Scout Motors Terra electric truck: everything we know

By Christian de Looper Published November 1, 2024

There’s a new rugged electric vehicle manufacturer in town, or rather an old one that’s being revived in the era of EVs. Scout Motors is now a Volkswagen brand, and it recently unveiled its vision for an electric SUV and electric truck. The Scout Motors Terra truck is set to go head-to-head with the likes of the Rivian R1T, Ford F-150 Lightning, and even the Tesla Cybertruck.

The Terra actually has a few interesting features that could set it apart from the competition while coming in at a lower price point. Curious about the Scout Motors Terra electric truck and whether or not it could be your next vehicle? Here’s everything we know about it so far.

It’s clear that Scout Motors is shooting for a modern retro look with its latest vehicles. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, like Tesla is with the Cybertruck, but rather aiming to refine the truck while paying homage to the Scout Motors vehicles of old.

The Terra from the front looks much like the Scout Motors Traveler SUV. It has a black mask on the front that is designed to emulate classic Scout Motors vehicles — though here it’s not an actual grille, but instead a design element. Built into that black mask, you’ll find thin LED headlights that help set the vehicle apart from others. It’s a great look and indeed looks modern without going over the top.

The Terra has four doors with a 5.5-foot bed at the back. On the end of that bed, you’ll find a series of LED taillights — which look a little busier than the lights on the front of the vehicle, but still generally modern.

The Terra that Scout Motors has shown off so far features a matte gray paint that looks very premium, though you can expect it to be available in other colors too.

The interior of the vehicle looks excellent too. It’s minimalistic and sleek, with features like a wood-panel dash, while looking modern and offering all the controls you’ll need without having to dive into menus and take your attention off the road. It’s very reminiscent of Rivian vehicles, but in a good way.

More interesting than the basic build of the interior is the seat layout. By default, the Terra truck comes with two traditional rows, allowing it to seat five people in total — however, you can upgrade to a six-seater. No, that’s not through adding a third row, but instead by swapping out the first row for an old-school bench seat. It’s pretty cool that the bench seat is making a comeback, though to be fair, it remains to be seen how many people will actually take advantage of it, given the fact that doing so removes much of the interior storage.

At the front of the vehicle, two displays can be found: one for instrument monitoring and the other for infotainment. We don’t yet know exactly how large those displays are, nor exactly what software they will run. Hopefully, Scout Motors will either build its own modern and simple infotainment system or leverage Volkswagen Group’s partnership with Rivian for software. Regardless, we expect the software to be built on Android Automotive, even if it’s a heavily altered version of it.

The Scout Motors Terra truck is expected to be quick and powerful. According to Scout Motors, the vehicle is expected to be able to tow up to 10,000 pounds, which puts it on par with many of the electric truck alternatives. Like other electric trucks, expect towing heavy loads to dramatically reduce the range of the vehicle.

On top of its towing capacity, the vehicle is estimated to be able to accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 3.5 seconds, through its four-wheel drive system that leverages two motors to deliver a thousand pound-feet of torque. While the base model of the Terra will come with a dual-motor powertrain, it’s entirely possible that other configurations will be available at some point too.

The range of the Terra truck is perhaps one of the most interesting things about it. The base model of the truck will get up to 350 miles of range, which is already quite good.

However, Scout Motors has said that there will also be an extended range EV or EREV option that will offer over 500 miles of range. This is done through a gas engine that’s exclusively used to charge the battery and not to drive the wheels at all. It’s an interesting approach that we haven’t really seen much of yet, except for a few vehicles here and there.

The Terra is built on an 800-volt architecture that allows it to charge at up to 350 kilowatts. That means it will be able to make use of the fastest EV charging stations out there right now, which is excellent to see. We need more vehicles that can charge quickly if we want to combat range anxiety.

If you want the Scout Motors Terra for yourself, you’re not alone, but unfortunately, you’re going to have to wait a little while to get it. Initial production is set to start in 2027, though it’s entirely possible that could change at some point.

Scout Motors says that retail pricing will start at under $60,000, but with available incentives, the vehicle could cost as little as $51,500. That’s pretty impressive and makes the Terra cheaper than vehicles like the Rivian R1T and more in line with the likes of the Ford F-150 Lightning.