Electric snowmobile quietly makes it way to Iqaluit
GN to test how well electric snowmobiles will work in Arctic temperatures
The Taiga Nomad is an electric snowmobile being tested by the Government of Nunavut. The cold-temperature testing will mainly be done next winter to get information on how electric snowmobiles fare in Nunavut’s frigid climate. (Photo by David Lochead)
When Gov. Gen. Mary Simon discussed climate change with youths in Sylvia Grinnell Park in Iqaluit in early April, her husband Whit Fraser drove up to the meeting place on a white snowmobile.
However this snowmobile was different. It was quieter. And it was electric.
“It’s a strange feeling to be on something that you don’t actually hear the engine running on,” said Cameron De Long, the Government of Nunavut’s climate change secretariat director, in an interview with Nunatsiaq News.
The electric snowmobile Fraser rode on is the Taiga Nomad, produced by Taiga Motors, a Canadian company that manufactures electric off-road vehicles, including snowmobiles.
The vehicle is in Iqaluit for the GN’s Environment Department to test how an electric snowmobile would fare in Arctic temperatures.
Testing is being done in Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park, traditionally known as Iqaluit Kuunga, where Parks Nunavut staff are using it for their daily operations.
Electric snowmobiles have been tested before in cold weather, but that has typically been done in more southern areas like Northern Ontario or Manitoba.
“They’re not being tested in environments where they may see consecutive days of -30 C, -40 C,” De Long said.
The GN only received the electric snowmobile in March, so it has been too warm for formal testing to begin. That will likely happen by the end of 2024 when Iqaluit gets back into winter.
This testing is being done so if there’s a demand for electric snowmobiles in the North in the future, the GN will know how well they work in colder temperatures.
An obvious benefit of an electric snowmobile would be financial: It takes close to 40 litres of fuel to fill the tank on a gas-powered machine.
De Long tested out the snowmobile himself with Parks Nunavut staff.
He said that being used to the sound of a combustion-engine snowmobile, he had to ask if the machine was ready to go when he turned it on because it was so quiet.
Staff assured him the electric snowmobile was ready.
“It’s really quick, the power is instantaneous,” De Long said.
“Once you touch the throttle, it takes right off.”
This model, the Taiga Nomad, uses a 120-volt charge that can be plugged in through a typical outlet.
At 120 volts, it will likely take eight to 10 hours to fully charge if empty. De Long said there is an option to install a 240-volt option.
Similar to the way a cellphone battery dies more quickly in the cold, so does an electric snowmobile’s range which is roughly cut by half, De Long said. The Nomad’s usual range of approximately 100 kilometres would be reduced to 50 kilometres.
He doesn’t expect to see electric snowmobiles being employed soon for traditional uses such as going out on the land to hunt.
“We’re not naive in suggesting that this technology at this point in time is going to replace the long-tested history of internal combustion engines in the North,” De Long said.
In the near future, though, it may be possible for someone to drive an electric snowmobile to their cabin on a warmer day, and recharge it there if the cabin has energy through solar panels.
In the long term, De Long said travelling between communities on an electric snowmobile could be possible if there is the right charging infrastructure available at cabins along the way.
“I do see that as a possibility, but nothing in the short term,” he said.
Typical outlet plug-in for electric vehicle that is run by diesel power plant. LOL. Can’t wait to see how many power outages we are going to see in winter with this farce.
What do you do , when you travel 150 mile on a caribou hunting trip ,bring a electric charger. still going to bring naptha for the colman stove and lateran of course. How much for this machine ?
Retail 21-25K,freight not incl., no taxes and other fees.
way to exspensive for nothing.
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check it out, very interesting he bought a cheap electric motor and inverter EV Kit online and he made one himself, i just had to share and show all of you.
Lets see how the batteries work when it hits -50°c
yes that’s why it’s being tested
There won’t be any demand for electric snowmobiles in the north, and why would we opt for a 240 volt, we won’t be able to pay our power bills.
Did the manufacturer give the machine to the GN in exchange for cold weather performance data? If not, I’d like to know who authorized this expenditure for the GN. There is no need to do any kind of testing from the GM’s perspective. It is plain to see the whole thing is non-viable. There are no cost savings if the electricity comes from a diesel generator. If range is 100km in ideal conditions and without towing anything, how could this possibly compete with a conventional snowmobile that can do 200-250kms on one tank? You can also refill a gas tank in minutes instead of 8 to 10 hours. The solar panel at your near-by cabin idea is nice, but it won’t work before March, when there is enough sunlight to make solar panels viable at this latitude. Hope you’re having fun with your toy.
Thus far these have achieved horrendous results. Their range is cut by over 60% in the cold of March during testing. There needs to be significant advancements before they can be anything besides a town vehicle at best and even then why spend time and money doing a full charge when you lose more than 50% to the cold.
Makes no sense but progress is good regardless and I have no doubt eventually it will get there
Test one for the up coming fishing derby here and hunting let’s see it does
I d sooner go long distance snowmobling on a Ski-Doo Elan then this novelty item !
What’s wrong with trying new things? Everything in the world is tested and if it doesn’t work it doesn’t work, but if it does great, people should have an options of what they want, this is what capitalism is about it. You don’t have to get one if it ever gets into mass production. I am pretty sure the vehicle you drove whether it be a car, truck, atv or snowmobile was tested at one point or another.
Agreed — good for these guys in trying something new. Sure it may not work but one day gas will be 5 bucks a liter and filling up that snowmachine will hurt more than ever. Here’s to hoping it works great and then all these naysayers will go silent.
Alberta’s winter answered a lot of these questions. There was a two week stretch of bitterly cold temperatures and if I remember right, -48 for 4 days straight. To be clear, this is not wind chill.
Proponents have always argued that these modern batteries will not lose power in the cold in the same manner batteries have in the past. This is pretty controversial, but it seemed at least, a lot of Alberta EV drivers have been supporting this.
What did happen this winter though was EV owners discovered that the batteries will not take a charge at all in the extreme cold. I know Tesla was guilty and I don’t believe any EV, regardless of manufacturer, did any better. So all the outside chargers were all but useless in -40 and no matter how long you left them charging, the batteries took no charge.
So, it is looking right now like, if you want an electric vehicle to charge in -40 or lower, you better have a nice warm garage to warm it up in.
Testing of this sort is needed otherwise nothing would ever get reworked and improved. Be wary however because recently Taiga layed off production /assembly in Montreal and put expansion plans in Shawinigan on indefinite hold If things don’t turn around parts and support may be non-existent.
Bring gas and generator for long trips. Kind of defeats the purpose of going gasless
If I don’t burn gas somebody else will. Also how are you going to charge it up, when you’re miles away camping or hunting?
The same place you get gas when you are miles away from town hunting…
People ride electric bikes here in winter (-15, -20 C) by adapting. On a bike you can take a spare battery pack and swap them for extra range. In colder temperatures, you charge the battery inside. If the snowmobile has a removable battery it can be recharged in a cabin that has power while the other battery is in the vehicle.
This is not something the nanny state should get involved with Dumb idea anyway given how batteries perform at minus 35 degrees.
Keep them liberal ski-doos in California we wanna hear them go BRRAP BRAAP 🤣🤣🤣
Electric snowmobile for recreational purposes. Not work or long haul. I doubt the batteries will last more than half hour on a charge up north.
Test it in the kivalliq region. We don’t shy away from blowing snow conditions.
Electricity in the North is generated by diesel. The power plant will burn twice as much diesel to supply the electric motor with the same energy vs using a regular 4 stroke snowmobile gasoline engine. Electric transportation is only “clean” if the source of energy is clean.
And snow has one name in inuktitut and it’s aputi. You guys misinformed lol it’s the conditions it’s left in that you guys think of. Yous have to be bipolar to think snow has many inuk names.
This would be fine for getting around town, but it will never work on the land.
Laugh off the electric snow machine. Or realize all travel is now traveling at hypersonic speed to become none. No new roads. Banning 80% of gas cars, trucks in six years means no gas anything for travel.
And dog teams won’t be much of an option. When talk is culling, all domesticated animals. Because they cause too much co2 farming their food. Tuktu better hold their farts.
TV news is reporting the US president is considering in the coming months to claim a climate emergency. Giving the president extraordinary dictatorial powers. Around 130 war time like powers to drop in place and without a vote, The Green New Deal. Will Canada follow?
If electric everything is the Nunavut Gov cheer. Where are all the new diesel tank farms springing up to supply the pretend all electric vehicles’ charges? Oh yeah. Building more solar and diesel generated wind turbine farms.
Only to blast up electricity power rates. To guarantee it’ll be impossible to afford any travel by anything electric… car, snow machine or atv. We are to become the new cowardly Wizard of Oz, lion… I do believe in climate change. I do believe in climate. I do! I do! I do! To accept without question. A forever climate lockdown… no travel to believe it’ll save the world.
If it would actually charge itself while running, than I’d definitely think about buying one, this day and age I’m sure they can come up with a generator/inverter installed and capable of charging batteries on the Go!!..