Snowmobiles finally get the Tesla treatment

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The humble snowmobile, a staple of winter travel in northern latitudes, is finally going electric.

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Also on the market is an electric snowmobile from Canada-based Taiga Motors Corp., which only makes battery-powered machines and has produced roughly 500 of them since launching in 2015. The Ski-Doo zips at up to 31 miles an hour and covers about 30 miles on a charge. Taiga says its version gets up to 62 miles per charge.

Snowmobiles aren’t a natural fit for electric drivetrains. Cold weather drastically crimps battery chemistry and range along with it, while the vehicle’s movement comes from what is essentially a conveyor belt of paddles pushing the snow. Friction is unavoidable. A bigger battery makes for more range, but adds weight that increases the friction, diminishing returns for riders.

Utility customers have “easy access to charging and they’re not traveling long distances,” Hermes said. By contrast, just five per cent of snowmobile use is job-related, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Polaris has been less strident about electrification, but says the technology is already a good fit for utility applications: farms, resorts, property managers and other work-related trips. “We’re going to be very intentional about where and when we chose to commercialize electric vehicles,” Hermes said. “But those customers tend to travel at slower speeds and shorter distances. And they’ve got easy access to charging.

 

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