Ask the Editors: So Where Are All The Electric Quads?

By Jason Giacchino - April 3, 2022

Why isn’t the motor of the future available now?

Dear ATVC: Any news of the big boys (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki) coming out with an electric utility quad yet? The market seems to have been left to Chinese cheapos for kids and overpriced machines made by “specialists”. Tesla’s offering is priced right where you would expect a US made child’s ATV to be, so there shouldn’t be a big difference in manufacturing costs. For some applications electric is ideal. Farmers for instance, overnight charge in the barn, run for up to 8 hours then back on charge again.

Excellent question! We’ve been wondering the same thing. The answer for the delay may surprise you. The major ATV/ SxS OEMs know internal combustion powered equipment – they know it well. Years and years of engineering refinements have their process down to a, pardon the on-the-nose pun, well oiled machine.

While the process of an electric powered alternative seems straight forward enough on paper, this technology requires major R&D to insure the performance, longevity and durability each brand’s customers have come to expect. The truth is, no matter what anybody tells you, nobody really knows how long modern battery packs will last in the long run, if eventual full replacement will be the only option, or how much the consumer can expect to pay if that proves to be the case.

Right when the process of really putting R&D dollars into these arenas began to get serious, the planet slid into extended pandemic mode, followed literally by global upheaval, record inflation, supply shortages, inability to reliably secure componentry (keep in mind that chip shortage still isn’t resolved). The reason we aren’t seeing a constant stream of innovation in these matters is very unfortunate timing.

So how are the off-brands and big box stores making it happen? Simple – when you need worry about things like warranty or even R&D (these are typically built of long expired Japanese patents), it’s fairly easy to drop in electric motors, a battery and call it a day. Factors like reliability, customer service and repeat buyers aren’t really their concern.

All of that being said, Polaris is the first to push forward with the Ranger Kinetic XP EV. This fully electric SxS is just now shipping and the brand has plans of integrating the motor package in other models of the line barring no surprises during real-world applications. We would imagine a full EV Sportsman from them within a year or two with the rest of the big brands following suit.

Arctic Cat also offers the Prowler EV fully electric SxS.

HISUN is also on the scene – they are a company that assembles their machines overseas but operates out of Texas, working hard to offer the type of service, support and reliability customers expect from the major OEMs. They offer the Sector E-1 SxS, a full electric running what they call a maintenance-free Discover Dry Cell battery.

If the wait for the rest of the major players proves too much, American brand DRR is offering full EV quads (and UTVs) with MSRPs comparable to the major OEMs, warranty and dealership parts support.