The industry has been predicting the extinction of the internal combustion engine for years but are battery-powered electrics really the wave of the future?

We take a deeper look and reveal some surprising facts here:

Let's Talk About Electric ATVs - ATVConnection.com

 

If I think I'm going to run out of gas on a long ride I can carry extra gas. I can't carry extra batteries for an electric ATV. They may catch on someday but I don't think it will be anytime soon.

 

Electric motors aren't the problem. They already have them that can out run anything on two or 4 wheels. Problem is that battery technology hasn't caught up. Even the first Polaris EV I was impressed with. Could pin you to the seat,but you were sitting on top of 8 marine batteries. Lithium polymer is about the newest and greatest,but still not there yet. Same thing on all the tvs,1080p, 4k capable but the most any network will broadcast is 1080i. Only can get 4k on Netflix,some programing on satellite and dvd with the 4k player.

 

Some of these look pretty impressive. Electric motors have a ton of torque. I just don't know if I would want to buy one right away. No track record on reliability. Obviously less moving parts than a gasoline engine but servicing the batteries could be extremely expensive. Think about it, diesel locomotives are powered by electric motors. The diesel engine just provides power to the electric generator that powers the drive wheels. I'm not sure I'm sold on how well the electric motors would hold up in high speed offroad conditions. It seems the performance is there but durability is still yet to be seen.

 

Just travel with a buddy with a gas model and a tow strap.

 

I wonder how heavy a battery powered ATV would be. If they're lead-acid batteries it must be a lot of weight.