How will the scouts handle the extreme cold?

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SpysyWeeb

New member
Oct 26, 2024
3
16
Alaska
I'm based in Alaska and had some questions about how Scout Motors plans to handle the extreme cold. Last winter, we faced temperatures as low as -60°F, and I'm curious about what Scout might do to ensure their vehicles can keep performing in these harsh conditions. While EVs aren't unheard of up here—I've seen a fair number of Rivians, Teslas (even the Cybertruck), and similar models—I'm happy to see that many of them have door handles designed to resist freezing when left out in the snow.

My main concern isn't necessarily the battery, as I trust that the engineers will ensure it remains within a safe operating range. However, one feature I'd love to see is the option for windshield wiper heaters built into the glass where the wipers rest, which would be incredibly useful during heavy snowfall. And while it might be a bit of a stretch, the ability to attach a snow plow would be a fantastic addition. I'd appreciate any insights from others who also deal with these extreme conditions.
 
Wyoming here & we travel to Saskatchewan Canada in the winter & also see -40’s to -50’s and at that level of cold, how will the Scout not just for 15 hour road trips to Calgary but sitting on closed roads for 12+ hours here in Wyoming when I80 closes (frequently in winter)

And that’s before you go off road or thru bumper deep snow
 
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Wyoming here & we travel to Saskatchewan Canada in the winter & also see -40’s to -50’s and at that level of cold, how will the Scout not just for 15 hour road trips to Calgary but sitting on closed roads for 12+ hours here in Wyoming when I80 closes (frequently in winter)

And that’s before you go off road or thru bumper deep snow
I imagine this is where the harvester would be essential. I wonder how effect it would be when the Scout is idle.
 
I imagine this is where the harvester would be essential. I wonder how effect it would be when the Scout is idle.

That’s why I reserved a harvester, but my cold weather concerns have always had me doubtful of getting an EV. Seen to many freeze up or run out of juice in the vast nothingness

We also are in the planning stages of driving across Canada & up into Alaska for 2-3 months & the harvester seems ideal for this. Just strap a 5gal gas can to the spare tire mount (who knows how small the vehicle tank will be) and away you go
 
I'm based in Alaska and had some questions about how Scout Motors plans to handle the extreme cold. Last winter, we faced temperatures as low as -60°F, and I'm curious about what Scout might do to ensure their vehicles can keep performing in these harsh conditions. While EVs aren't unheard of up here—I've seen a fair number of Rivians, Teslas (even the Cybertruck), and similar models—I'm happy to see that many of them have door handles designed to resist freezing when left out in the snow.

My main concern isn't necessarily the battery, as I trust that the engineers will ensure it remains within a safe operating range. However, one feature I'd love to see is the option for windshield wiper heaters built into the glass where the wipers rest, which would be incredibly useful during heavy snowfall. And while it might be a bit of a stretch, the ability to attach a snow plow would be a fantastic addition. I'd appreciate any insights from others who also deal with these extreme conditions.
If you rewatch reveal there was a slide showing a plow on the front of one of the two vehicles
 
I imagine this is where the harvester would be essential. I wonder how effect it would be when the Scout is idle.
Ideally it could pre-condition the battery and perhaps keep it topped up, but you would want to ensure it's parked outside and not in a closed garage.

Most EVs if you leave them plugged in have features that allow you to precondition them (warm up the cabin, warm the battery) before you set off.
 
I am in the same boat. I live in Montana and can be off grid for days at a time at temperatures at -20 to -30f below zero. I am concerned with owning a EV as I don’t want to be stuck up in the mountains without a dependable vehicle. I would be interested to see if the Scouts have been tested in these conditions. I might be early on this but is a major concern.
 
I'm based in Alaska and had some questions about how Scout Motors plans to handle the extreme cold. Last winter, we faced temperatures as low as -60°F, and I'm curious about what Scout might do to ensure their vehicles can keep performing in these harsh conditions. While EVs aren't unheard of up here—I've seen a fair number of Rivians, Teslas (even the Cybertruck), and similar models—I'm happy to see that many of them have door handles designed to resist freezing when left out in the snow.

My main concern isn't necessarily the battery, as I trust that the engineers will ensure it remains within a safe operating range. However, one feature I'd love to see is the option for windshield wiper heaters built into the glass where the wipers rest, which would be incredibly useful during heavy snowfall. And while it might be a bit of a stretch, the ability to attach a snow plow would be a fantastic addition. I'd appreciate any insights from others who also deal with these extreme conditions.
I am concerned with the issue of keeping the battery warm enough to be functional. If what I've read will be correct for the Scout EV it seems that the battery will have to remain warm or be warmed prior to use at Arctic temperatures. We know that resistive heating really eats up the amperes, so yes, I'm interested in what the engineers of the battery pack have to say.

I've posted elsewhere about windshield wiper heaters. They were an option a few decades ago, but didn't last long in the marketplace. My experience is that with wipers that reside in a trough between the hood and windshield, those devices mostly turned the snow into an ice block which required careful ice pick work or a kettle of hot water. This is one nod to Scout II design that SM seems to have missed, no trench, and wipers mounted above the windshield frame.
 
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I am in the same boat. I live in Montana and can be off grid for days at a time at temperatures at -20 to -30f below zero. I am concerned with owning a EV as I don’t want to be stuck up in the mountains without a dependable vehicle. I would be interested to see if the Scouts have been tested in these conditions. I might be early on this but is a major concern.
I share that hope. The fact that unlike many other makes where the primary design work is done in CA, TX, and FL, the Scout EVs are being designed in Michigan gives me some hope that our concerns will at least be on the table.
 
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I share that hope. The fact that unlike many other makes where the primary design work is done in CA, TX, and FL, the Scout EVs are being designed in Michigan gives me some hope that our concerns will at least be on the table.

So they are not being designed in South Carolina??
 
Let me pre disqualify my opinions as I live in South Carolina and we get a flurry once every few years. But, the Scouts will likely have heat pumps which work great and help preserve battery life. They are nearly instant because you are not waiting for liquid to warm up like in a ICE vehicle. I do not know if Scout will incorporate anything like this, but BMW PHEVs and EVs have radiant electric heat built into the seat, door, armrest and dash. That combined with a heated steering wheel. The effect is remarkable. It heats all around you, not just blowing from a vent. In addition it uses less energy to heat up those elements than to force heat through the vents. Also, an EV really doesn't draw that much power when stopped (read idling). So, if you get stuck on a winter road in a blizzard you may actually have a longer reserve than you would with an ICE vehicle. There is definitely a range hit in the cold. But, the Norwegians figured it out and it gets very cold there too. The share of EV registrations in the country is around 80-90%. It was mentioned earlier, but pre-conditioning goes a long way for battery health and range.
 
Let me pre disqualify my opinions as I live in South Carolina and we get a flurry once every few years. But, the Scouts will likely have heat pumps which work great and help preserve battery life. They are nearly instant because you are not waiting for liquid to warm up like in a ICE vehicle. I do not know if Scout will incorporate anything like this, but BMW PHEVs and EVs have radiant electric heat built into the seat, door, armrest and dash. That combined with a heated steering wheel. The effect is remarkable. It heats all around you, not just blowing from a vent. In addition it uses less energy to heat up those elements than to force heat through the vents. Also, an EV really doesn't draw that much power when stopped (read idling). So, if you get stuck on a winter road in a blizzard you may actually have a longer reserve than you would with an ICE vehicle. There is definitely a range hit in the cold. But, the Norwegians figured it out and it gets very cold there too. The share of EV registrations in the country is around 80-90%. It was mentioned earlier, but pre-conditioning goes a long way for battery health and range.

Hard to describe how cold and dangerous winters are here, I80 has been closed 3-4 days, small towns snowed in, grocery stores out of food, truckstops packed, fairgrounds open for semi parking & snowed in

-20F with a steady 20-30mpg wind sucks the life out of you and then it gets cold…..

They have fuel trucks escorted by snow plows trying to get fuel to stranded vehicles. Saw pictures of a Tesla charging station on I80 completely buried and inaccessible with the roof of a EV barely showing

We were snowed in 4 days….could not leave the house, roads to our subdivision completely snowed closed & even had a stuck snow plow trying to open the main road

Winters in an EV scare me, but I’m trying to learn and put my prejudice behind me
 
There are Teslas in Fairbanks, AK. Per the Tesla forums, they are doing well in the cold, but you lose range when temps fall significantly. Preconditioning battery is required prior to charging in cold temps or the charge rate will be very very slow. No need to precondition to drive. Hopefully the truck can fit in your garage to charge at home overnight (so no preconditioning is necessary). I lived in Fairbanks, AK for 23 years and have seen temps as low as -55F. I currently own a Model 3P and and hoping to get the Terra EV.
 
The funny thing is, if you are driving down the HWY and get stranded for hours in your ICE truck, you can just as easily run out of gas as you can electrons. My R1T has thermal coils / heating in the windshield where the wipers rest against the glass. I can also set a pre-conditioning schedule in the app, and I can choose to pre-condition using the App, choose to pull power from the charger to precondition (to maintain SOC) and set up multiple schedules to make it super simple. If I were commuting everyday to work in the winter, I would just set my schedule to precondition every morning based on my departure time. I'm guessing Scout will leverage some of the same SW and App functionality from Rivian for things like this (based upon VW's investment in Rivian):

Screen Shot 2024-11-11 at 7.15.13 PM.pngScreen Shot 2024-11-11 at 7.19.11 PM.png
 
Manufactured and produced in South Carolina.

Designed/Engineered in Michigan afai

Manufactured and produced in South Carolina.

Designed/Engineered in Michigan afaik.
A year ago Magna was said to be an engineering partner. I wonder how much they contributed? They have offices all over the world, including Michigan. For those don't know, Magna builds the G-Wagen in Austria. They also did engineering work for the INEOS Grenadier.
 
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A year ago Magna was said to be an engineering partner. I wonder how much they contributed? They have offices all over the world, including Michigan. For those don't know, Magna builds the G-Wagen in Austria. They also did engineering work for the INEOS Grenadier.
They were primarily involved in the build of the exteriors. Not sure about any operating or “structure” but maybe @Jamie@ScoutMotors can provide more info
 
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Hard to describe how cold and dangerous winters are here, I80 has been closed 3-4 days, small towns snowed in, grocery stores out of food, truckstops packed, fairgrounds open for semi parking & snowed in

-20F with a steady 20-30mpg wind sucks the life out of you and then it gets cold…..

They have fuel trucks escorted by snow plows trying to get fuel to stranded vehicles. Saw pictures of a Tesla charging station on I80 completely buried and inaccessible with the roof of a EV barely showing

We were snowed in 4 days….could not leave the house, roads to our subdivision completely snowed closed & even had a stuck snow plow trying to open the main road

Winters in an EV scare me, but I’m trying to learn and put my prejudice behind me

Indeed I can’t really relate to that. The closest thing like that we get is a hurricane evacuation. Hurricanes usually come in the sweltering months here. There were people stranded on the interstates in gridlocked standstill traffic and running out of fuel. Of course they are running the AC to try to avoid the heat. Different, but similarly miserable.
 
Indeed I can’t really relate to that. The closest thing like that we get is a hurricane evacuation. Hurricanes usually come in the sweltering months here. There were people stranded on the interstates in gridlocked standstill traffic and running out of fuel. Of course they are running the AC to try to avoid the heat. Different, but similarly miserable.

Lived on Okinawa for several years & had 10-12 typhoons a year & out of that 2-4 were super typhoons. Nothing like being trapped inside for 3 days while 2 super typhoons fought over the island

This is the aftermath of a really mild winter snow….Its I80 between Cheyenne and Laramie not in Colorado

 
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