Happy Nice Mall

STOWE, Vt. — Snowmobiles are part of the winter music in this part of Vermont, and at worst they shatter the calm of the forest like ski motorcycles. But in February, the motor sledges bouncing on a wooded mountain road were quiet, save for the hum of metal sledges in the snow.

Machines made by a newly established Canadian company, Taigawere battery powered – the first widely sold electric snowmobiles – and symbols of how all types of vehicles are transitioning to emissions-free propulsion. Taiga also offers battery-powered personal watercraft, another form of entertainment where the petrol version is seen as a scourge in some quarters.

Electric cars are gaining the most attention, while electric lawnmowers, boats, bicycles, scooters and all-terrain vehicles are proliferating. In some categories, battery-powered machines are gaining market share faster than electric cars are conquering the automobile world. Startups lure investors by claiming to be the boat, bike, or Teslas of the lawn and garden industry.

The environmental benefits are potentially significant. Unlike cars and trucks, outboards or lawnmowers often do not have catalytic converters to reduce harmful emissions. They are noisy and often use lower quality fuel. A gasoline-powered lawnmower produces as much pollution as a 300-mile car ride an hour. California Air Resources Board.

California It passed legislation banning gasoline-powered lawnmowers starting in 2024 and all new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. However, even without government enforcement, sales of electric alternatives are on the rise.

One of the first customers of taiga snowmobiles was Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico, which marketed itself as an environmentally responsible ski resort. Taos Ski Patrol and trail maintenance workers will use electric snowmobiles for tasks such as transporting injured skiers or servicing snowmaking equipment, said David Norden, CEO of Taos Ski Valley. Taos also plans to commission an electric snowblower made by a German firm, Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug, when skiing resumes this year.

Mr Norden said the facility will save on fuel and maintenance costs, even if electric snowmobiles, which start at $17,500, are more expensive than their petrol counterparts, which can be bought for less than $10,000.

“If you do a cost-benefit analysis, you’re probably close to break-even,” he said. “These are good decisions not only for the environment, but also for our bottom line.”

But sometimes people switch to electric power because it offers practical advantages.

According to a survey by research firm Freedonia Group, buyers of electric lawn and garden equipment cite noise reduction, low maintenance costs and no need to store gas cans in the garage as top priorities. Generally, electric leaf blowers or string trimmers are cheaper and lighter than petrol versions.

The lawn and garden industry switched to electric faster than the automobile industry. Electric lawn mowers, leaf blowers and other equipment accounted for 17 percent of the United States market in 2020, according to Freedonia. That’s more than triple the share of electric vehicles in the US auto market.

Many people are hesitant to buy an electric car because they are worried that they will run out of electricity while they are away from the charger. Range anxiety is not a backyard concern.

“You don’t have to worry about going on a long trip with a lawnmower,” said Jennifer Mapes-Christ, director of commercial and consumer products research at Freedonia.

But electric boats and other vehicles often present technological challenges. Electric power works for smaller watercraft or boats that don’t go very far. In hundreds of lakes where conventional outboards are banned due to noise or pollution, it’s the only option.

However, because water creates so much resistance, large motorboats need sustained power in amounts beyond what batteries available today can provide. (Sailboats have of course been powered by wind power for thousands of years.)

Batteries are “part of the answer to the future, but not the full answer,” said David Foulkes, CEO of Brunswick, which manufactures Mercury marine engines.

Still, Mercury has introduced a prototype electric outboard and is watching the transition to electrification carefully.

“We aim to be a leader in this space,” said Mr Foulkes, who is battery powered. porsche. “Even if the market is small right now, we want to be there and see what the market is doing.”

Some engineers are taking advantage of the move to electrification to rethink design. an offshore racing series known as E1It plans to start holding events in Miami and other cities next year.

“We have to change the paradigm,” said E1 CEO Rodi Basso. “That’s what Tesla does.”

Just as Tesla is upending the auto industry, startups are challenging companies that have long dominated their markets. white sea is one of the few companies trying to adapt electric power to watercraft. With the help of $15 million in venture capital, it plans to begin selling electric outboards manufactured at a factory in Bristol, RI, this summer.

Ben Sorkin, CEO of Flux Marine, who is a summer intern at Tesla, admitted that battery power is impractical for large offshore fishing boats and the like. “Given what is currently available, electric propulsion is a niche market,” said Mr. Sorkin.

But he said the market will expand as batteries improve and become practical for larger motors. Mr. Sorkin said that Flux Marine’s largest engine is 70 horsepower and the numbers will continue to rise.

“Every five years, the sweet spot changes,” he said.

Major manufacturers of boats, snowmobiles, and lawnmowers have been slow to switch to electric. John Deere, the largest manufacturer of self-propelled lawnmowers, does not offer battery-powered alternatives, but plans to discuss its electrification strategy with investors at an event May 25-26.

The recent history of the auto industry can serve as a warning to established companies. Just as slow-moving auto companies initially tried to leave Tesla to catch up, new companies like Taiga are taking advantage of wide open markets.

Taiga’s CEO, Samuel Bruneau, said electric snowmobiles are challenging because the batteries and motors have to cope with extreme temperatures and rough terrain.

“No one was coming into that space because it required new technology,” he said. “That was the opportunity we saw.”

Competition is coming. BRP, a Quebec-based company that manufactures Ski-Doo snowmobiles as well as off-road vehicles and powerboats, said it will offer electric versions of all its products by 2026. Electric two-wheeled vehicles in 2024.

“There is a trend driven by the car,” said José Boisjoli, CEO of BRP, the largest snowmobile manufacturer. “We can’t ignore it.”

But in recreation, the transition will be slower, he said. For one thing, the markets are much smaller, making it difficult to realize the cost savings that come with mass production. Less than 135,000 snowmobiles were sold worldwide in 2021. about 60 million cars.

And snowmobiles and powerboats don’t receive government subsidies or tax breaks that can knock thousands of dollars off the price of an electric car. Charging is also a problem in the jungle. Taiga has set up charging stations next to a popular snowmobile network in Quebec and is planning more.

But Mr Boisjoli said snowmobiles going deep into the wilderness would still prefer petrol. “The internal combustion engine will be found in snowmobiles for a long time,” he said.

Dominic Jacangelo, executive director of the New York State Snowmobile Association, agreed that long-distance snowmobiles capable of traveling more than 100 miles a day would be skeptical.

Still, Mr. Jacangelo said he was eager to try a taiga. “In terms of performance, you have a sled to keep up with everything else on the market,” he said.

Because electric snowmobiles are quieter, they can help reduce friction between snowmobiles and people who see machinery as an insult to nature. This will open up more space for snowmobiles.

“Absolutely,” said Mr Jacangelo, “an electric sled will change the way many environmentalists view snowmobiles.”