Scout Brings An American Icon Into The EV Age

The EV market is shaping up to be a diverse battlefield with electrification shaping up to be a key pillar for many automakers moving forward. One of these automakers is a blast from the past, Scout. Scout was the original name of an SUV and pickup that were built by International Harvester (the farming conglomerate) with the model becoming an American icon during the 1960s and 1970s before the rugged duo were discontinued in 1980 when it became a casualty of IH’s collapse. 

However, EVs have breathed new life into the Scout name, and Scout Motor Company is now up and running with two new models the Terra and the Traveler with the brand unveiling the two in concept form.

Scout, a glimpse of what’s to come

A prominent theme that Scout touched on time and time again is that “Scouts always come back” and these concepts attempt to prove that the brand is indeed back. The Traveler is the SUV and the design has a rearward focus to it with the soft body lines and simple mask shape moving the eye towards the large spare tire carrier and the distinct graphics at the rear. The Traveler also comes with a number of baked-in details including holes in the front-mounted tow hooks that could fit a climbing rope for ambitious adventurers looking to use their rig as a mount point for a descent down a sharp cliffside.

The Terra on the other hand is a pickup and while the front fascia is largely shared with the Traveler, the bumper gets a slightly different treatment to help give the truck its own unique personality. The styling is also rugged and simple with the truck getting large wraparound LED taillights that snake their way around the bed sides and the tailgate itself. Scout designers said that they were heavily inspired by Scout models of the past and this respectful homage to the past is tastefully done but without going overboard in attempting to capture nostalgia in a bottle.

That also included making sure that both models had the goods to back up their respective nameplates with the company confirming that the body-on-frame Terra and the Traveler have over one foot of ground clearance and the ability to be fitted with 35-inch tires and have the ability to ford three feet of water. Both can haul 2,000 lbs of cargo but while the Traveler can tow only 7,000 lbs, the Terra pickup edges it out slightly with a 10,000 lb rating.

 

An interior to match

The interior of the Terra and the Traveler also channel elements of the past in their design. Bold colors and high-quality materials dominate the cabin with Scout splashing in plenty of analog buttons and controls to make sure that all of the features in these vehicles could be easily operated which reflects the rugged theme of the duo. While Scout thankfully resisted the urge to put everything behind a haptic feedback wrapper, the company is also aware of modern tech trends and has incorporated a large central screen above these controls saying that it will be a community feature for occupants to experience when they are in the Terra and the Traveler.

The Terra also brings back the bench seat with Scout confirming the old-school seating setup will be available as an option on the truck but buyers will have to sacrifice the multi-function center console to f. Mechanical door handles will also be on hand too and when viewed as a whole, Scout’s focus on promoting the feeling of being in the outdoors and some of the natural aging that comes with it allow some of the wood and leather choices to really stand out when viewed together. 

 

Scout performance in two flavors

When the Traveler and Terra eventually make their way to dealerships, the duo will come with two flavors of performance. While the company was not ready to disclose formal performance numbers just yet, Scout confirmed that in addition to full EV capability, there will also be an extended-range variant called the Harvester that incorporates a small gasoline engine to help provide power to the battery when the vehicle is moving. Scout says that the Harvester can get over 500 miles of range with this setup and the range-extender is a response to the recent trend of putting gas engines into EVs to try and expand their range while also eliminating some of the range anxiety that often keeps many buyers from formally adopting an EV.

As for the EVs themselves, Scout says that they are projected to climb 100% grades and can make the sprint to 60 mph in likely 3.5 seconds. The company also expects torque to be 1,000 lb-ft but until the company completes development work on the EVs we’ll have to wait and see what the real numbers add up to. An 800-volt architecture underpins the Terra and the Traveler with the setup allowing the vehicle to draw up to 350 kW of power from a public charging station. 

When can I buy one?

Buyers interested in the Scout can reserve either the Terra or the Traveler for $100 with the base Terra starting in the $50,000 range with the Traveler SUV having a price tag of $51,500 before incentives are factored in. Option them out and the prices will rise to over $60,000. This pricing is on par with key rival Rivian and also gives Scout a unique value proposition in the segment.

A prominent catch however is that buyers interested in owning either of these EVs will have a very long wait after they make their $100 deposit. Scout is still completing development work of the models and it’s not projecting production to begin until 2027. That’s a pretty long wait but if these concepts are to be believed at face value, then these models will definitely be worth it in the long run.