Scout Motors, a Volkswagen Group brand, will offer a gasoline-powered range extender for its upcoming Terra pickup and Traveler SUV models, as part of a strategy to address continued range concerns for large electric vehicles. The update was disclosed by Volkswagen CFO Arno Antlitz during the group’s first-quarter earnings call, with further details reported by Automotive News.
The auxiliary unit, named the “Harvester,” is a four-cylinder internal combustion engine that will act solely as a generator to recharge the vehicle’s battery on the go. According to Antlitz, the engine will not include turbocharging and will be produced at Volkswagen’s Silao plant in Mexico, operational since 2013. Scout had previously referred to the range extender as a “good, high-output, four-cylinder, small engine.”
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Scout plans to mount the engine behind the rear axle in a location that isolates noise and vibration. The company’s Senior Director of Strategy noted that the unit is “so far away you don’t hear it, you don’t feel it,” allowing the vehicle to retain the quiet, refined driving characteristics of an electric vehicle.
In standard configuration, the Terra and Traveler will offer approximately 350 miles of driving range, using a 120-kWh battery pack. The Harvester-equipped versions are expected to reach up to 500 miles, though only 150 miles will be all-electric. The addition of the engine reduces the battery capacity by nearly half. Acceleration for the electric models is targeted at 0–60 mph in 3.5 seconds, while the range-extended versions are expected to take one second longer.
See also: Scout CEO Confirms Battery Details: NMC for BEV, LFP for EREV in Terra and Traveler
Scout is among several automakers turning to range-extending technology as a transitional solution for heavy-duty EVs. Past examples include the Chevrolet Volt and BMW i3, while the upcoming Ram 1500 Ramcharger will use a similar V6-based system. VW aims to roll out range extenders in China first, followed by Europe.
Although Scout unveiled prototypes of the Terra and Traveler last October, mass production is not expected until late 2027. Vehicles will be assembled at a new $2 billion factory in Blythewood, South Carolina, which is anticipated to employ more than 4,000 people and produce up to 200,000 units annually.