Last week I spent a few days at the ERX Motor Park in Minnesota testing the new 2022 Polaris UTV lineup. The entire line was quite impressive but the big news was the Polaris Ranger EV. Earlier this year Polaris announced that they had teamed up with Zero Motorcycles to create a Ranger EV to integrate their existing tech into their already proven UTV platform. With all the buzz about EV vehicles, the Ranger platform is the perfect place to start to convert utilitarian users such as farmers, ranchers, and even hunters to EV users. Polaris treated the group of media to a pretty amazing demo where they highlighted the primary benefits of the Ranger EV platform. The first demonstration was towing capacity torque where the Ranger EV easily pulled a full size dually with an enclosed trailer. Something I would have never thought to attempt with any light truck, let alone a UTV.
The next demonstration showcased the amount of throttle control the EV platform allows by doing a bit of balancing on a giant teeter-totter. I can think of many scenarios when this would come in handy, especially when rock crawling.
The final demonstration was pure acceleration torque. The holy grail of the superiority of the EV platform, and boy does this vehicle rip. I asked to drive it even though I knew the answer was going to be no because I wanted to feel the raw power of the EV torque. I honestly cant’ wait to drive one.
Once again Polaris is leading the market in innovation with EV UTV’s. I can’t wait until this technology is available in the General, and RZR platforms. Even on long rides, the drone of the current UTV engines can get monotonous. I look forward to having the option to ride out in nature and hear more sounds of nature and less of the vehicle sound. Also selfishly I want to see EV’s racing off-road. I think it’s the perfect platform to prove and refine the technology showcasing it’s benefits to the world.
