How will the scouts handle the extreme cold?

[R1TVT]

Won’t have any capacity to plug in other than a standard 110 outlet, need to update household wiring as it’s a old house & that’s going to be quite expensive

All factors to consider when buying an EV. I had a super cheap installation of a 60A circuit breaker to support my L2 charger in my garage. But the panel in my basement was essentially in the same corner of the house that the corner of the garage is next to. Short run of 6 AWG wire to the charger to support 48A current to the truck.

 

[Rampy]

All factors to consider when buying an EV. I had a super cheap installation of a 60A circuit breaker to support my L2 charger in my garage. But the panel in my basement was essentially in the same corner of the house that the corner of the garage is next to. Short run of 6 AWG wire to the charger to support 48A current to the truck.

I about cramped my pants looking at the electrical quote, have to update our breaker box & run the wire just under 50 feet & that’s not counting the cost of the charger…..

Sigh………

 

[LastDayScout]

I about cramped my pants looking at the electrical quote, have to update our breaker box & run the wire just under 50 feet & that’s not counting the cost of the charger…..

Sigh………

I am not sure where you are located exactly, but some states and municipalities offer rebates for hardware and installation. I will also add just an opinion that the Grizzl-e chargers, made in Canada, are very good and not that expensive. However, Scout did display their own charger. I thought it looked way to big. But, they may include it or offer a program when you buy the Scout. If you do not need the charger yet, I would just wait.

 

[Scoutsie]

I about cramped my pants looking at the electrical quote, have to update our breaker box & run the wire just under 50 feet & that’s not counting the cost of the charger…..

Sigh………

My parents had the wiring redone in our family’s house 10 years ago and it was an awful time. Expensive and stressful. The house is more valuable and less dangerous for it, though… no more knob and tube, hello late 20th century in the 21st century!

I looked up what sort of credits Wyoming offers for installing an EV charger and it sounds like you can get $500 back from Black Hills Energy? I don’t know how useful that is to you.

Good luck!

 

[Rampy]

I am not sure where you are located exactly, but some states and municipalities offer rebates for hardware and installation. I will also add just an opinion that the Grizzl-e chargers, made in Canada, are very good and not that expensive. However, Scout did display their own charger. I thought it looked way to big. But, they may include it or offer a program when you buy the Scout. If you do not need the charger yet, I would just wait.

In Wyoming, we are waiting to see how things shake out while at the same time budgeting for the expenses will be easier spread out over a couple years

 

[Cchervenak]

I know I’ve added this in just about every thread pertaining to feature requests, but a heated windshield and night vision are essential features for northern living and would make an incredible difference to everyone that owns one. Even if each are a $2000 option, I cannot think of purchasing this vehicle without BOTH optioned

 

[J Alynn]

I know I’ve added this in just about every thread pertaining to feature requests, but a heated windshield and night vision are essential features for northern living and would make an incredible difference to everyone that owns one. Even if each are a $2000 option, I cannot think of purchasing this vehicle without BOTH optioned

Yes you have. Again, desirable but essential? I live in NE (southern portion albeit) but never had either and been driving over 35 years. Since we’ve been on the forum for 2 years nobody has ever mentioned moose radar. Seems expensive for a small take rate. Based on your car collection I’m guessing perhaps you drive spiritedly and may be why moose are more of a concern.
As for windshield, as I noted on one of the other identical posts, it’s intriguing but $2000K-no way. You apparently have excess money to burn. At the rate of global warming in 2-3 years snow will only affect 15% of SM buyers anyway. Along with work from home being way more prevalent I just don’t see the need based on minimal take rate

 

[Cchervenak]

Yes you have. Again, desirable but essential? I live in NE (southern portion albeit) but never had either and been driving over 35 years. Since we’ve been on the forum for 2 years nobody has ever mentioned moose radar. Seems expensive for a small take rate. Based on your car collection I’m guessing perhaps you drive spiritedly and may be why moose are more of a concern.
As for windshield, as I noted on one of the other identical posts, it’s intriguing but $2000K-no way. You apparently have excess money to burn. At the rate of global warming in 2-3 years snow will only affect 15% of SM buyers anyway. Along with work from home being way more prevalent I just don’t see the need based on minimal take rate

While driving spiritedly may be more of a risk to me, like I had mentioned moose do not have the reflective portion of their eyes that headlights usually shine back at which is a huge cause of accidents in Northwestern Maine, as well as plenty of Canada, and other countries as well. I did not say they need to add a “moose radar”, what I suggested was to add what is currently already offered in plenty of Volkswagen/Audi vehicles for about $1500 is their NIGHT VISION camera. It’s a small about 2“ x 2“ camera that gets mounted in the front bumper, currently standard on all high-end GM vehicles. While YOU might drive slowly, and in an area without moose, there are plenty of people that this would be life saving for. The heated windshield is absolutely a very essential feature in colder climates. Given the fact that Volkswagen is backing scout, they have access to the factories that are making the heated glass.

Also yes, I do have an extensive car collection. I am expressing something that is a desirable feature that many of my vehicles don’t have. But if they are trying to make the ultimate “adventure vehicle” both of these features, I personally think would be an incredible addition. Feel free to not add them if they’re available. It’s going to be an 850 hp vehicle, if that’s too much for you feel free to drive that slowly and during the daylight without any moose or ice.

 

[LastDayScout]

While driving spiritedly may be more of a risk to me, like I had mentioned moose do not have the reflective portion of their eyes that headlights usually shine back at which is a huge cause of accidents in Northwestern Maine, as well as plenty of Canada, and other countries as well. I did not say they need to add a “moose radar”, what I suggested was to add what is currently already offered in plenty of Volkswagen/Audi vehicles for about $1500 is their NIGHT VISION camera. It’s a small about 2“ x 2“ camera that gets mounted in the front bumper, currently standard on all high-end GM vehicles. While YOU might drive slowly, and in an area without moose, there are plenty of people that this would be life saving for. The heated windshield is absolutely a very essential feature in colder climates. Given the fact that Volkswagen is backing scout, they have access to the factories that are making the heated glass.

Also yes, I do have an extensive car collection. I am expressing something that is a desirable feature that many of my vehicles don’t have. But if they are trying to make the ultimate “adventure vehicle” both of these features, I personally think would be an incredible addition. Feel free to not add them if they’re available. It’s going to be an 850 hp vehicle, if that’s too much for you feel free to drive that slowly and during the daylight without any moose or ice.

I posted this some time ago. Maybe VW will include something similar.

Post in thread 'What is one feature you hope Scout will include that has not yet been shown?'
https://scoutmotors.community.forum...de-that-has-not-yet-been-shown.951/post-15087

 

[J Alynn]

While driving spiritedly may be more of a risk to me, like I had mentioned moose do not have the reflective portion of their eyes that headlights usually shine back at which is a huge cause of accidents in Northwestern Maine, as well as plenty of Canada, and other countries as well. I did not say they need to add a “moose radar”, what I suggested was to add what is currently already offered in plenty of Volkswagen/Audi vehicles for about $1500 is their NIGHT VISION camera. It’s a small about 2“ x 2“ camera that gets mounted in the front bumper, currently standard on all high-end GM vehicles. While YOU might drive slowly, and in an area without moose, there are plenty of people that this would be life saving for. The heated windshield is absolutely a very essential feature in colder climates. Given the fact that Volkswagen is backing scout, they have access to the factories that are making the heated glass.

Also yes, I do have an extensive car collection. I am expressing something that is a desirable feature that many of my vehicles don’t have. But if they are trying to make the ultimate “adventure vehicle” both of these features, I personally think would be an incredible addition. Feel free to not add them if they’re available. It’s going to be an 850 hp vehicle, if that’s too much for you feel free to drive that slowly and during the daylight without any moose or ice.

I’ve owned quite a few cars if it helps to dispel the notion I’m some 20 mph driver. BMW 3, Audi TT, Acura TLX type S to name a few of my favorites. My argument is I wouldn’t say night vision is essential. To me essential means that every scout needs it. There are members here from all over the NE as well as Canada and in two years nobody has mentioned that as essential or necessary so I will still argue not essential. Great option to have-SURE. $1500-$2000 option????! I’d be shocked if many would take it since nobody has ever mentioned it in two years. As for moose. I get it, in early morning the eyes of a horse in a horse in buggy in Amish country don’t exactly shine either. Add that to my body count thanks to black ice in the early morning.
Perhaps by end of week everyone will want night vision and I’ll be 100% open to apologizing for my assumption.
I still say heated glass is a nice idea as an option but at $2000 does it behoove SM to add it on the SKU count for such a low take rate. I’d be shocked to get to scale rates they probably have to commit to several 1,000 and that’s a lot of inventory to have sitting around. And with two vehicle styles I only hope the windshields are identical.
With EV’s able to heat way more effectively than traditional ICE’s I suspect a couple downward facing visor vents and maybe an additional pair of upvents in top of dash would satisfy a lot of people for only a few $100 more.

 

[jamski]

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.

Damn thats pretty cold. Out here in Central CA we get down to the low 30's hi 20's at the lowest at night. If I go up into the mountains it can drop down into the teens.

 

[illspirit]

I'm pro moose-radar.

 

[LastDayScout]

I'm pro moose-radar.

That has a certain ring to it!

 

[R1TVT]

heated windshield and night vision are essential features for northern living

Some heated windshields (I have owned both types) are either full heat across the entire surface, or may have heating elements around the wipers or in select areas. I actually prefer the select option around the wipers. Heating elements in a windshield can be distracting and sometimes annoying in direct sunlight, as the elements can become somewhat visible to the driver. At least in the full implementation I have experienced in my wife's car. The windshields are also very epxensive.

When you say "night vision", I think you are referring to LIDAR (not FLIR like you get with true night vision), correct?

 

[eddiet1212]

Some heated windshields (I have owned both types) are either full heat across the entire surface, or may have heating elements around the wipers or in select areas. I actually prefer the select option around the wipers. Heating elements in a windshield can be distracting and sometimes annoying in direct sunlight, as the elements can become somewhat visible to the driver. At least in the full implementation I have experienced in my wife's car. The windshields are also very epxensive.

When you say "night vision", I think you are referring to LIDAR (not FLIR like you get with true night vision), correct?

Maybe not radar but it may need to be a combination (LIDAR, Thermal Imaging, FLIR...) to protect us from large animals..
Maybe autonomous vehicles will drive improvements in the technology....

..."around 2.1 million deer-vehicle collisions occur in the US annually. ....And based on 1,012,465 deer-vehicle collisions and 96 million hourly traffic observations across the United States, we show that collisions are 14 times more frequent 2 hours after sunset than before sunset....* https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(22)01615-3

Future Ford Vehicles Could Get Large Animal Detection System
"...proposed system would utilize a thermal camera capable of detecting large objects such as animals, even in dark conditions..."

https://fordauthority.com/2024/08/future-ford-vehicles-could-get-large-animal-detection-system/

 

[TaconicBear]

I know I’ve added this in just about every thread pertaining to feature requests, but a heated windshield and night vision are essential features for northern living and would make an incredible difference to everyone that owns one. Even if each are a $2000 option, I cannot think of purchasing this vehicle without BOTH optioned

Not so sure I like the heated windshield idea. I had one for a short while, and under many conditions it just made the snow build up into little burgs on the wipers and bigger bergs around the edges of the windshield. I also had one that had a batch of heat tapes on the windshield where the wipers parked. They too failed, the radiance didn't reach very far and also caused blocks of ice that the wipers couldn't break through. I haven't researched those options, but I don't think either experiment lasted more than one year in the marketplace. My 70 years of driving in the NorthEast pretty much convinces me that no two storms are quite alike: heavy & wet to light, fluffy, or pelletized, then we add temperature variability, wind, and salt trucks. It seems the long handle brush and plastic hand held scraper are essential all conditions survival tools.

 

[oldgeeksguide]

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.

Plus you don’t have to worry about CO poisoning.

 

[TaconicBear]

Plus you don’t have to worry about CO poisoning.

Actually, from what I have read from the suicide prevention groups CO isn't much of a problem any more. It seems newer car engines produce very little of it. Apparently running a modern car in a garage depletes the oxygen but doesn't produce enough carbon monoxide to be lethal.

 

[TaconicBear]

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):

View attachment 3756View attachment 3757

All well and good, for those whose lives are so scheduled. But how important or essential is it? What about the volunteer firemen and rescue folks of our rural areas. The get the call, grab keys, and run. Their ICE can be moving within ten seconds of the door closing. What is the reality of EV setups? In my year-old Tundra I watch about 15-seconds of the computer making connexions and organizing displays before I can drive it. That strikes me as it could have been close to a lift/death boundary for some folks fleeing the LA fires.

Back 70 years ago when I learnt to drive, we were instructed that the engine needed to run a bit to warm up and distribute the oil adequately before we should drive, particularly in cold weather. For the last half of my driving life, we've been told that new engines are ready to roll as soon as we turned them on. Now it seems we are taking a step backwards, not to warm and pump oil but to let the computer shake hands with all the components.

Kinda makes me glad I have a couple of real simple and dependable baby Scouts.

 

[Chaz26]

All well and good, for those whose lives are so scheduled. But how important or essential is it? What about the volunteer firemen and rescue folks of our rural areas. The get the call, grab keys, and run. Their ICE can be moving within ten seconds of the door closing. What is the reality of EV setups? In my year-old Tundra I watch about 15-seconds of the computer making connexions and organizing displays before I can drive it. That strikes me as it could have been close to a lift/death boundary for some folks fleeing the LA fires.

Back 70 years ago when I learnt to drive, we were instructed that the engine needed to run a bit to warm up and distribute the oil adequately before we should drive, particularly in cold weather. For the last half of my driving life, we've been told that new engines are ready to roll as soon as we turned them on. Now it seems we are taking a step backwards, not to warm and pump oil but to let the computer shake hands with all the components.

Kinda makes me glad I have a couple of real simple and dependable baby Scouts.

My EV turns on as I open the door and I can put it straight into drive without a start button so I can be going within 3 seconds of being in the car if I need to. I'm not a volunteer firefighter or anything like that, but you don't have to precondition them if it's an emergency or you need to leave unexpectedly. Mine is fine to just get in and drive. If I was someone who was on call and needed to leave in an emergency I would just make sure I was always plugged in when at home and charged up so if a call came in I'd be ready to go immediately. Not preconditioning might mean slightly less efficiency, and maybe slightly less power on a really cold day (but is doing 0-60 in 8 seconds instead of 4 seconds a big deal, probably not), and they can still do highway speeds without preconditioning.