Polaris Introduces All-Electric Ranger, Signals Shift in Off-Road Market

@EBFlex, there are advantages and disadvantages. It won't fit every use case. It may fit some use cases better. Example 1: I use a 60 volt electric blower for my yard now, but my new favorite blower is a little 20 volt 'shop blower' (about 20 inches long) that I keep inside the house by the back door. I use it for about 8 seconds at a time to blow leaves and pine needles out the door and away from the door. No fumes, no oil, no mess, no fuss. It was cheap and the battery 'range' is Just Fine for my use case. [I would never use a gasoline-powered blower in the same way - for Many Reasons.] Example 2: At high school marching band competitions around here, many schools use John Deere Gators or similar to move equipment and props from the trailers to the football field and back. An electric utility vehicle would be quieter (a plus for obvious reasons), and range would not be a concern. [The use is highly intermittent and seasonal, which isn't ideal for some ICE components.] https://tinyurl.com/yckrtbxb [The John Deere TE 4x2 uses six Trojan T-105 lead acid batteries. Biggest issue would be making sure no one let them freeze while discharged - a $30 smart trickle charger would prevent this. But just in case, a six-pack of replacement batteries is $1,600 at Amazon - some of the bands would pay that much without blinking.]

I could see quite a few places where you'd might want an electric model. Countries with expensive gas, worksites where you're driving in poorly ventilated spaces, with the mining industry, in parks with noise restrictions, etc. You could also run that thing in the night without the neighbors complaining. I'd imagine the EV model has also lower maintenance costs in the long run, something else the commercial operator's looking for.

@Garak: It would also be good for search and rescue. In a search, with a gas model, the noise could drown out the sound of someone calling for help. With an electric, the searchers have a better chance of hearing them.

@ToolGuy Tool guy: Those examples are not, in any way shape or form, analogues. A small leaf blower and a large ORV seem to have very different uses but YMMV. For your extremely specific example on a football field, yes, that one vehicle would be ideal for an electric. But I would imagine, if an entity is purchasing a $15k-$20k vehicle like that, it would be used for more things than just a few football games a year.

@EBFlex The NFL is only off for a few weeks. The vehicles are used year-round. Distances aren't huge. Some of them do end up sitting around and that's where the problems can occur. Sitting parked is not good for gas engines. Other problems with the gas vehicles can be noise they make. During the week you have interviews being conducted in rooms off the tunnels and often video shoots by sponsors producing commercials. When that happens, they shut down movement by gas vehicles in the tunnels. The Polarises, John Deer Gators, and gas forklifts get parked. The Polarises are used a lot by parking management/supervision and security. Both need the capability of getting through unplowed snow. With the furthest parking lot within a mile, you don't need a lot of range.

@EBFlex, I get lost with all the ATV/UTV terminology, but a couple more examples hopefully closer to the mark: - I can use a small electric utility vehicle inside (and outside) a convention hall to do setup for an auto show. - I can use a small electric utility indoors on a soundstage, or outdoors during a video or movie shoot without generating a lot of noise (or offending the sensitive noses of the talent). - I could use a small electric utility to do maintenance in the 8-story deep underground parking garage I used to park in. The range is more than adequate, and the electric vehicle directly addresses significant shortcomings of an ICE in these applications. Note that these three use cases could also be addressed by an F-150 Lightning, with the additional advantage of it providing some amount of onboard power. The point of the 'analogues' was: Choose the right tool for the job. What might be a 'joke' in some contexts is just perfect for some jobs, sometimes uniquely so. [The bands perform at football games, but I was referring to contests. It's a big deal - do a google image search on 'high school band trailer'.]

@Garak "in parks with noise restrictions" Last time I went camping (state park, reserved spot, tent-beside-the-car setup), here comes the ranger putt-putting by on the gasoline utility vehicle every few hours. Then here comes the ginormous gasoline riding mower, followed by the Incredibly Loud and Very Dirty gasoline blower. Felt just like being at home. :-)

@ToolGuy [Oh, then there is the gasoline-powered auger that another ranger and I may have used to install lantern posts at each campsite - I'm sure the other campers were thrilled that day.]

@Garak "I could see quite a few places where you’d might want an electric model." I'll bet my paycheck Polaris sells these things as quickly as they can build them(probably be a waiting list) & they'll only expand their offering of EV products going forward. Anyone that thinks otherwise is a fool and clueless about the world they are currently living in. My company is a supplier for Polaris & we are already submitting quotes for parts of other Polaris electric vehicles they intend on building. Next time I speak with a family member who is a design engineer for Polaris snow, I'll ask him if they have any electric snowmobile prototypes they are working on. What do think his answer will be?

@Carlson Fan Honestly, just the low maintenance of the electric drivetrain sounds appealing to me. Gas or diesel Rangers aren't exactly maintenance free vehicles, there's plenty of routine work to be done, and the engines don't have especially long lives. With the EV variant you lose oil change, CVT pulleys, changing the belt, air cleaner, fuel pump, starter, valve adjustments, fuel filter and whatnot. There's so much less stuff that needs fiddling with or routine replacements. I'll bet the running costs are a fraction compared to a gas model.

@Garak Another thing is that I sneak up on deer all the time on my mountain bike. I'm sure it would be the same on a hunting trip with one of these electric polarises. You might need 120 miles range hunting on a gas polaris, but maybe only 10 with an electric because you'll probably bag a deer much sooner.

@ToolGuy ORV is just off road vehicle. A more broad term than ATV or UTV. And again, those are not analogous. Those are all hyper specific examples and frankly, not the target market of Polaris. They want this severely compromised toy to take the place of their true ATVs/UTVs. It takes longer to refill, has a much shorter range, and costs more. It has the exact same compromises as EVs. Until they fix either the range or recharge times, this (and EVS in general) are nothing more than niche vehicles that make a great second or third vehicle. But as primary transportation, they have a long way to go.

@Garak "Another thing is that I sneak up on deer all the time on my mountain bike." No....you don't.

You're probably thinking of their gas-powered models which do have a problem with catching fire. Hopefully the electric models don't have that problem: https://www.minnpost.com/business/2020/02/fire-problems-continue-to-plague-popular-models-of-polaris-off-road-vehicles/