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While patents don't always translate into options in production vehicles, this still gives a glimpse into how the engineers are thinking about solving problems and offering features:
https://carbuzz.com/patents-reveal-features-scout/
Chris
New Patents Reveal Features Scout Buyers Will Love
January 9, 2026
Scout Motors is still a few years away from production, and its engineers are working frantically to get the Terra and Traveler to market. They're also coming up with some interesting new ideas for how to make trucks and off-roaders. CarBuzz found patents including a clever new tailgate, a power storage drawer, and a new winch mode that would make getting unstuck easier thanks to Scout's EV and EREV designs.
Multi-Function Tailgate Steps Up Into The Big Leagues
From Ford's Pro Access to GMC's Multipro and Ram's (how-is-it-not-called-Ramgate) Multifunction Tailgate, tailgates that do more than just sit there are now pickup must-haves. Scout looks to be getting in on the action with its own, which does not yet have a clever name.
Scout's patent drawings show a simple but effective option. A plate sits flush-mounted to the inner face of the tailgate, mounted to hinges and a linkage.
The first of Scout's drawings shows a bed extender. Flip up the flap, and it stops things sliding off the end of your open tailgate. Pull it out, and you get a foot or so of even more length. It's not as wide as GM's offering, but it seems effective for hauling some long items.
Next is a step. The plate folds out and the hinge mechanism rotates to be lower than the open tailgate. That should make hopping into the bed a little easier.
Scout's last tailgate image shows things we've seen before. A yardstick and a protractor are nothing new. Neither are the cup holders and clamp placements. Still, it's all useful to have on a truck.
The power storage drawer is quite simple, though we're not sure how useful it would be in practice. Scout envisions a power-operated storage compartment that would be mounted under the driver or passenger front seats. Push a lever and your drawer slides out.
It's not the mechanism that's powered, though, it's the drawer itself. Scout would add accessories including a 12V power port or phone charging. Scout shows an air conditioning module that would heat or chill the compartment, and it includes heated and chilled cupholders, though we're not sure how you'd use them while driving.
New Scouts Could Help Give Themselves A Tug
The last one is one we're surprised doesn't already exist. Imagine if, while winching your vehicle out of a bog or a snowbank, that you could use more than just the winch? If the truck could power itself forward, matching the pull speed of the winch motor, it could help as traction is found. That's not a big deal, but this patent would help keep the truck from lurching forward and running over its own winch.
That's Scout's idea. According to the patent, it would be good for getting unstuck, and it would also be good for the winch. It works by monitoring the speed and averaging the wheel speed of at least two tires, letting the system detect that the vehicle is being pulled. When the winch starts moving the stuck Scout, the truck would then apply power to its electric motors. Just enough power to match that wheel rotation speed and help get you unstuck.
Scout would need to check things like wheelspin. The truck would also need to brake to prevent it from overspeeding once unstuck. But that's all easy on a modern EV.
The company points out that a typical 9,000-pound winch can demand 450 amps. That's a lot of current on a 12v system, and even EVs use a low-voltage 12v system to power accessories (except for the 48V Cybertruck). Reducing draw on that system is good for everything electrical.
There's no segment more competitive or more lucrative than the truck market. But it's not enough just to show up, you have to work to win over customers. These patents show that Scout seems to be trying to do just that.
https://carbuzz.com/patents-reveal-features-scout/
Chris
New Patents Reveal Features Scout Buyers Will Love
January 9, 2026
Scout Motors is still a few years away from production, and its engineers are working frantically to get the Terra and Traveler to market. They're also coming up with some interesting new ideas for how to make trucks and off-roaders. CarBuzz found patents including a clever new tailgate, a power storage drawer, and a new winch mode that would make getting unstuck easier thanks to Scout's EV and EREV designs.
Multi-Function Tailgate Steps Up Into The Big Leagues
From Ford's Pro Access to GMC's Multipro and Ram's (how-is-it-not-called-Ramgate) Multifunction Tailgate, tailgates that do more than just sit there are now pickup must-haves. Scout looks to be getting in on the action with its own, which does not yet have a clever name.
Scout's patent drawings show a simple but effective option. A plate sits flush-mounted to the inner face of the tailgate, mounted to hinges and a linkage.
The first of Scout's drawings shows a bed extender. Flip up the flap, and it stops things sliding off the end of your open tailgate. Pull it out, and you get a foot or so of even more length. It's not as wide as GM's offering, but it seems effective for hauling some long items.
Next is a step. The plate folds out and the hinge mechanism rotates to be lower than the open tailgate. That should make hopping into the bed a little easier.
Scout's last tailgate image shows things we've seen before. A yardstick and a protractor are nothing new. Neither are the cup holders and clamp placements. Still, it's all useful to have on a truck.
The power storage drawer is quite simple, though we're not sure how useful it would be in practice. Scout envisions a power-operated storage compartment that would be mounted under the driver or passenger front seats. Push a lever and your drawer slides out.
It's not the mechanism that's powered, though, it's the drawer itself. Scout would add accessories including a 12V power port or phone charging. Scout shows an air conditioning module that would heat or chill the compartment, and it includes heated and chilled cupholders, though we're not sure how you'd use them while driving.
New Scouts Could Help Give Themselves A Tug
The last one is one we're surprised doesn't already exist. Imagine if, while winching your vehicle out of a bog or a snowbank, that you could use more than just the winch? If the truck could power itself forward, matching the pull speed of the winch motor, it could help as traction is found. That's not a big deal, but this patent would help keep the truck from lurching forward and running over its own winch.
That's Scout's idea. According to the patent, it would be good for getting unstuck, and it would also be good for the winch. It works by monitoring the speed and averaging the wheel speed of at least two tires, letting the system detect that the vehicle is being pulled. When the winch starts moving the stuck Scout, the truck would then apply power to its electric motors. Just enough power to match that wheel rotation speed and help get you unstuck.
Scout would need to check things like wheelspin. The truck would also need to brake to prevent it from overspeeding once unstuck. But that's all easy on a modern EV.
The company points out that a typical 9,000-pound winch can demand 450 amps. That's a lot of current on a 12v system, and even EVs use a low-voltage 12v system to power accessories (except for the 48V Cybertruck). Reducing draw on that system is good for everything electrical.
There's no segment more competitive or more lucrative than the truck market. But it's not enough just to show up, you have to work to win over customers. These patents show that Scout seems to be trying to do just that.
