Make the harvester removable.

[TheBearded1_der]

I think it would be cool to have the harvester generator be removable. Say you can’t drive to your campsite and have to park farther away. Disconnect the generator and load it into your camp cart or whatever and you can bring it along. This would also make it infinitely easier to service or replace in the long term.

 

[J Alynn]

I think it would be cool to have the harvester generator be removable. Say you can’t drive to your campsite and have to park farther away. Disconnect the generator and load it into your camp cart or whatever and you can bring it along. This would also make it infinitely easier to service or replace in the long term.

The “generator” is not a portable generator plopped into the rear of the vehicle. It is a small engine. It will have multiple connections, like the fuel line and other critical components. No way SM legal department is going to be onboard with owners just pulling an engine in and out of their car. You are more than likely going to need to carry a small, portable generator if you want that kind of flexibility.

 

[MountainDad]

I think it would be cool to have the harvester generator be removable. Say you can’t drive to your campsite and have to park farther away. Disconnect the generator and load it into your camp cart or whatever and you can bring it along. This would also make it infinitely easier to service or replace in the long term.

If it could be that small and light enough to be user- portable/serviceable (engine, generator, fuel) but still provide sufficient power to fully charge a ~100kWh battery in a few hours (see other threads on this regarding Harvester speculation) - that would be great, but honestly this is perhaps a bit of an edge case.

Have you ever tried to lift a Honda whole-home generator? Their 7,000W big boi can't even power everything in your home and it weighs over 250lbs.

 

[R1TVT]

There is also the issue of added cost... This doesn't seem to fit into the desire to make the Scout more accessible in terms of MSRP out of the gate. I would imagine a beaucoup amount of dollares to make something like this happen $$$$, let alone all of the engineering design time & hours to design the Harvester in such a way that it would allow the unit to be removed easily from the vehicle. I'm also thinking of vibration and the potential for such a unit to loosen.

 

[Chaparral]

When I’m hiking away from the vehicle to a camp site that has no road access I want to carry as little as possible and make as few trips as possible. A battery pack would suffice for my needs of running a few lights and re-charging some devices.

I don’t think there’s any practical way the Harvester could be removable.

Camping away from the vehicle is also why I would not want a camp kitchen or camping cooler built into the vehicle. Even if I was parked at a campsite, the place where the vehicle is parked is probably not the best location to prepare food. For us, food prep circles around the bear locker and the fire pit.

Perhaps the ultimate camping accessory is an espresso machine, they use a lot of amps, a lot more than most portable battery packs can provide. I’d happily stroll back to the vehicle to make good coffee.

 

[R1TVT]

When I’m hiking away from the vehicle to a camp site that has no road access I want to carry as little as possible and make as few trips as possible. A battery pack would suffice for my needs of running a few lights and re-charging some devices.

I don’t think there’s any practical way the Harvester could be removable.

Camping away from the vehicle is also why I would not want a camp kitchen or camping cooler built into the vehicle. Even if I was parked at a campsite, the place where the vehicle is parked is probably not the best location to prepare food. For us, food prep circles around the bear locker and the fire pit.

Perhaps the ultimate camping accessory is an espresso machine, they use a lot of amps, a lot more than most portable battery packs can provide. I’d happily stroll back to the vehicle to make good coffee.

I don't want a camp kitchen either b/c I already own a kit with a propane stove, jetboil, pots, pans, camp utensils, flask, water filter etc.

I could see others (myself included) using a camp kitchen at a campground site, or more likely at a tailgate for a larger, more stationary group.

The aftermarket will take care of it for those that want it. Nothing stopping anyone from plugging in an espresso machine or just boiling water for french press. Coffee is a top priority. LOL.

But now we're mixing threads.

 

[CarTechGeek]

We covered the problems with this before:

https://scoutmotors.community.forum/threads/easily-removable-generator-range-extender.1168/

If you only want the generator to charge while parked in the wilderness, removed the rest of the time, perhaps just get the EV, and a portable generator.

Honda just showed off the new Passport, and one of them had a small Honda Generator in the cargo area. But any generator you can lift into the back of an SUV, will offer fairly slow charging. You can probably wheel a bigger one into the back of the Terra. If you must have a removable one, something like this is your only realistic option.

 

[Logan]

Yeah, as others have said here, the thing is this is not a "small generator".

The expected electrical output is larger most "home backup generators". Something on the order of 45-80KW of output.

For perspective, the Generac generators of roughly equivalent power output, weigh ... so much. Like 1800lbs.

Protector Series 60kW | Gaseous | RG06045 | Generac

60kW, 1800rpm, Alum Enclosure (Not for sale in CA/MA) Provides essential circuit power protection for your home, ensuring the necessities remain powered during an outage.

www.generac.com

Given, we don't think that the Harvester generator will likely weigh that much (likely more like 300-500lbs, given the theoretical engines that might be used in it). But to make it removeable/droppable at a location like that would make it quite a bit heavier.

The only way it would realistically work, is for the vehicle to have a hoist/something where you basically back over it, and winch it up into the vehicle (sort of like hooking up a trailer). But thats a bunch of cost, complexity, and weight.

And then, again, what would you do with it, its likely going to weigh 300-500lbs. And unless you have a big group of people, or something like a pallet jack/hoist/something to move it around, it likely aint going anywhere.

That said, I DO think it should be designed to be removeable, but not in the way you're describing. I'm hoping that its relatively easy to get at/access/remove for maintenance/replacement/whatever. IE, I hope its not like on Audi vehicles, where to replace the accessory drive belt, you have to remove the radiator and front bumper. I want it to be designed to be easy for us to work on it if needed.

 

[MountainDad]

Perhaps the ultimate camping accessory is an espresso machine, they use a lot of amps, a lot more than most portable battery packs can provide. I’d happily stroll back to the vehicle to make good coffee.

French press and a Whisperlite or Jetboil. Practice makes perfect.

 

[Harris005]

Removable
Serviceable