Ideal Scout Traveler trim

[PMurphy]

RE : Trim levels: just saw a loaded 24 Hummer 3x, 8k miles for under $70k asking. All the luxury and performance goodies you want.

Piqued my interest until I started reading about the owner horror stories. Biggest take away for me was that the rank and file dealer networks are not able (or willing) to take on EV service (kinda kills the whole argument against direct to consumer sales!!).

REALLY hoping Scout can avoid this level of disaster. Cautiously optimistic.

 

[joewilk45]

The thing to watch is who VW anoints the protocol son Is it Rivian or Scout since they both compete in same market who will get the advance technology both or will one get preferential treatment VW is invested heavily in both companies

 

[joewilk45]

That's why you need to buy an EV from an established dealership network not a small family dealership that doesn't have the financial resources to upgrade and send technicians to training. Before I bought my Cadillac I asked to meet EV technicians my dealership has two both spent 4 weeks of training and are continually required to go for updates and certification

 

[bababooey]

For the life of me I don't understand why we don't steal their intellectual properties like they have done to us and leapfrog battery technology

IP isn’t the thing holding the US back. Solid state battery stuff isn’t some secret China only info, most of it is already public or patented and everyone knows how it works. The hard part is actually building them at scale without crazy costs or junk reliability.

China’s ahead because they can build factories faster, take way more risk, and burn through bad early production without freaking out investors. Even if we “stole” everything tomorrow, we’d still need years to dial in manufacturing and supply chains. BMW, Mercedes, and MG all talk solid state, but it’s mostly pilot stuff, not real mass market yet.

 

[joewilk45]

Eventually we will be integrating Chinese batteries into our vehicles ford and GM are investing in Chinese battery manufacturing companies CATL and BYD currently the tariffs are to high but imagine taking CATL innovation and manufacturing in GM's battery plant and GM is paying them a fee. After they by a trump gold card CATL can send a few technicians to GM's plant and get the ball rolling it's sad but I guess we have to have the bag phone before the I phone everybody needs to be paid before innovation is mass marketed