Scout Motors site makes progress, CEO addresses tariffs, runoff, and direct sales

BLYTHEWOOD, SC (WOLO) — There’s been plenty of progress on construction of the new Scout Motors plant in Blythewood since its groundbreaking last February.

This morning ABC Columbia’s Lee Williams took a tour of the area and has more with the CEO of the electric vehicle manufacturer, Scott Keogh, who says the site is on track.

“We’re restoring an American icon called Scout. We’re building a factory right here in the heart of America, and of course we’re bringing fantastic jobs to America,” he says.

The $2 billion (1,600 acre) site off of Locklier Road will have four main buildings — encompassing 44,000 tons of steel. That’s equivalent to six Eiffel Towers.

It will include a body shop and paint shop — both nearly 17 football fields in size, an assembly line where Keogh says a large portion of the 4,000 employees will work, and a supplier area — with plans to have at least 50% of the supply base come from within 200 miles of the plant.

“Look it’s our simple hope that someday when the people of Blythewood travel throughout America, this is gonna be an absolute pride and badge of honor that says Scout my town in Blythewood, like Levi’s with San Francisco or Apple with Cupertino. And that’s exactly what we intend to do and I believe we collectively will do,” he says.

And while the Trump administration has currently paused most tariffs, Keogh says should things change again, Scout will navigate them as they come.

“Are we 100% everything localized in the United States as of right now? Absolutely not, but are these decisions we can make, are these dials we can turn? We can,” he says.

Also addressing issues like elevated traffic and noise in Blythewood, as well as what’s referred to as “runoff” at the site, or possible pollutants affecting the local environment.

Keogh citing Scout’s partnership with Richland County — who handles the moving of dirt and building of retaining ponds.

“Are there going to be speed bumps along the way? Zero debate. When they come, fix ’em. When they come fix ’em. And that’s what in fairness we’ve been doing, he says, continuing with, “We’re also not being naive ‘head in the sand partners,’ — ‘another sunny day here in Blythewood,’ no, this is immensely hard stuff!”

And when it comes to the possibility of Scout’s direct sale model being used in SC, Keogh says that decision is out of his hands.

“That’s in the hands of the legislators, and I assume they will do what’s right for South Carolinians and they’ll navigate it accordingly,” he says.

Some employee hiring is expected to begin this winter, and will amp up from there — in time for the plant’s projected opening at the end of 2027.