Scout Motors plans to launch its extended-range electric SUV, the Traveler, in 2028.

The company hosted a brand event to showcase its prototypes and connect with potential customers at Rolling Stone's Stateside Fest, where I got an up-close look at the vehicles.

The Scouts look striking in person and could prove popular, but there are challenges in the new brand's future too.

Like many people caught on the precipice between Millennials and Gen Z, my wife and I are fans of Vermont folk singer Noah Kahan. This past Independence Day weekend, we drove two hours north to a daylong music festival he was headlining in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Guess who else we found there? EV startup Scout Motors.