not so much for the Scout. The market for expensive, off-road-focused EVs is a tiny slice of the auto marketplace. Why would you introduce a new model with less wide appeal than a model that already exists? Suppose Rivian lost every Off-Road buyer to Scout; that's a minority of Rivian's business.

Rivian also attracts luxury- and performance-focused buyers, yet even then R1 sold 40K vehicles last year, and there isn't much headroom. I wouldn't invest in a new 3B factory given that small market. R1 is not going to be Rivian's bread and butter either. The R2 and R3 are the vehicles meant to carry that load. VW already has divisions making THOSE cars, why do they need another division that loses money?

In contrast, the Slate's market is in a similar position to that of many potential R3 buyers. There are a lot more people looking for a 25K dollar car right now than there are good 25K dollar cars to buy. That's a money maker.

Pretty clear VW/Scout hatched their plans when economic climate and consumer demand (and borrowing power) was different. But commitments were made and the show had to go on. Slate's biggest threat is probably Ford's claim of a $30k truck.

Pretty tough to be nimble in the car biz. But Rivian (through R2 being on-schedule) is proving they are least more nimble than legacy brands. And when the business climate is this unpredictable, what Rivian is accomplishing can't be ignored/discounted.

 

[DuoRivian]

They still have to spend three billion to build it first. Sounds like a gigantic factory, probably way oversized for Audi.

I could cover VW and Audi for some of their shared vehicles like Q5 and Tiguan.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Yup. Aptera reminds me of Vanderhall. Very niche. Very small audience. A car that looks like a sperm isn't everyone's cup of tea. Never mind Rivian's "goofy" front end.

I'm still hopeful for my Aptera. If I get one, my goal is to literally never plug it in.

 

[McLovin]

I’m confused about this “software issue”. I’ve seen all the commercials during the Super Bowl…can’t AI just build everything they need?

 

[mkhuffman]

Since the reservation link is still working, I went ahead and submitted my reservation.

 

[Noplacelikeloam]

All good, another year with my T. But by then G3 R1 should be landing. Now that will be interesting.

 

[Noplacelikeloam]

I’m confused about this “software issue”. I’ve seen all the commercials during the Super Bowl…can’t AI just build everything they need?

And do it in the metaverse? ;-)

 

[RivAW]

Hard enough to launch a new brand/car in any climate. But in a openly anti-EV climate? talk about head winds.




Both Scout cars are larger/wider. Not a direct competition to begin with. Plus, EVs are less than 10% of total market. Win, survive or fail... There is room for everyone (who dares to enter).

Both of the Scout vehicles are similar to the R1's with a cheaper price tag and potentially significantly better range (with the gas generator). That's not competition for those in the market for an R2 sized vehicle, but will certainly complete with R1.

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

https://www.scoutforums.com/forum/threads/scout-launch-delayed-until-2028-summer-report.17132/

Uh-oh… Let’s see if Ford makes their 2027 deadline. If not, Rivian will continue to climb.

 

[smashweights]

I figured this would happen, hence why I pulled the trigger on the Rivian. I hadn't really considered replacing my ICE Ram with an EV truck until the Terra was announced, I got enamored, and put a reservation in. But I realized shipping in late 2027 initially probably meant my spot wouldn't be up til 2028 as I didn't reserve until almost a year after they started taking reservations. So I got impatient and got the R1T and love it. Now with this news I'll probably not even have the choice til 2029+ so diving into the Rivian was definitely the right call.

 

[Throwdown]

Modern EREVs are not the way, if they were they'd already exist, BMW, Fisker, and GM already figured that out. If you tow frequently buy a diesel, if not EV is just better. Everyone wants the one size fits all solution but it doesnt exist, buy and drive what you are will to compromise with. Plug in hybrids are equally pointless, they figured out long ago that if people dont have to plug a car in to make it work then they won't do it.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Modern EREVs are not the way, if they were they'd already exist, BMW, Fisker, and GM already figured that out. If you tow frequently buy a diesel, if not EV is just better. Everyone wants the one size fits all solution but it doesnt exist, buy and drive what you are will to compromise with. Plug in hybrids are equally pointless, they figured out long ago that if people dont have to plug a car in to make it work then they won't do it.

But if EREVs and PHEVs are the gateway drugs to convince the unconvinced... I wouldn't argue against my own interests.

 

[Throwdown]

But if EREVs and PHEVs are the gateway drugs to convince the unconvinced... I wouldn't argue against my own interests.

I dont disagree, but if they aren't plugging then in they will be disappointed and go back to straight gas, I see it with Cayenne hybrid customers over and over again. Most dont plug them in and realize they paid more money for a car that is more complicated and performs worse.

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

And it can't be that hard for Rivian to incorporate ICE management software. In 2000 I watched two college grads, who never went to school for automotive engineering, modify VW ECU software and make custom tuner chips for the VR6, right from a store-bought desktop PC... and built a whole business out of it. And generators don't need software as complex, only when to turn on at what rpm to run (steadily) and for how long.

I think it might be a moral issue. They don’t want their software to promote something that pollutes the environment in that way. Otherwise they’d have EREVs themselves.

Eventually the battery chemistries will become better and cells/packs cheaper than burning gasoline. It’s just a matter of time. Time Rivian might not have. It’s a tough situation.

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