One of the hottest topics in the world of transportation is certainly electrification. If you recall, when the very first electric cars arrived, no one would have bet that this type of powertrain would now be part of our daily lives! However, today, this is indeed the case, all car manufacturers have followed suit by developing different hybrid or fully electric cars and trucks in their own way. Charging stations are constantly multiplying to improve the network, thus allowing for wider use.
In 2021, the Quebec manufacturer announced an investment of $300 million over the next five years in the development of electrical products. These currently include Sea-Doo and Sea-Doo board, Ryker, Sonic E-Kart, motorcycle and now snowmobile. At the time of writing, no decision had been made on the production of the snowmobile. The latter is undeniably in the company’s future plans, but several points are currently being studied.
The BRP Customer Experience Center…
It is with great pleasure that we accepted the invitation to join the team at the BRP Customer Experience Centre in Montebello to test drive this new electric snowmobile. The Customer Experience Centre was set up in July 2022 to introduce the public to BRP products. The Montebello centre is BRP’s very first centre in a global strategy aimed at future expansion in Quebec and even on a larger scale. The customer has the option of renting BRP snowmobiles in the winter, Can-Am off-road vehicles year-round
He can also enjoy water sports in the summer with the Sea-Doo range, pontoon and personal watercraft! You will also find a BRP clothing rental center on site. Which will allow you to practice your activity safely and well-dressed depending on the season. For further information: support@expériencesbrp.com
In the world of snowmobiling…
As a result of various posts we made during our trial, the comments were very mixed, with some seeing future possibilities while others were simply in denial. And the main point of contention was undoubtedly the snowmobile’s current range and performance. And since we are first and foremost a magazine that is aimed at enthusiasts who are mostly snowmobilers at heart, many people forgot the goals and orientations of such a snowmobile at BRP, where the market targeted at first glance is not that of the seasoned snowmobiler, who travels on the trail.
Some data…
The snowmobile’s lithium-ion battery uses a Type 2 charging socket. The approximate recharge time is 1.5 hours for 10%-80% and less than three hours for a 0-100% charge. In terms of weight, we’re talking about 539 pounds as net weight, which looks very similar to the gas-powered model. The top speed is 60 km/h with a maximum output of 50 horsepower. The chassis used is that of the Gen5 introduced in 2023
Interestingly, the inside of the side panels is simply deserted.
Only a small chain cover connecting the engine to the sprocket is present. This on the right side of the snowmobile as is the case for traditional snowmobiles.
No clutch is present, since the power comes directly from the electric motor without any intermediate parts. The well-known 10.25-inch display dial is used. But the engineers have modified the display to convey battery data as well as other essential driving data
We’re talking about a 129-inch track with 0.75-inch lugs to reduce the rotating weight as much as possible. And like any electric vehicle, you need a plug out, and the engineers used the usual starter rope space to position the plug receptacle for the built-in Type 2 outlet.
For whom?
This type of snowmobile could very well be used in a ski hill, for example, for the transportation of employees. Ice fishing centres, as well as other places where tranquility is the order of the day, would also certainly be interested and very well served by this type of gear. This is the market BRP is targeting for the moment.
How many times as a snowmobiler have you come across a series of rented snowmobiles with a guide up front that doesn’t exceed 30 kilometres per hour? This type of user could very well drive a snowmobile like the one tested for rent for a short period of time. This snowmobile would simply be safer, and less intimidating for the first time.
Everyone will agree that an uninitiated person, who is not a fan of motorsports, who tries a 600 cc snowmobile for the very first time, for example, can be very impressed and even become dangerous for others. This type of snowmobile would probably be ideal for this person.
My impressions of the test…
The most difficult part of our job as a columnist is to put yourself in the shoes of the potential user, i.e. for whom the product will be intended. We also noticed that several testers present made remarks without applying this rule.
During our 25 kilometres, we had time to get used to the new sled. The most impressive thing is to find the friction point without hearing any noise. Subsequently, when you are moving, the only noises come from the rotation of the track and a faint little whistling sound from the electric motor
The power is well distributed over the throttle range, halfway through the stroke you get about 50% of the maximum power, etc. The maximum speed reached is 60 km/h. The acceleration is very gradual and relatively slow.
Which makes it a very predictable and less impressive snowmobile for an introduction to this sport. BRP’s advertised battery life capacity is about 50 kilometres at a speed of 25 km/h, and it seemed quite realistic to us, because after 25 kilometres of travel, the remaining power fluctuated between 48 and 52% on most snowmobiles used.
More ecological… Oh, really?
This is really the topic of the day, where several publications, studies and reviews are clouding the cleaner picture of transportation electrification. Immediate use is certainly more environmentally friendly than a gas-powered vehicle, there’s no doubt about that. But if we look at the whole process, the picture is quite different. Some studies claim that even if an electric car were driven 300,000 kilometres in Quebec. A plug-in vehicle would never be able to catch up with the ecological footprint of its production on resource depletion. Demand for minerals such as graphite and lithium is growing rapidly, and many researchers believe that if all vehicles on the planet were electric, these resources would be depleted in just a few decades.
In conclusion…
The perfect solution still does not exist. There is still a significant tension between the pollution directly related to the use and the global pollution emanating from the entire production chain. However, we can be assured that many manufacturers care about the ecological footprint. A lot of dollars are invested in finding and implementing cleaner energies that will reduce pollution as a whole!
We would like to thank the people at BRP who invited us to participate in this future project. It was very pleasant to share our visions on the future of such a product in the snowmobile world.
