Let’s Talk About Electric ATVs
Some people insist the days of internal combustion engines are coming to an end and that the future will find most every vehicle powered by battery-powered electric motors.
Interestingly electric ATVs really aren’t that new of a concept. Full size electrics have been out for about a decade now and minis have been battery-powered for even longer. Traditionally there have been some drawbacks though- namely long charge times, limited range on a charge (especially when compared to gasoline-powered counterparts) and a steep initial cost.
What’s it Like?
In addition to being few and far between, electric ATVs and UTVs will bring a very different riding experience to the table. For starters the noise- or lack thereof. Because electrics run silently, it can be a very unique experience to be tooling along in a full-size side-by-side and hear little more than the sound of tires rolling across the trail surface.
Another major difference is the way power is delivered. Unlike internal combustion engines, which steadily build power as RPMs increase, electric motors are far more instantaneous with their output. In fact, 100% of their torque is accessible literally at the flip of a switch. Because of this, engineers actually design rheostats at the throttle to meter out the torque on tap so as to more closely mimic what we’re accustomed to with a gasoline engine.
The Players
So if you decided electric was the way to go with your next ATV purchase, could you just stroll into the local dealership to get it done? Possibly. Polaris has offered an electric Ranger known as the EV for nearly a decade and a few other major manufacturers have been investing R&D funds in the all-electric pool but for the most part, full electrics are the domain of smaller manufacturers who specialize in nothing but electrics.
The reason for this? Starting from a fresh piece of paper and designing the vehicle from the ground up to operate with the unique traits of the electric motor is more efficient than trying to adapt a pre-existing design to make the switch from gasoline to electric.
One of the most promising new companies to arrive on the scene is Nikola Motor Company. Their Zero Electric UTV is being developed from a blank piece of paper to address nearly every single shortcoming of the electric package. Punching out an incredible 520HP and delivering a 0-60 time in just under 3-seconds, we are talking some serious performance on tap. They’re figuring range in the 1-200 mile ballpark between charges. About the biggest downside to this one comes in the form of initial investment: We’re looking at a $37,000 MSRP on the Zero.
Bad Boy Off Road offers both a gas/ electric hybrid side-by-side in the form of the Ambush as well as an all-electric 2 & 4 seater UTV called the Recoil. The two-passenger Recoil offers full time 4-wheel-drive, a 72V AC Electric Drivetrain and starts at $9,949.
HuntVe is another brand focusing on both full electric and gas/ electric hybrid UTVs out of Texas. We profiled their efforts here.
Missing in Action
Is there such a thing as being too forward thinking? It turns out, perhaps. Back in 2010 there was a lot of talk of electrics being the next big thing in the ATV world. A few brands like Eco Electric ATV and Barefoot Motors jumped into the fray with exclusive lines of electric 4×4 ATVs- unfortunately, both have gone out of business since.
