A Canadian company called Taiga Motors last week revealed a prototype of what it is calling the world's first electric snowmobile.

According to Electrek, Taiga Motors was created by a trio of McGill University grads who used their time in that school's engineering program to learn how to build electric powertrains.

The result is the TS2, which Taiga designed, engineering and built from the ground up as an electric snowmobile, rather that retrofitting a gas machine with a battery and electric motor.

That allowed the team to keep the TS2's weight "under 500 lbs" (about 225 kg), which they says is competitive with contemporary gas-powered machines.

Meanwhile, Taiga says its creation boasts 107 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque from an electric motor fed by a 15 kWh battery pack that's good for 100 km of range and a three-second 0-100 km/h acceleration sprint. Taiga also talks up the fact the TS2's drivetrain requires much less maintenance than a gas-powered snowmobile.

Charging times are two hours at 240 volts; optionally, a DC fast charger will take the battery to 80 percent capacity in 20 minutes.

Its maker says the TS2 is "fully connected," coming equipped with LTE and wi-fi connectivity and GPS, a 7.0-inch all-digital dashboard, driver-selectable performance settings and over-the-air software updates.

Taiga is currently taking reservations with a refundable $500 deposit and aims to bring the TS2 to market next year at a starting price of US$15,000, which is closer to CAD$20,000 at current exchange rates. That would make it one of the pricier snowmobile offerings.

Snow business

3/5/2018 3:05:33 PM

3/5/2018 3:05:33 PM