Last week, Polaris invited me to Road America in Wisconsin to test the all-new, all-electric Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic side-by-side UTV. After months of speculating about the first flagship EV brand, I couldn’t turn them down.
Why me?
Image by Polaris.
Why did Polaris invite little Jo Borras to ride their new 100hp UTV? While that probably had more to do with me being the closest CleanTechnica writer available, I’m also in the heart of Polaris’ target market—or close enough, anyway, that our family recently picked up a new partner—on our side earlier this year. summer. What’s more, as a former sales manager at a Honda power sports shop, I’ve driven comparable Pioneer and Talon models and even tried a Yamaha or two along the way.
I also tried Polaris’ first electric model, the Polaris Ranger EV UTV. That vehicle – developed before the Polaris/Zero motorcycle marriage – ran on lead-acid batteries and had more in common with the EZ-Go golf cart than the high-performance SxS. For someone who associates electric power with high acceleration off the grid, it was disappointing… if not downright boring.
While the little Polaris Ranger EV UTV is capable enough to haul hay and hand tools around a small farm, I wasn’t convinced it was worth the price tag, regardless of its electrified benefits. As such, I wasn’t entirely sure I could come at this new Polaris with the kind of objectivity the company would likely like. To be extra, doubly sure that I gave Kinetic a good shake, I brought a backup.
Kid (me and Polaris guy too)
From left: Hobbes Tieu, Jo Borrás, Polaris engineer. Courtesy of Polaris.
Along with me this week was Hobbes, a twenty year old college student who likes to drive things. It was also his first time on perimeter tracks outside of Road America and it was his first time piloting a Polaris of any kind and he was thrilled. Somewhere between my jaded cynicism and his wide-eyed enthusiasm, maybe there is objectivity, right?
Maybe!
2023 Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic
Image courtesy of Polaris.
The Ranger XP Kinetic represents the first fruits of a “revolutionary” partnership between the Polaris manufacturing facility and the EV innovators at Zero Motorcycles. As a machine, it is unbelievable capable, and the 110hp springless electric motor is only part of the reason why.
Let’s talk about the XP Kinetic battery. Or, more precisely, batteries – there are two of them. On the “Premium” model you get a 15 kWh battery, while the more expensive “Ultimate” version comes with almost double that at 29.8 kWh. Both run on a 100V electrical system, with a separate 12V system powering the accessories – this is critical for both aftermarket and existing Ranger customers as it means the accessories they currently have on their ICE Ranger will work perfectly for almost everyone with XP Kinetic version.
The battery is charged on a Level 2 system, which is great, as almost any hobby farmer or dune cleaner will already have a 220/240V outlet in their shed/garage for charging. A charging port – in the standard J1772 style – means it can share a charger with other electric cars or tractors you may have.
You don’t want me to mention the range. Field equipment usually works not in terms of range, but in terms of hours. A diesel tractor, for example, will have hours of operation, not miles, because it can be run for several hours and pull heavy things across the farm at a slow crawl for only three or four miles. Similarly, a Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic used on the farm will not drain its batteries the same way a Chevy Bolt will at a constant speed of 70 MPH or a tractor idling all day. For one thing, electric vehicles tend to be more efficient at low speeds. On the other hand, diesels still use fuel, even when idling.
Polaris? When it is not moving, it does not use up its electrons. (Not for practical purposes, anyway.) That means you can go all day on a single charge of the smaller 15kWH battery. It also means you could run out of juice in two hours of full-on 50 MPH off-road driving. Keep an eye on your battery meter and you should be fine.
Speaking of speedy field distractions, we sure got into them!
Following Polaris’ factory rider around a well-marked course, Hobbes stayed firmly on his bumper throughout the ride—which, in parts, saw us running at high speed, catching some air on the steepest hills, and even splashing around. bit. It was great fun and highlighted two facts about the XP Kinetic: the first is that this is a very capable utility vehicle, the second is that this thing can movement.
Off the line, it feels just as quick as an RZR or Talon. Intellectually I know it’s probably a bit slower than both, but it would be close – and I’m confident it would leave more utility-oriented UTVs like the Honda Pioneer or ICE-powered Rangers in the dust.
The only view they will see
Making dust; courtesy of Polaris.
So, okay – farmers and worker bees will get it. Thrill-seekers will enjoy it, too, even if the proven Ranger suspension and chassis (which has been tuned slightly differently to accommodate the XP Kinetic’s lower center of gravity) aren’t up to par with the Talon’s Fox racing setup. But who else could dig the new electric Ranger?
“Another target customer who will greatly benefit from the new electric Ranger will be hunters,” I wrote last winter—and still stand. “With the quiet, odorless operation of the XP Kinetic electric motor, hunters will be able to get closer to their targets without the noise and smell of an internal combustion engine scaring them off. And, of course, that angle might not sit well with the PETA crowd, but it’s not an insignificant market, and if we can get those rural markets to embrace the benefits of off-road electrification, it’s only a matter of time before they embrace the benefits of EVs on the road as well.”
Honestly, after spending a few hours pounding the all-new Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic on some dirt and dusty trails, it occurred to me that the question isn’t, “Who would like that?” but, rather, “Who wouldn’t I love it?”
I asked Hobbes what he thought of the Polaris, and how, specifically, it compared to our UTV. He muttered something about how great it was and dashed over to the other ranger (this one in full mask) to go for another round. (We’ll call that a win.)
The Polaris Electric Ranger is – finally! – ready to take over the world.
Ride Command+
Image courtesy of Polaris.
There was another hot new feature on the Polaris besides electrification and the Zero Motorcycle engine. That’s Ride Command+, the company’s new app that combines navigation, trip planning, and an innovative “buddy” system that lets groups of riders follow each other—for example, if Hobbes flips a Ranger (or, with a probability approaching 100%, if I rip off an A -hand deflecting the right front wheel of the Ranger from a poorly placed rock), the rest of the party will be able to see that the Ranger is not moving and come to the rescue.
From the official announcement:
RIDE COMMAND+ has a vehicle-to-cell connection that allows drivers to easily check the current status of the vehicle, while its vehicle health feature will run diagnostic reports on problems and monitor fuel/charge levels to confirm vehicle readiness. The RIDE COMMAND+ vehicle locator will be an extremely useful feature for hunters, or anyone who enjoys the outdoors, when they have to leave their vehicle parked. The Vehicle Locator function provides the exact location of the machine. RIDE COMMAND+ provides enhanced mobile technology for riders to connect, ride and adventure.
Adding to an already robust set of offerings, Polaris will continue to expand the RIDE COMMAND+ service with even more industry-leading features using Over the Air (OTA) updates. Coming later in 2022, RIDE COMMAND+ will offer its riders added safety with location and impact alerts. Bump Alert, a 24/7 monitoring feature, will send a notification every time the vehicle is bumped or moved. If it moves, the vehicle locator function will give its latest coordinates. In addition, Polaris will introduce Ride Tracking+, where riders can automatically track their rides using the vehicle’s GPS location without having to use their mobile phone data. After the ride, drivers will be able to generate a full report of the day’s ride, including recorded time, miles traveled, points and elevation changes. The report is a fun and useful tool for not only reliving the ride, but also for planning future trips.
RIDE COMMAND+ will launch as standard on all 2023 RANGER XP Kinetic models… (i) can access the new service through the Polaris mobile app, webor the seven-inch touchscreen system in the vehicle.
In practice it worked well enough that when someone in our group bounced, snapped an A-arm when their Ranger’s right front wheel bounced off a poorly placed rock, everyone found out relatively quickly, and the group as a whole was in able to answer. In other words, it’s a huge safety net and I guess the tour companies that hire them will have to have that.
And, like, if you ever get the chance to rent one of these: do it. The list of better ways to spend a sunny summer afternoon than hitting the trails on the Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic is really, really short.
Original content from CleanTechnica.
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