The electric pickup revolution hasn’t quite taken off the way automakers hoped. With slow sales and lingering consumer anxiety about charging infrastructure, many manufacturers are rethinking their all-electric strategies. Stellantis recently scrapped its fully electric Ram 1500 REV to focus on an extended-range version. Now, Scout Motors — the Volkswagen Group-backed revival of the classic American off-roader brand — has seen the same trend play out with its own customers.
Demand speaks loud and clear
According to Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh, over 80% of early reservation holders for the upcoming Terra pickup and Traveler SUV have opted for the extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) versions rather than the fully electric ones. “The market has spoken,” Keogh told Bloomberg. “Over 80% of the reservations are for the range extender.”
That’s a telling figure. Of Scout’s 130,000 total reservations, roughly 100,000 are for the models that combine electric drive with a gasoline generator — a clear sign that even as EV tech improves, American truck and SUV buyers still crave the reassurance of a fuel backup.
How the EREV works
The EREV setup offers the best of both worlds. The wheels are powered solely by electric motors, but a small internal combustion engine acts as a generator to recharge the battery on the go. This setup eliminates range anxiety while keeping the driving experience fully electric.
Scout’s all-electric Terra and Traveler will use a nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery with around 120 kilowatt-hours of capacity, promising roughly 350 miles of range. The EREV versions, meanwhile, will use a smaller and cheaper lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery — about half the size — capable of roughly 150 miles of electric driving before the gasoline engine kicks in.
That engine, a naturally aspirated four-cylinder mounted behind the rear axle, will extend total driving range to around 500 miles. Both variants will share the same modular platform and support DC fast charging, meaning the difference comes down to how the vehicle handles long-distance travel.
Meeting the market halfway
Keogh admitted the company might prioritize launching the EREV version first. “In life, you like to meet the market,” he said. “So certainly we would probably lean with the EREV, but nothing we’ve announced yet.” Both versions are being developed simultaneously and can be produced on the same assembly line.
No return to combustion-only
Despite the market’s appetite for hybrids, Keogh was clear on one point: Scout won’t go backward. When asked about a combustion-only vehicle, his answer was firm. “I don’t see it,” he said. “The world is still heading electric. The technology is there, the innovation is there. We’re just at the beginning.”
Looking to 2027 and beyond
Scout Motors’ first vehicles are scheduled to enter production in late 2027 at a new $2 billion facility in Blythewood, South Carolina. Volkswagen has already added another $300 million to the investment.
For a brand that once defined rugged American adventure, Scout’s new path balances nostalgia with pragmatism. The message is clear: the future is electric — just not all at once.
