Polaris is planning a full-size electric RANGER by 2022.
The world of side-by-side UTVs just got a little more interesting with a tease announcement of an all-electric, full-size Polaris RANGER set to hit the market sometime in early 2022. Yes, you read that correctly. An electric UTV! Polaris unveiled their plans and a single teaser image of the front of the machine earlier this week.
The announcement comes about a year after Polaris announced a 10-year partnership effort with Zero Motorcycles to develop electric off-road machines and snowmobiles using the motorcycle company's Z-Force electric powertrains. Together, they're calling the collaboration between the companies their "rEV'd up" electrification strategy.
According to a press release, this is part of Polaris' larger plans for more electric vehicles in the powersports space. No word on Polaris' other UTVs like the RZR or GENERAL getting the electric treatment just yet, nor the company's line of quads like the Sportsman. However, it makes sense for the RANGER to be first as one of the pioneer machines of the side-by-side movement.
"As our top-selling off-road brand, RANGER has continually set the benchmark as the hardest working, smoothest riding UTV, leading the market in rider-inspired innovation," Polaris Off-Road President Steve Menneto said in the release. "The new electric powertrain will elevate the RANGER platform to a whole new level of capability, durability and performance."
Polaris didn't give any spec details on the machines other than to say they were full-size. Details on things like the type of battery, power, performance, and range will be released later. The release says they are targeting December 2021 for an official debut. The design and development are still ongoing in Minnesota with manufacturing taking place in Huntsville, Alabama. The hope is to have the first electric RANGERS on dealership floors in the early part of 2022. Polaris says they decided to enter the world of electric vehicles based largely off consumer interest and demand the last few years.
"Our rEV'd up strategy positions Polaris to help define yet another chapter in powersports innovation," interim Polaris INC CEO Mike Speetzen said in the press release. "With the rising interest in electrified vehicles, we are investing in electrification in order to meet the needs of current customers as well as to appeal to tomorrow's powersports riders. The all-new electric RANGER is our latest effort aimed at leading the industry forward in electrified powersports vehicles."
The only other nugget of information we were able to glean comes from the Zero Motorcycles website where the name "Zero X Polaris" was included with the announcement. We're not sure if that's a placeholder name or something they intend to use long-term. In any case, we will keep an eye on the happenings at Polaris and bring you more information on the electric RANGER when it finally arrives here at Wide Open Spaces. In the meantime, see the Polaris website for more information.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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