Posted on 05/16/2022 5:45:28 AM PDT by SmokingJoe
They’re quieter and better for the climate. But snow and water create new technological challenges for designers.
Battery-powered snowmobiles produced by Taiga Motors at a charging port in Saint-Paulin, Quebec.Credit...Nasuna Stuart-Ulin for The New York Times
STOWE, Vt. — Snowmobiles are part of the winter soundtrack in this part of Vermont, at their worst shattering the stillness of the forest like motorcycles on skis. But the motorized sleds bouncing along a wooded mountain trail in February were silent except for the whoosh of metal runners on snow.
The machines, made by a start-up Canadian company, Taiga, were battery-powered — the first electric snowmobiles to be sold widely — and symbols of how conveyances of all kinds are migrating to emission-free propulsion. Taiga is also offering battery-powered personal watercraft, another form of recreation where the gasoline version is regarded in some circles as a scourge.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The 2-cycle smoke is part of the fun of snowmobiles.
If you own a townhouse, an electric mower is great.
I have a battery run weed whacker.
Its a lot lighter than the old gas burner. And I have an extra battery so there’s no pause to recharge.
That being said, I would worry about having a vehicle that uses the technology. Its not likely you could bring back-up batteries with you.
Amen....... Briggs and Stratton is in trouble as small gasoline engines are replaced on everything including residential riding lawn mowers.
I wasn’t a fan of electric things until I got a little 10 inch electric chainsaw. It’s easy to start, starts all the time, and perfect for taking small brush and branches up to about 3”. The gas one is good for larger jobs, but the little one is great for grab and go.
I bought my wife an electric mower that she can use around the garden, she loves it, but it seems like a toy for doing the lawn.
I’ve had battery powered drilled for years, of course, but the batteries don’t seem to last very long for lengthy projects. I try to have two charged and ready to go, but they eventually die, and are expensive.
I’m not so sure about a battery powered Snowmobile.
it’s not the reduced battery capacity in the cold that I question, its the additional weight that is detrimental to a snowmobile running in deep powder snow.
I suppose it would be fine on groomed trails, as long as you can make the trail loop back to the trailhead and your trailer.
Hear, hear.
The electric mower I bought this year has been great so far on my small lawn. It even mulches!
No hassle with mixing oil with gas, either.
I’d worry about having my snowmobile battery die 25 miles out of Rangley with the sun going down. There aren’t charging stations along the routes, like there are gas stations.
Not me! I love my big Snapper riding mower! And I can cut my acre of yard three times with one tank and have gas still.
If you are foolish enough to head into the boondocks on a partial charge, you should take along a spare battery
When things make sense, I’m open to change. Remember those awful CFL light bulbs? Hated them, refused to buy any. Now there are LED bulbs, and there are few places I’d use incandescent over LED. I really like LED bulbs.
So, electric weed whacker? I have one, love it. If I had a rural lot with heavy weeds, this thing wouldn’t do it. I have a 1/3 acre suburban lot, the electric weed whacker always works and requires no maintenance.
An electric lawn mower? Don’t have one yet, but I’d buy one. Electric leaf blower, you bet, however, for heavy work, can’t beat gas powered, yet. I have both.
Small stuff, electric is great. A car? Not ready for prime time.
I am by no means convinced that electric motors are a solution for every transportation problem.
Electric motors are marvelous, far superior to internal combustion in almost every way. Lighter, more efficient, provide much more torque across wide ranges of RPM, etc. There’s a reason that diesel locomotives contain siesel generators and electric motors.
And electric motors are far more reliable. Every home contains multiple electric motors that run for thousands of hours per year for many decades without maintenance.
But batteries suck. They don’t suck as badly as they used to, but they still suck. The energy density is simply too low.
There are use cases where it works, and use cases where it doesn’t.
A snowmobile that spends weeks in the garage and then a couple of hours on the trail, every once in a while, may be one of them.
Auxiliary propulsion for a sailboat may be another.
Yeah, and where do these idiots think the power comes from to charge the batteries?
Good thing electricity is magic.
I bought a Greenworks 16” chainsaw a couple of years ago. It’s powerful enough for 90% of what I cut. I think one of the reasons I have neck problems in old age is the decades of starting Stihls.
Liberal mind set is a follows: If it is fun or tastes good, TAKE IT AWAY. If it moves tax it. If it does not move subsidize it. Free speech is an archaic concept. Left wing violence is good and freedom of expression.
We are your overlords.
But battery all the way? Nope. My wife and I have 2 cars and will keep one of them as an ICE car (gas powered). Plus my riding mower for my large yard still has to be gas powered. So I completely disagree with the Dims forcing us to get off fossil fuels. And I disagree with the NYT article's premise that battery tech is better for the environment than gas powered items.
These electric snow mobiles will take you out in the boonies to the point where you will freeze to death. Enjoy the chill!🥶
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.