4-Cylinder Harvester EREV engine confirmed by CEO Scott! + 0-60mph, range, payload, towing specs discussions

[Dive Bar Casanova]

This is absolutely useless information about lifts and I love it! Thanks for sharing. I wonder what ours have where I patrol.

My point was VW has experience with compact 4 cylinder engines. Probable more success than anyone.

More useless information:

Amusement parks lift rides often have the opposed VW air cooled 4 as a stand-by.

I was restoring a mid 50’s VW and needed a unique to that year VW air filter housing.

Rare and brutally expensive at swap meets if you could even find one.

I was riding the lift at Six Flags and noticed the lift had the flat four as a stand by equipped with the old style air filter “housing.”

Pre-Internet, I eventually discovered the Volkswagen industrial motor parts Catalog.
In there it was listed, new and available and fair priced.

No surprise any more with German parts availability.

Auto paint sales friend swung by the house one day.
“You’re going to like this job I’m doing, come with me.”

So I jumped in his car and we headed to Rupert Murdock's ranch Home.

A classic auto hauler had been loading Murdock's Classic first year Benz Gull Wing in the transport truck.
He clipped and damaged the front bumper, crunched the fender, headlight & ring.

My friend opened up the Benz Parts catalog, all was still available new from Benz, even the paint color that needed no reduction.

I was working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Pre WW2 MB trucks still in action.
New from MB parts still easily available.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

Horsepower Numbers and Diamonds are never too big.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

Outside of the designated camping areas No speed limits in the OHV areas we visit.

Friend owns this mall and has a blast with his Hummer EV in his parking lot:

Most have run what you brung informal OHV drag races too

 

[jpdurr]

I am in the same boat on the battery range, as I whined above. I know it is just semantics, but I am not sure how you can call the Harvester an 'extender' when it supplies 70% of the stated range (with present tech). It reminds me of some of the stupid memes showing a Tesla towing a gas generator. Anyway, while I am somewhat disappointed in this news I am pulling for Scout, as well...

They can call it an "Extender" because that is exactly what it does. It Extends the Range!

 

[jpdurr]

They were designed to be stuck under and in the back of a vehicle in the first place.
They've engineered liquid cooled too. If anyone can design a compact flat engine it's VW.

The right company getting all the holes in slices of Swiss Cheese to line up.

Liquid cooled:

Mind you Subaru does a pretty good job with their flat four, liquid cooled engines too!

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

Mind you Subaru does a pretty good job with their flat four, liquid cooled engines too!

 

[Latrant]

My .02 cents response to the reported numbers for the EREV is: fantastic!

If it will do 0-60 in ~4.5 with 35's at that size vehicle for the EREV, is a big win.
Expecting a vehicle on 35s, with that size/weight, and that ground clearance with better than reported numbers is a big dream stretch given their stated target price point and today's available technology.
The Rivian vehicle/wheels/tires are not a comparison since avg price $90K+ and nothing on the market today offers what the Scout is targeting (*including drivetrain, and tactile interior buttons). It is truly a unique offering. Folks even getting the Scout BEV should realize that this vehicle will have more maintenance to deal with (though practically nothing compared to a true ICE off-roader) since it will have a rear differential (expecting fluid to service) unlike a Rivian or Tesla with solely electric motors driving the wheels.
Would I like more than 150 miles on battery, sure, but given how I would use as a daily commuter, 150 miles more than fits my daily needs since if LPF can be charged daily to 100%, and with the added bonus of not dealing with EV charge range anxiety for a true long distance road vehicle and offroad adventure vehicle. Choosing an EREV over BEV is already a choice/compromise. The fact that Scout is offering both is a big bonus differentiator since you get a choice. If you want the quickness and 350 miles is adequate for you then get the BEV, else EREV. No other competitor offers these choices as options today.
As others have also stated, I just hope that the VW generator motor is a quiet, reliable easy to maintain for DIY maintenance (engine access, oil changes and tune ups) given its single purpose as a generator.
* Ensuring it can support decent fording depths of water (elevated air intake, necessary breather hoses, etc.)
* Can be also used as a home / RV generator

and tow the amount we were initially lead to believe. Harvester or not.

I couldn’t resist.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

and tow the amount we were initially lead to believe. Harvester or not.

I couldn’t resist.

We'll wait and see on the strength of people I know that have worked with Scott Keogh in the past say he's on point, customer friendly and will be well aware of our concerns and do his best to meet them.

 

[E90400K]

Ski lifts around the world have flat four cylinder stand-by emergency generators built by VW dating back 50+ years.
It’s all good.

Do you have a link to such devices? I scoured the internet and found no information on a VW flat-4 ski lift generator. Just interested from an engineering perspective.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

Do you have a link to such devices? I scoured the internet and found no information on a VW flat-4 ski lift generator. Just interested from an engineering perspective.

Nope, just notice them on our travels.
Usually located at the main cable wheel house, at the base of the big drive wheel.

Either electric or mechanically connected to the drive if needed.
Newer lifts have probably moved onto something more modern and more powerful.

 

[E90400K]

Nope, just notice them on our travels.
Usually located at the main cable wheel house, at the base of the big drive wheel.

Either electric or mechanically connected to the drive if needed.
Newer lifts have probably moved onto something more modern and more powerful.

They probably were hydraulic would be my guess.

 

[Flyinglow]

I will hold judgement till we have real numbers but I am not optimistic that EREV towing capacity will be close to BEV if for no other reason than the Harvester engine is hung behind the rear axle. This shifts vehicle balance off of the front axle much like loads on a trailer hitch and results in similar limitations on trailer capacity. If the BEV has a 10k towing capacity then 10% on the hitch would be 1k. From that you would have to deduct the weight of the gas engine and generator, cooling, exhaust and so on.

 

[blmtnc]

I am a little mystified by the decision to do the rear mounted engine. Could have easily been a situation where the EREV buyers just give up the frunk and have conventional mounting, cooling, etc. using existing parts (a la Ramcharger). But, as been stated elsewhere here before, keeping both EREV and BEV flavors as similar as possible is likely a production/business goal, so is probably the primary reason. I'm not placing an order though until I can get my hands on an EREV Terra at an event, the plant, etc and do some poking around to determine servicing impacts. 80% field repairable doesn't mean it won't also be a PITA. But, it may actually turn out to be better overall, whether a flat 4 or inline flipped on its side. Just too many unknowns before plopping down this kind of money.

 

[Mr._Bill]

I want a Terra Harvester, but I'm going to wait and see what actually rolls off the production line. I'm skeptical that they can accomplish what they want to achieve without putting the generator up front. I would prefer it there, instead of stuffed underneath.

 

[E90400K]

I want a Terra Harvester, but I'm going to wait and see what actually rolls off the production line. I'm skeptical that they can accomplish what they want to achieve without putting the generator up front. I would prefer it there, instead of stuffed underneath.

I see the rear placement as too big of an engineering compromise. Any engine is going to have to lay flat or be a boxer architecture. Then there is the reduction in tongue weight and resultant lower trailer weight limits. Cooling system requirements. Ground clearance and under-body protection. And service accessibility; I guess the pickup box gets removed for service and the Traveler has an access cover?

I don't see it happening.