Scout TravelerI caught Scout's electric Traveler and Terra in the wild. They have a lot to offer, but the company's road ahead is far from smooth.Scout Motors plans to launch its extended-range electric SUV, the Traveler, in 2028.The company hosted a brand event to showcase its prototypes and connect with potential customers at Rolling Stone's Stateside Fest, where I got an up-close look at the vehicles.The Scouts look striking in person and could prove popular, but there are challenges in the new brand's future too.Like many people caught on the precipice between Millennials and Gen Z, my wife and I are fans of Vermont folk singer Noah Kahan. This past Independence Day weekend, we drove two hours north to a daylong music festival he was headlining in New York's Hudson Valley.Guess who else we found there? EV startup Scout Motors.AdvertisementAdvertisementScout's massive, wooden booth dwarfed those of other sponsors and vendors. There was an outdoor Scout-branded stage for emerging artists. Beside it, there was a vintage Scout pulling a trailer filled with branded merch, and even an area where festival-goers could get free Scout shirts with custom embroidery. Scout TerraMost importantly for me, there were two prototype vehicles on display—a Traveler SUV and a Terra pickup. Dozens of employees and event staff milled about; Scout CEO Scott Keogh was even on hand. Clearly, this was a big marketing push for the company.Coming across Scout here was not planned, but I did get to speak with the company's VP of interior design, Dwayne Jackson, who gave me a tour of the Traveler. Dressed up in a festive red-white-and-blue striped livery, the Traveler pulls off a throwback, patriotic vibe effortlessly. Its proportions are striking in the metal—Jackson tells me the ratio of its width compared to height and length is among the highest of any SUV on the road. Scout TravelerThe wide stance and blunt front ends lend Scout's trucks a rugged yet friendly vibe in person. One other thing to note is that these aren't Jeep Wrangler- or Ford Bronco-sized vehicles; the Scout Traveler is pretty much the same size as a Rivian R1S, while the Terra is a full foot longer than the R1T. These are large vehicles, and they look every bit of their size in person.AdvertisementAdvertisementInside, the body-on-frame SUV boasts sumptuous leather, denim trim on the seat backs, headrests, dashboard and door cards, and chunky metal switchgear throughout the center console and steering wheel. The vibe is vintage and high-quality, and I appreciated the texture of the denim and the checkered pattern that's repeated on the headliner, cupholders, and beyond. Keep in mind that this is basically still a concept car, so the final materials and surfaces may change.Scout Traveler 2025 LA Auto ShowJackson says the team's goal was to reduce the need for screen taps by making each core function accessible through a button or toggle. Further adjustments may require interacting with the car's large touchscreen or digital gauge cluster.The Terra looked impressive, too. Its smaller wheels, 37" BFGoodrich K03 tires, and forest green paint gave it a rugged aesthetic, with a roof rack and light bar for extra cool points.Scout TerraScout's future models will offer a gasoline-powered range extender—cleverly called Harvester—something neither Rivian nor any other U.S. automaker can match at the moment. With the Harvester box ticked, a Scout's total claimed range is over 500 miles. According to the company, more than eight out of every 10 reservation holders have opted for the range extender so far.AdvertisementAdvertisementStill, Scout has a ways to go before those tires meet the trails. The company says customers can expect to take delivery of their vehicles in 2028, following the start of initial production in 2027. It says the Traveler SUV represents around 70% of reservations so far, and that it will prioritize building extended-range Harvester models first. Scout TravelerThen, there's the broader and bleaker VW Group picture at the moment. The company is in dire financial straits and is reportedly considering cutting up to 100,000 jobs and closing four German factories. Rumors are swirling that it's weighing the potential sales of Ducati and Lamborghini to weather the growing storm. A VW spokesperson told our sister site RideApart that the company's "business model no longer works," with regard to developing and producing cars for global markets in Europe and that "the entire Group – including brands and subsidiaries – have to transform profoundly."Scout has tried to distance its brand image from that of VW, but it's still a wholly-owned subsidiary operating off a VW-owned trademark and helmed by a veteran VW Group executive. Make no mistake: Bad news for VW is bad news for Scout, which is trying to launch an ambitious new platform not shared with any other VW Group vehicles.Scout TravelerScout is also working to bypass dealerships and sell its vehicles directly to consumers, as Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid already do. That's invited a legal storm from Volkswagen dealers across the country. AdvertisementAdvertisementBuilding a new EV brand from scratch is tough in any environment. Take, for example, Rivian and Lucid, which have been selling impressive vehicles for years and still lose money hand over fist. Or consider the junkyard of failed EV startups that's only grown in recent years: Fisker, Canoo, Nikola, Lordstown, Fisker again. It's an especially tough time to sell a new EV, given slowing EV sales and the premature end of the EV tax credit.Scout TravelerOn the other hand, Scout's novel EREV powertrain could help navigate the storm. And its 2028 timing may be just right, allowing it to skip over the worst impacts of this EV-hostile regulatory environment. According to BloombergNEF, EV and plug-in hybrid market share is projected to dip over the next year and change before recovering to 2025 levels in 2028. If a new administration takes charge and rolls out a more pro-EV agenda, Scout could launch into a much friendlier market.If Scout can overcome these hurdles and start delivering cars in 2028 at the promised $60,000 price point, I think it could be quite successful. The Traveler and Terra's throwback design, body-on-frame chassis, and range extender set them apart from the competition, namely Rivian. However, Rivian has a clear head start, with the R2 on sale today for around $60,000, with more affordable variants coming over the next year.On a personal level, I'm rooting for Scout to make it. The world needs more interesting and desirable electric options, and Scout's retro-looking, extended-range trucks promise to bring new people into the EV tent. Let's hope it can get there.
