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

[JohnnyScout]

I might suffer through opening the frunk using a touch screen, but never the doors. In an emergency, the interior door handles must always work, and work in the obvious way.

And the CarPlay excuse -- that you would have to switch the screen away from CarPlay to open the frunk -- is actually kind of hilarious. Isn't it just that switching that is the foundation of their UI? You're always having to switch to the right screen (and subscreen) to get something done. That's why we love these systems so much! /s.

Better off with android auto and alexa to respond to voice instructions such as " Alexa, for the love of God, open the doors so we can exit the vehicle " to which she responds " I can't do that, Dave"

But there have been reported instances where the auxiliary 12 volt on board battery that runs things like door locks dies and exiting the EV by using manual release is nit readily evident or never explained by sales

 

[JohnnyScout]

Oh and in an emergency, is there anything peculiar about an EV doors such as high voltage that first responders should know before using the "jaws of life" to extract trapped persons?

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

Oh and in an emergency, is there anything peculiar about an EV doors such as high voltage that first responders should know before using the "jaws of life" to extract trapped persons?

No. There are no high voltage things anywhere near where drivers can touch things or where first responders would need to cut to extract someone.

EV doors are no different than any other modern vehicle doors. The electronic door latch thing isn't exclusive to EVs but I do agree that manual latches are better. My EV has manual latches and the while central locking has been in cars forever my EV also has a way of opening the lock manually just like every other car.

EVs are just cars with a different powertrain. Teslas are the exception and they deliberately make things weird or difficult just for the sake of being different but even Teslas have a manual door release. There's no reason EVs can't have normal buttons and latches like every car before them. It's a design choice on the part of the automaker and I think Scout has been pretty clear that simplicity will be the order of the day so they will have latches and buttons where appropriate rather than software doing simple tasks like opening the glove box for example. There's no need for a software to open a glove box, a latch can do that cheaper and easier.

 

[oldgeeksguide]

The Rivian CEO just did an interview on the Decoder podcast.

Among other things he explained why Rivian does not support CarPlay; arguing that the user would need to jump out of CarPlay to open the frunk.

To me this highlights the problem of not having physical buttons for things like opening the frunk and instead having to navigate through touchscreens or away from a screen you are actively using (whether it’s a CarPlay app or something else).

Also as an excuse for not supporting CarPlay this is a very weak argument because even if buttons have to all be on touchscreens there is no reason why CarPlay can’t exist alongside other screens or UI. Or why certain controls couldn’t also be inside a CarPlay app.

The new CarPlay allows for more complex composited screens so Now Playing data and controls for a podcast could exist right alongside controls for the car. But really what’s needed most is more physical buttons.

Opening the frunk should not only be a physical button but there should probably also be a purely mechanical way to open it in case the electrical system is completely shut down.

Didn’t Rivian have an early software bug where users couldn’t open the center console until the software was updated?

Any system that can be paralyzed by a software flaw needs to be redesigned with redundancy and other safeguards. Physical buttons should be considered essential.

Well said!

 

[LastDayScout]

Better off with android auto and alexa to respond to voice instructions such as " Alexa, for the love of God, open the doors so we can exit the vehicle " to which she responds " I can't do that, Dave"

But there have been reported instances where the auxiliary 12 volt on board battery that runs things like door locks dies and exiting the EV by using manual release is nit readily evident or never explained by sales

Yep, went through something similar on my wife’s X5 PHEV. 12v under the floor on the cargo area and no way to open the lift gate manually.

 

[J Alynn]

Some more SM related news

SC approves Midlands Tech $5 million purchase of training building for Scout Motors employees

Midlands Technical College is seeking approval to purchase a building and a plot of land to house a training facility for Scout Motors’ employees.

www.wistv.com

 

[LastDayScout]

Not sure how I missed this last month. Very interesting and makes me wonder if solid state batteries might make their way into Scout. For those of you wanting a two door version, solid state will go a long way towards making that happen due to the potential space savings.

PowerCo and QuantumScape Announce Landmark Agreement to Industrialize Solid-State Batteries

Companies join forces to advance world-leading lithium-metal technology toward mass-manufacturing for passenger electric vehicles Volkswagen Group’s battery company PowerCo and QuantumScape (NYSE: QS) today announced they have entered into a groundbreaking agreement to industrialize...

ir.quantumscape.com

 

[61ih80]

I will follow this more closely since it would be applicable to a two door vehicle.

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

Not sure how I missed this last month. Very interesting and makes me wonder if solid state batteries might make their way into Scout. For those of you wanting a two door version, solid state will go a long way towards making that happen due to the potential space savings.

PowerCo and QuantumScape Announce Landmark Agreement to Industrialize Solid-State Batteries

Companies join forces to advance world-leading lithium-metal technology toward mass-manufacturing for passenger electric vehicles Volkswagen Group’s battery company PowerCo and QuantumScape (NYSE: QS) today announced they have entered into a groundbreaking agreement to industrialize...

ir.quantumscape.com

Interesting news but I wouldn't hold your breath for magical improvements to charging speeds or anything. I wonder how the solved the ceramic separator cracking issue and the issues around the cells not working below 5 degrees C?

 

[J Alynn]

Not sure this is the best thread but for those still wanting range extenders this was an interesting article about a new Honda patent. Quick read and spoiler alert-the writer of article seems skeptical

Honda patents a ride-on range extender for EVs

I'm fascinated by products you didn't know you wanted, until you saw them. One of my favorite examples is the Honda Motocompo, a cute, foldable motorcycle designed to fit in the trunk of the compact Honda City car from the 1980s. It was a neat little multi-mode two-stage transport idea – drive into…

newatlas.com

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

Not sure this is the best thread but for those still wanting range extenders this was an interesting article about a new Honda patent. Quick read and spoiler alert-the writer of article seems skeptical

Honda patents a ride-on range extender for EVs

I'm fascinated by products you didn't know you wanted, until you saw them. One of my favorite examples is the Honda Motocompo, a cute, foldable motorcycle designed to fit in the trunk of the compact Honda City car from the 1980s. It was a neat little multi-mode two-stage transport idea – drive into…

newatlas.com

It was an interesting read and I found it amusing that it mentioned the Volt and i3, both of which have range extenders and both of which were discontinued. There's a reason why they were discontinued. The hint is at the beginning of the article where they say that idea behind a range extender is to have an ability to "charge when there's no charging port nearby".

The reason it's a dumb idea and those vehicles were ultimately discontinued is because EVs don't need access to a "charging port", they just need access to electricity which is almost always available so range extenders are more of a solution looking for a problem.

Adding the complexity that is a fossil-burning engine to an EV makes the vehicle less reliable and more expensive to use and repair. EVs are simpler, more reliable, and require less maintenance and conventional vehicles and those benefits all get taken away the minute you add a gas "range extender" engine into the mix.

Especially when pretty much all EVs include a much cheaper "range extender", a Level 1/2 charging cable. I keep mine in the "frunk" where a gas engine would normally go. I use it up at friend's cottages and stuff. I do not miss owning a gas engine and all the expense and inconvenience that entails.

 

[JohnnyScout]

Have you ever traveled cross country in your EV? Even a two day 21 hour 1600 mile trip? If you can eek out the full 300 mile range between each "refuel" that is 5 stops minimum at how long each to top off at 100%? Does 45 minutes give you 100% stopping at a Sheetz or Love's? Or does it take much longer on real life travels?

I have no clue but to me it is a concern. Aside from the overnite spent at a motel what is the cumulative down time for recharging on such a real world trip ( I have made such trip multiple times from PA to CO and back). 5 hours? 7 hours? I know that averaging 30 mpg in a gas vehicle will use almost 55 gallons and stopping to refuel every 300 or so miles to top off can be accomplished in less than 1 hour total.

Prove to me that even our 9 hour 600 mile trips from PA to NC will not take any longer and I might relinquish all my ICE vehicles

The argument for hybrids only gives at best 30-60 miles of pure electric whereas the argument for range extenders such as the 2025 Ram still gives 300-400 miles all electric but then offers the ability to actually make a 600 mile trip without stopping at all.

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

Have you ever traveled cross country in your EV? Even a two day 21 hour 1600 mile trip? If you can eek out the full 300 mile range between each "refuel" that is 5 stops minimum at how long each to top off at 100%? Does 45 minutes give you 100% stopping at a Sheetz or Love's? Or does it take much longer on real life travels?

I have no clue but to me it is a concern. Aside from the overnite spent at a motel what is the cumulative down time for recharging on such a real world trip ( I have made such trip multiple times from PA to CO and back). 5 hours? 7 hours? I know that averaging 30 mpg in a gas vehicle will use almost 55 gallons and stopping to refuel every 300 or so miles to top off can be accomplished in less than 1 hour total.

Prove to me that even our 9 hour 600 mile trips from PA to NC will not take any longer and I might relinquish all my ICE vehicles

The argument for hybrids only gives at best 30-60 miles of pure electric whereas the argument for range extenders such as the 2025 Ram still gives 300-400 miles all electric but then offers the ability to actually make a 600 mile trip without stopping at all.

I've done many cross country road trips in my EV. I did a 1000kms in one day just for fun once and I routinely drive through the back woods of Ontario for many many hours visiting my partner's family cottage. I can understand your concerns coming from a fossil vehicle with limited EV experience but road tripping an EV is easy and doesn't really add all that much time to a given trip. For one my stops typically take less than 20 minutes and in those 20 minutes I usually use a restroom or eat so charging doesn't impact overall travel times since when I had ICE vehicles I would do those things anyway. The only difference is that with an ICE vehicle I'd have to refuel first and then go eat etc. whereas with an EV I can do those things simultaneously.

Also, you don't typically charge to 100% because that is a waste of time. I charge to 80% on road trips which gives me about four hours worth of highway driving. Stopping every four hours isn't really an issue since it's nice to have an chance to eat and stretch my legs anyway. Even with ICE vehicles when I would regularly drive 800 kms in a day I would always stop about halfway though to get gas and eat so having an EV hasn't changed my trips all that much other than making them a whole lot cheaper to do. I'm not one to pee in bottles on a road trip but if you're the kind of person to drive 8 hours continuously without ever stopping then maybe an EV isn't for you. You do you.

 

[J Alynn]

Have you ever traveled cross country in your EV? Even a two day 21 hour 1600 mile trip? If you can eek out the full 300 mile range between each "refuel" that is 5 stops minimum at how long each to top off at 100%? Does 45 minutes give you 100% stopping at a Sheetz or Love's? Or does it take much longer on real life travels?

I have no clue but to me it is a concern. Aside from the overnite spent at a motel what is the cumulative down time for recharging on such a real world trip ( I have made such trip multiple times from PA to CO and back). 5 hours? 7 hours? I know that averaging 30 mpg in a gas vehicle will use almost 55 gallons and stopping to refuel every 300 or so miles to top off can be accomplished in less than 1 hour total.

Prove to me that even our 9 hour 600 mile trips from PA to NC will not take any longer and I might relinquish all my ICE vehicles

The argument for hybrids only gives at best 30-60 miles of pure electric whereas the argument for range extenders such as the 2025 Ram still gives 300-400 miles all electric but then offers the ability to actually make a 600 mile trip without stopping at all.

Realistically-and in my younger days I was very guilty of not listening to my wisdom now- nobody should drive 600 miles without stopping once or twice for a 15-20 minute break. At the pace EV battery tech is growing and if 800V architecture is used theoretically you should be able to charge 20%-80% in 20 minutes. If the Scout manages to get 350 miles per charge that’s one stop on a 600 mile trip so your bathroom break and stretch is all covered in one trip.
My Accord hybrid averages about 49-50mpg on a long highway trip and tops off at about a 590 miles with full tank so even an efficient vehicle isn’t meant to exceed 600 miles. Sure they could have increased the tank a hair but I think they set those ranges to force drivers to break. I’ve made many trips from PA to SC and we always stop 2 sometimes 3 times to refuel, stretch, bathroom break etc….
You may be one of the rare drivers that wishes for 600 miles non stop.

 

[Chaparral]

Realistically-and in my younger days I was very guilty of not listening to my wisdom now- nobody should drive 600 miles without stopping once or twice for a 15-20 minute break.….
You may be one of the rare drivers that wishes for 600 miles non stop.

I don’t think anyone is arguing that.

I personally do a lot of very long trips. We max out at about 11hrs of driving a day (with two drivers) and such a journey typically has two stops for gas, one of which will be no longer than 10 minutes and the other will also include a short meal.

There have also been week long camping trips in remote areas that involved driving around for a week in areas far away from the nearest EV charger.

I’ve studied several of the real world trips I’ve taken with highly recommended EV charging apps and found that they would have been impossible in an EV without taking days longer or undertaking crippling detours. The infrastructure simply isn’t everywhere.

I’ve also experienced a power outage for the entire time I was at a hotel in Yellowstone, with a long drive the next morning to Glacier National Park. That would suck if you can’t start with a full charge. Power outages in some rural areas are becoming increasing common when there are possible high winds because utility companies may be liable for wildfires.

For me, switching to EV will mean planning trips around the capabilities of the vehicle and infrastructure. Long range is very important to me.

A range extender is something I’d consider. Since carrying extra mass at all times would be inefficient it should probably be something that’s installed before an expedition.

 

[nickaburns88]

10 Things Scout's EV Pickup Truck Needs To Be A Segment Leader

Scout Motors will unveil their all-electric pickup truck soon. Here are 10 things it'll need to do to beat the competition.

carbuzz.com

 

[J Alynn]

10 Things Scout's EV Pickup Truck Needs To Be A Segment Leader

Scout Motors will unveil their all-electric pickup truck soon. Here are 10 things it'll need to do to beat the competition.

carbuzz.com

Interesting they chose the Hauler reference rather than Terra which seems to be the more common reference people think of with the old Scouts

 

[61ih80]

My 61' Scout is a Binder, thats from the heritage of the early IH's.

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

10 Things Scout's EV Pickup Truck Needs To Be A Segment Leader

Scout Motors will unveil their all-electric pickup truck soon. Here are 10 things it'll need to do to beat the competition.

carbuzz.com

Yep, all very good points.

 

[Colt_44_magnum]

10 Things Scout's EV Pickup Truck Needs To Be A Segment Leader

Scout Motors will unveil their all-electric pickup truck soon. Here are 10 things it'll need to do to beat the competition.

carbuzz.com

Need to contact them and tell them the reveal day is October 24th, not the tail end of September