Top Five Accessories For The New Scout

[RebelliousPeasant]

I've done some more thinking on this and i'm hoping the vehicles use the aircraft-style cargo netting. The aviation industry uses are standardized rail / peg system that is robust, easy to use, readily available and just plain cool. The hook/pegs vary in design a bit but they all operate in the same basic way where you press something down to release or slide them in the rail. When you stop pressing down they become secured in the position you left them so they allow for very flexible configurations and all sorts of attachments can be made to be compatible with the rails. Here's a pic of what I mean" The attachment pins I'm proposing for SM don't need to be as beefy as the ones in the pic, there are far simpler designs that do the same job, but you get the idea.

 

[Trailguide79]

A Scout with 240V out (the higher amps the better) could charge up any other EV, including other Scouts. Good for rescues. It could also be used as backup power to your house/cabin, charge your boat's batteries, run some camping appliances, etc. I think it's a critical feature to get the most out of an EV design. If it were a standard feature, it would help build a "highly capable" pedigree for the brand.

That is somewhat what I was getting at for a minimum, but ideally if Scout can be 1st to engineer a 50 mile boost pack that immediately gives energy, vs waiting for charging, I hope accessories can do this as it would give a serious edge.

While everyone on this Forum is rather mechanically inclined, and won’t run out of energy…….folks, we would be naive to think a younger son or daughter (or anyone who is inclined to never check tire pressure) would plan all routes out..

Remember, for Scout to be successful it can’t be strictly enthusiast oriented. People routinely run out of gas, like the dash is kryptonite for them to look at. It has to play nicely with a majority of people, not just enthusiasts in larger cities.

 

[J Alynn]

That is somewhat what I was getting at for a minimum, but ideally if Scout can be 1st to engineer a 50 mile boost pack that immediately gives energy, vs waiting for charging, I hope accessories can do this as it would give a serious edge.

While everyone on this Forum is rather mechanically inclined, and won’t run out of energy…….folks, we would be naive to think a younger son or daughter (or anyone who is inclined to never check tire pressure) would plan all routes out..

Remember, for Scout to be successful it can’t be strictly enthusiast oriented. People routinely run out of gas, like the dash is kryptonite for them to look at. It has to play nicely with a majority of people, not just enthusiasts in larger cities.

I can’t disagree on your comment but gotta wonder is $5,000 worth it when a child runs out of gas/juice? If I ran out of gas as a teen my dad would have told me to figure it out and pay attention in the future. Depending on where I was my mom would have picked me up but that’s the fun of parental love/nurture/learning. We generally buy/trade cars every 3-4 years so all things considered we have ‘new’ cars. That said we still pay for AAA for inconveniences like dead battery, flat tire. Assuming AAA has a charger on truck (more are doing this) the annual subscription has got to be cheaper than $5-8K. Triple A notes that only about 4% of EV users ever call for a charge. Probably better off just having them tow you to nearest station/charging unit. Worst case you can plug it in an outlet-will take awhile but running out of gas isn’t exactly quick to solve either.
I guess I need to accept I’m in an area of the country that has chargers readily available and my electric panel at home is in the basement right next to the garage with spaces left so easy enough stall on the charger. I also realize on long road trips we generally plan ahead and map routes even in our ICE. Sure a sudden traffic jamb can halt things but roll the windows down and sit still and the EV will be good to go when traffic starts moving again.
I guess if you intend to cross country in any EV then perhaps a booster as a back up emergency plan could be desirable but $5-8K is a hefty price to pay. At that rate you might as well spend $10K and get the next larger battery range package (I’m assuming SM will offer those options/tiers). That extends your range without lugging an additional 200 lbs around but you still have to plan your trip accordingly. But you still have children that are oblivious to contend with.

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

That is somewhat what I was getting at for a minimum, but ideally if Scout can be 1st to engineer a 50 mile boost pack that immediately gives energy, vs waiting for charging, I hope accessories can do this as it would give a serious edge.

While everyone on this Forum is rather mechanically inclined, and won’t run out of energy…….folks, we would be naive to think a younger son or daughter (or anyone who is inclined to never check tire pressure) would plan all routes out..

Remember, for Scout to be successful it can’t be strictly enthusiast oriented. People routinely run out of gas, like the dash is kryptonite for them to look at. It has to play nicely with a majority of people, not just enthusiasts in larger cities.

There's a bit of a flaw in your logic there. In order to make a "50 mile boost pack that would immediately gives (sic) energy" it would mean that the vehicle would have to be engineered to accept a whole bunch of energy in a short amount of time. We typically refer to that as "charging speed". So if the vehicle is capable of accepting a lot of energy in a short amount of time then your charging stops would be short anyway so you wouldn't need to lug around a heavy boost pack.

Carrying around an extra, add-on battery isn't going to solve your range anxiety. Owning an EV will because you'll quickly realize charging isn't as big a deal as many would have you believe. Modern EVs like my Ioniq 5 for example charge up in less time than a typical washroom break. More often than not the car is waiting on me to finish instead of the other way around. Charging times really aren't an issue anymore.

It would be better to just give the vehicle that extra '50 miles' in its existing battery pack or to give it faster charging speeds so you spend less time at a charger, or ideally, do both! which is what Hyundai did with their current EV lineup.

Whether it's a lug-along boost pack or a grid-connected charger, "waiting for charging" would happen either way if the charge speeds are slow. A boost pack can't magically instantaneously dump it's power into the vehicle any faster than a DC fast charger can. Electricity is electricity and the laws of physics and thermodynamics don't change. And that's not even going into the diminishing returns of lugging around extra weight from the extra batteries which will just consume more energy. It's better to engineer the vehicle to have ultra-fast charging (ie 800V architecture) and a long range (>500km) from the beginning than to waste time on extra batteries that would just take up cargo space.

Also, kids aren't as dumb as you think. They're more than capable of looking up where the nearest charger is in the nav system or on their phone. If they YOLO it and get stuck somewhere, well, that's a life lesson just like if you forget to fill the gas tank and drive out to the middle of nowhere and run out of gas. At least with an EV you can charge it up anywhere with electricity and don't need to find special building with underground storage tanks.

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

Sure a sudden traffic jamb can halt things but roll the windows down and sit still and the EV will be good to go when traffic starts moving again.

Actually that's one big difference between EVs and combustion vehicles. Traffic jams usually help your range. EVs only really consume energy when they're moving so if you're sitting in traffic you won't be consuming much energy at all compared to a gas vehicle which still has to idle and thus consume fuel. It's much less stressful being stuck in traffic in an EV at 1/8th of a charge than a combustion vehicle at 1/8th of tank. The combustion vehicle will eventually run out just sitting there in a matter of hours - even with the AC off - but the EV would take days of running the AC before it were to run out.

Heat pumps in EVs (and in general) are super efficient. You can sit in traffic for literal days in an EV, with the heat or AC running the whole time, and not run out of power. No need to roll your windows down or anything. Running an EV at low speed will get you a lot more range than running it at highway speeds so crawling in traffic usually gives you a nice range boost. All of the range records set by EVs (1,000 km+ type things) were all done at low speeds. My car usually gets around 500 km to a charge but if I only drive 20 kph then I can get around 700 km, it's just annoying to drive like that! lol

 

[J Alynn]

Actually that's one big difference between EVs and combustion vehicles. Traffic jams usually help your range. EVs only really consume energy when they're moving so if you're sitting in traffic you won't be consuming much energy at all compared to a gas vehicle which still has to idle and thus consume fuel. It's much less stressful being stuck in traffic in an EV at 1/8th of a charge than a combustion vehicle at 1/8th of tank. The combustion vehicle will eventually run out just sitting there in a matter of hours - even with the AC off - but the EV would take days of running the AC before it were to run out.

Heat pumps in EVs (and in general) are super efficient. You can sit in traffic for literal days in an EV, with the heat or AC running the whole time, and not run out of power. No need to roll your windows down or anything. Running an EV at low speed will get you a lot more range than running it at highway speeds so crawling in traffic usually gives you a nice range boost. All of the range records set by EVs (1,000 km+ type things) were all done at low speeds. My car usually gets around 500 km to a charge but if I only drive 20 kph then I can get around 700 km, it's just annoying to drive like that! lol

Love the insight. Your (km) references are killing me . I can’t math them out quick enough not to mention it’s Friday and brain is fried

 

[Trailguide79]

There's a bit of a flaw in your logic there. In order to make a "50 mile boost pack that would immediately gives (sic) energy" it would mean that the vehicle would have to be engineered to accept a whole bunch of energy in a short amount of time. We typically refer to that as "charging speed". So if the vehicle is capable of accepting a lot of energy in a short amount of time then your charging stops would be short anyway so you wouldn't need to lug around a heavy boost pack.

Carrying around an extra, add-on battery isn't going to solve your range anxiety. Owning an EV will because you'll quickly realize charging isn't as big a deal as many would have you believe. Modern EVs like my Ioniq 5 for example charge up in less time than a typical washroom break. More often than not the car is waiting on me to finish instead of the other way around. Charging times really aren't an issue anymore.

It would be better to just give the vehicle that extra '50 miles' in its existing battery pack or to give it faster charging speeds so you spend less time at a charger, or ideally, do both! which is what Hyundai did with their current EV lineup.

Whether it's a lug-along boost pack or a grid-connected charger, "waiting for charging" would happen either way if the charge speeds are slow. A boost pack can't magically instantaneously dump it's power into the vehicle any faster than a DC fast charger can. Electricity is electricity and the laws of physics and thermodynamics don't change. And that's not even going into the diminishing returns of lugging around extra weight from the extra batteries which will just consume more energy. It's better to engineer the vehicle to have ultra-fast charging (ie 800V architecture) and a long range (>500km) from the beginning than to waste time on extra batteries that would just take up cargo space.

Also, kids aren't as dumb as you think. They're more than capable of looking up where the nearest charger is in the nav system or on their phone. If they YOLO it and get stuck somewhere, well, that's a life lesson just like if you forget to fill the gas tank and drive out to the middle of nowhere and run out of gas. At least with an EV you can charge it up anywhere with electricity and don't need to find special building with underground storage tanks.

Is my logic flawed though?

Tesla Cybertruck has a range extender (granted it’s very expensive, and adds far more than 50 miles).

It’s not MY FEAR, or anxiety…..I want Scout to be competitive, and I do believe a simple 50 mile boost (or range extender) pack could work to help Scout capture the market for those “on the fence”.

Again, I am not looking at this as MY issue, but a broader picture for the types that literally get into a vehicle and check nothing.

It’s easy for us to say…..well they will learn a life lesson, and it could be a good one……or if it’s in a less than ideal area….it could hang up a young driver and put them at risk.

If it’s an accessory, it wouldn’t be mandatory on all Scouts….but could likely be financed into a purchase.

Is it wrong that I am not only thinking of enthusiasts, and (semi) early adopters?

Probably not.

I believe Scout can address this with the time before these roll off the production line by late 2026. If they do I believe it could be a strong competitive edge.

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

Love the insight. Your (km) references are killing me . I can’t math them out quick enough not to mention it’s Friday and brain is fried

I mean same, really, when you guys are all talking in miles. haha I don't know what miles are and keep having to see if 200 miles is enough or 300 miles. What are those in REAL units?!? ;P I know nautical miles from my time as a pilot and at least those make sense! But statute miles!? Never! haha

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

Is my logic flawed though?

Tesla Cybertruck has a range extender (granted it’s very expensive, and adds far more than 50 miles).

It’s not MY FEAR, or anxiety…..I want Scout to be competitive, and I do believe a simple 50 mile boost (or range extender) pack could work to help Scout capture the market for those “on the fence”.

Again, I am not looking at this as MY issue, but a broader picture for the types that literally get into a vehicle and check nothing.

It’s easy for us to say…..well they will learn a life lesson, and it could be a good one……or if it’s in a less than ideal area….it could hang up a young driver and put them at risk.

If it’s an accessory, it wouldn’t be mandatory on all Scouts….but could likely be financed into a purchase.

Is it wrong that I am not only thinking of enthusiasts, and (semi) early adopters?

Probably not.

I believe Scout can address this with the time before these roll off the production line by late 2026. If they do I believe it could be a strong competitive edge.

The Cybertruck isn't exactly a great example of anything other than one man's hubris. Also the "range extender" for it doesn't even exist right now and needs to be installed by the dealership with special tools.

Your logic is flawed in the sense that it won't solve the problem you perceive. At best it will charge the vehicle battery as fast as any DC fast charger which means it won't save you any time and begs the question, why not just hit up a fast charger instead of carrying this thing around and eating your existing range with the extra weight it would add?

50 miles also won't flip those "on the fence". Most people don't even drive 50 miles in a given day but claim they need a vehicle that can do 600 miles for some reason. A 50 mile lug-along battery isn't going to change those perceptions. Scout will capture the market just fine with a well designed, well built, proper off-road, fully electric vehicle. They don't need some fossil crutch. They don't need some spare battery pack. They just need to build a decent vehicle at a decent price with a reasonable range and decent off-road chops.

 

[Wicked_Jawn]

The Cybertruck isn't exactly a great example of anything other than one man's hubris. Also the "range extender" for it doesn't even exist right now and needs to be installed by the dealership with special tools.

Your logic is flawed in the sense that it won't solve the problem you perceive. At best it will charge the vehicle battery as fast as any DC fast charger which means it won't save you any time and begs the question, why not just hit up a fast charger instead of carrying this thing around and eating your existing range with the extra weight it would add?

50 miles also won't flip those "on the fence". Most people don't even drive 50 miles in a given day but claim they need a vehicle that can do 600 miles for some reason. A 50 mile lug-along battery isn't going to change those perceptions. Scout will capture the market just fine with a well designed, well built, proper off-road, fully electric vehicle. They don't need some fossil crutch. They don't need some spare battery pack. They just need to build a decent vehicle at a decent price with a reasonable range and decent off-road chops.

I hope they’re able to improve battery tech in the scout. I’ve done some checking and a 17kwh battery, which equates to about 30-50 miles weighs 600lbs and is 26x18x46”.

Clearly, I’m young and svelte, so lifting this is as easy as removing the top from a Scout II by myself.

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

I hope they’re able to improve battery tech in the scout. I’ve done some checking and a 17kwh battery, which equates to about 30-50 miles weighs 600lbs and is 26x18x46”.

Clearly, I’m young and svelte, so lifting this is as easy as removing the top from a Scout II by myself.

Battery technology is improving all the time but it won't make a 17 kWh pack much lighter than it already is. This is why it's better to just design the vehicle to have the range you need. You can make other components of the vehicle lighter so that the overall vehicle weight is similar to competing platforms.

I should also point out that aerodynamics play a big role in how much range you can get out of a 17 kWh pack. A slippery car like an Aptera could probably get 100 miles out of such a battery whereas a brick-shaped Jeep would get maybe 30 miles or something. There's more to it than just the size of the battery.

 

[Mousehunter]

Probably not going to even be considered - but. Given a traditional Scout would have a removable hard top... (Perhaps not a given). Could you consider 2 hard top options. I know, EVERY car company thinks that people want sun roofs. I live in a hot climate. I don't want a sun roof - really I do not want a sun roof. But an insulated roof, those can be nice. I found a company that made a heavy duty insulated hard top for my old Jeep - it was night and day different than the factory top. The insulation cut out a lot of wind noise, and definitely helped the AC keep up in the summer.

Please step out of your geographic areas when designing this vehicle. While I think you describe the location of your design team as the midwest - to people in the south and southwest, it is in the northern US. Even your manufacturing is in the mid east. People live in different climates in the US. The interior of vehicles in S. Texas can reach 150 degrees if the vehicle is parked in the sun. (Honestly, just googled. UT Dallas managed to measure one that hit 180 degrees). Small changes can probably make a big difference in those peak interior temps. Insulated roof might be too much to ask, but how about a small ventilation fan that can run when you are parked in the sun. IF you have to have a panel in the roof - consider a solar one to run a ventilation fan.

The industry seems fixated on cold weather comfort. Heated seats, heated steering wheels. My truck has a engine block heater. But try to make a cooler car for hot climates - crickets. About the only innovation on that front has been Tesla - with camping and pet modes. That and self driving are probably the 2 biggest reasons I kind of want one. Hope they have not patented camping and pet modes. 5 miles of range vs coming back to a cool car after 1hr in the store - very nice tradeoff. If you are going to have some sort of connectivity - allowing you to turn on the AC near the end of a shopping trip so the car is cooling down before you get scorched by getting in...

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

Probably not going to even be considered - but. Given a traditional Scout would have a removable hard top... (Perhaps not a given). Could you consider 2 hard top options. I know, EVERY car company thinks that people want sun roofs. I live in a hot climate. I don't want a sun roof - really I do not want a sun roof. But an insulated roof, those can be nice. I found a company that made a heavy duty insulated hard top for my old Jeep - it was night and day different than the factory top. The insulation cut out a lot of wind noise, and definitely helped the AC keep up in the summer.

Please step out of your geographic areas when designing this vehicle. While I think you describe the location of your design team as the midwest - to people in the south and southwest, it is in the northern US. Even your manufacturing is in the mid east. People live in different climates in the US. The interior of vehicles in S. Texas can reach 150 degrees if the vehicle is parked in the sun. (Honestly, just googled. UT Dallas managed to measure one that hit 180 degrees). Small changes can probably make a big difference in those peak interior temps. Insulated roof might be too much to ask, but how about a small ventilation fan that can run when you are parked in the sun. IF you have to have a panel in the roof - consider a solar one to run a ventilation fan.

The industry seems fixated on cold weather comfort. Heated seats, heated steering wheels. My truck has a engine block heater. But try to make a cooler car for hot climates - crickets. About the only innovation on that front has been Tesla - with camping and pet modes. That and self driving are probably the 2 biggest reasons I kind of want one. Hope they have not patented camping and pet modes. 5 miles of range vs coming back to a cool car after 1hr in the store - very nice tradeoff. If you are going to have some sort of connectivity - allowing you to turn on the AC near the end of a shopping trip so the car is cooling down before you get scorched by getting in...

These are great points and actually work both ways as far as cold climates go. As a Canadian I'd also like an insulated hard top to both cut down on road noise but also to keep the vehicle warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. As far as 'pet mode' goes that's not an unrealistic ask and Tesla certainly doesn't have a patent on the idea because my Hyudai EV has a similar mode too. It's great for camping and all sorts of situations where you want to leave the car "running" but not necessarily fully on.

As for "self driving" it's basically all just hype. The Tesla system doesn't work well and certainly doesn't live up to the promises Musk has been making for over a decade now. There's already a class-action about it from owners who bought into the hype in 2016 and are still waiting for the promised features that don't exist but were supposedly "coming next year"...for 9 years now.

Anyway, just the usual well proven driver assist features like lane centering and adaptive cruise would be good. Blind spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert, that kind of stuff. I'm not expecting the car to drive itself in a reliable and unsupervised way any time soon, that technology is still firmly in science fiction territory despite Musk's grandiose claims over the last decade.

 

[J Alynn]

These are great points and actually work both ways as far as cold climates go. As a Canadian I'd also like an insulated hard top to both cut down on road noise but also to keep the vehicle warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. As far as 'pet mode' goes that's not an unrealistic ask and Tesla certainly doesn't have a patent on the idea because my Hyudai EV has a similar mode too. It's great for camping and all sorts of situations where you want to leave the car "running" but not necessarily fully on.

As for "self driving" it's basically all just hype. The Tesla system doesn't work well and certainly doesn't live up to the promises Musk has been making for over a decade now. There's already a class-action about it from owners who bought into the hype in 2016 and are still waiting for the promised features that don't exist but were supposedly "coming next year"...for 9 years now.

Anyway, just the usual well proven driver assist features like lane centering and adaptive cruise would be good. Blind spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert, that kind of stuff. I'm not expecting the car to drive itself in a reliable and unsupervised way any time soon, that technology is still firmly in science fiction territory despite Musk's grandiose claims over the last decade.

I’m not sure I’d ever want self driving unless it gets me from PA to FL on 95 while I sleep. I enjoy driving too much to let a computer do it for me

 

[oldgeeksguide]

I’m not sure I’d ever want self driving unless it gets me from PA to FL on 95 while I sleep. I enjoy driving too much to let a computer do it for me

Yeah, I know what you mean. I want tech that will keep me from getting injured and keep me from injuring anyone else, not necessarily do the driving for me. Of course real level 5 tech so the car can drop me off and go park itself, or let me nap would be nice, but I’m skeptical that that will happen in my lifetime.

 

[OleScout]

I hope we don't live in an autonomous time during my lifetime. I recall getting my license and learning how to operate a vehicle was half of the excitement with the addition of the sense of greater freedom. We already have features within our vehicles that takes away the skills of a driver not limited to back-up cameras, blind spot alerts and parallel parking assistance just to name a few. Having an automated program limits us as human beings. AI is writing articles for students or creating resumes for future employees, this takes away the originality of one's self-work. Albert Einstein "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction" -Have we now arrived at this point?

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

I hope we don't live in an autonomous time during my lifetime. I recall getting my license and learning how to operate a vehicle was half of the excitement with the addition of the sense of greater freedom. We already have features within our vehicles that takes away the skills of a driver not limited to back-up cameras, blind spot alerts and parallel parking assistance just to name a few. Having an automated program limits us as human beings. AI is writing articles for students or creating resumes for future employees, this takes away the originality of one's self-work. Albert Einstein "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction" -Have we now arrived at this point?

I don't think there's any chance it'll happen in our lifetimes but to play devil's advocate for a moment, autonomy would be a great enabler for many people. Lots of people could benefit from being able to access a personal vehicle that they didn't have to actually operate themselves. The elderly would be able to be autonomous a lot longer than they can now as they would still be able to get around without being hazards to other drivers. Same thing for small children or even pets. You could buckle up your kid in an autonomous vehicle and have it drive them to daycare for example, or it could take your dog to the vet (of course someone would need to meet it at the other end). The blind would be able to be even more independent and not have to rely on para-transpo for example.

Such autonomy would be beneficial for society and open up a lot of possibilities for a lot of people. And this is aside from the nonsense Musk has been promoting about having your car meet you at the front door of the country club because it's raining. That's a dumb use case.

That said, so long as the Tesla Vegas Tunnel (I refuse to call it "hyperloop") is filled with Tesla cars driven by humans the company's claims of its "self-driving" abilities should be looked upon with extreme skepticism. If they can't even get their cars to drive themselves reliably on a one-lane road in the controlled environment of a tunnel with no traffic, weather, or other random hazards, then as far as I'm concerned they're selling snake oil to dupes. Musk has been talking the supposed 'technology' up for a decade now but so long as humans are driving basic Teslas in that tunnel I won't believe a word of what he says on the topic. Vegas would literally be better off kicking out the cars and running an airport people mover down there on rails. They'd go faster and carry more people.

 

[Albal]

I doubt I'll ever trust autonomous driving, but if it really did work reliably I'd love to have it drop us off in front of the restaurant then go park itself or just drive around if no spots are available. When we're done, it'd meet us out front. Bonus points if it could notice the meter reader heading its way and pull out of the spot just before they arrived!

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

I doubt I'll ever trust autonomous driving, but if it really did work reliably I'd love to have it drop us off in front of the restaurant then go park itself or just drive around if no spots are available. When we're done, it'd meet us out front. Bonus points if it could notice the meter reader heading its way and pull out of the spot just before they arrived!

I mean you can kind of do that now already...at least you can here in Canada and definitely in Europe. We call it "public transit". It's usually either a bus or train and you hop on around where you live and hop off when you get to the restaurant. It goes off to take other people to where they need to go and all you need to do when you're done dinner is hop on one going in the opposite direction! It's usually pretty cheap to use. Here it costs about $3.80 CAD. No need to find parking or risk a ticket or have your vehicle loitering nearby getting in the way!

 

[Tomw]

Definitely easy clean surfaces. Consider vinyl floors?
Tow capacity of 4000-5000lb, with built in trailer brake proportioning
Lockable cover for truck bed
Bonus battery to ride on trailer when towing?
Outlets front and back