How Scout Motors survives a Trump presidency

No matter which side of the political spectrum you lean on, it’s safe to say that the next four years are going to be different than the previous four. One of Trump’s main initiatives is to roll back the EV tax credits and other green energy initiatives. For some EV manufacturers, that could mean doom and gloom for a long time. How does an EV-only manufacturer survive when there are no incentives to help drive price or innovation?

What does that mean for Scout? A few weeks ago, the company officially launched with two products — the Terra and the Traveler — that should go on sale sometime in or around 2027. There is a range-extended version of the product, but they’re fundamentally two electric vehicles launching at a time when electric vehicles might not be in favor.

Unlike some EV-only makes, I think Scout will be able to weather the storm. The plan in South Carolina isn’t finished, and no governor is going to help stop the construction of something that’ll employ thousands of South Carolinians and bring tax revenue to the state. Assuming there are typical delays in launching a new product, it’s very possible it’s mid- to late-2028 before the first models come off the assembly line.

Trump is scheduled to leave office on January 20th, 2029 at high noon.

While it’s unclear at this point how popular President-elect Trump is going to be while he’s in office, history has shown that when one party controls the House and the Senate, plus the Executive branch, there is often a pendulum swing in the other direction at the next set of elections. If that is the case, Scout will be coming online right when the political winds are blowing in its direction.

We’ll have to wait and see, of course, but Scout might be right on track with the launch of its new company.