STOWE, Vt. Snowmobiles are part of the winter soundtrack in this part of Vermont, shattering the peace of the wilderness at its worst like motorcycles on skis. But motorized sledges bouncing along a wooded mountain trail in February were silent except for the noise of metal runners on the snow.
The machines, made by a Canadian start-up company, Taiga, were battery-powered – the first electric snowmobiles to be sold widely – and are a symbol of how vehicles of all types are migrating to emissions-free propulsion. Huh. Taiga is also offering battery-powered personal watercraft, another form of entertainment where the gasoline version is considered a scourge in some circles.
While electric cars receive the most attention, electric lawn mowers, boats, bicycles, scooters and all-terrain vehicles are on the rise. In some categories, battery-powered machines are gaining market share faster than electric cars conquering the auto world. Start-up companies are wooing investors by claiming to be the boating, cycling, or Tesla of the lawn and garden industry.
The environmental benefits are potentially significant. Unlike cars and trucks, outboard motors or lawn mowers typically do not have catalytic converters to reduce harmful emissions. They are noisy, and they often use low quality fuel. According to the California Air Resources Board, a gasoline lawn mower generates as much pollution as a car traveling 300 miles in an hour.
California has passed legislation to ban gasoline-powered mowers in 2024 and all new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. But sales of electric alternatives are growing even without pressure from the government.
One of Taiga Snowmobiles’ first customers was Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico, which markets itself as an environmentally conscious ski resort. Taos Ski Valley Chief Executive David Norden said Taos Ski Patrol and trail maintenance workers will use electric snowmobiles for tasks such as transporting injured skiers or servicing snow-making equipment. When skiing resumes this year, Taos also plans to deploy an electric snow-grooming machine made by a German firm, Kasbohrer Gelendfahrzeg.
Even though electric snowmobiles starting at $17,500 are more expensive than gasoline counterparts, which can be had for less than $10,000, the resort will save money on fuel and maintenance, Norden said.
“You do a cost-benefit analysis, you’re probably even close to breaking,” he said. “These are good decisions not only for the environment but also for our bottom line.”
But sometimes people convert to electric power because it offers practical benefits.
Buyers of electric lawn and garden equipment polled by the Freedonia Group, a research firm, cited noise reduction, low maintenance costs and no need to store gasoline cans in the garage as their most important priorities. Often electric leaf blowers or string trimmers are cheaper and lighter than gasoline versions.
The lawn and garden industry has gone electric faster than the car industry. According to Freedonia, in 2020, electric mowers, leaf blowers and other appliances accounted for 17 percent of the market in the United States. This is more than three times the share of electric vehicles in the US car market.
An important year for electric vehicles
As the overall auto market stabilizes, the popularity of battery-powered cars is increasing around the world.
Many people are hesitant to buy an electric car because they worry about running out of power away from a charger. Range concerns are not a concern in the backyard.
“You’re not worried about taking a road trip in a lawn mower,” said Jennifer Maps-Christ, manager of commercial and consumer product research at Freedonia.
But electrification of boats and other vehicles often presents technical challenges. Electrical energy works for small watercraft or boats that don’t sail very far. This is the only option on hundreds of lakes where conventional outboard motors have been banned due to noise or pollution.
Because water creates so much resistance, however, large-powered boats require sustained amounts of power that are well beyond the batteries available today. (Sailboats, of course, have been powered by wind power for thousands of years.)
Batteries are “part of the answer of the future, but not necessarily the full answer,” said David Foulkes, chief executive of Brunswick, which makes Mercury marine engines.
Nevertheless, Mercury has unveiled a prototype electric outboard motor and is carefully watching the shift to electrification.
“We intend to be a leader in this field,” said Mr. Faulks, who drives a battery-powered Porsche. “Even though the market is small at the moment, we want to be there and see what the market does.”
Some engineers are taking advantage of the change in electrification to rethink the design. An offshore racing series known as E1, which plans to begin events in Miami and other cities next year, will use battery-powered boats equipped with hydrofoils that raise the hull above the water, resisting does very little.
“We have to change the paradigm,” said E1 chief executive Roddy Basso. “This is what Tesla has done.”
Just as Tesla has propelled the auto industry, start-up firms are challenging companies that have long dominated their markets. Flux Marine is one of several companies trying to optimize electrical power for watercraft. Backed by $15 million in venture capital, it plans to begin selling built-in electric outboard motors at a plant in Bristol, RI this summer.
Ben Sorkin, chief executive of Flux Marine, who was a summer intern at Tesla, acknowledged that battery power was not practical for large offshore fishing boats and the like. “Given what is available now, electric propulsion is a niche market,” said Mr. Sorkin.
But he said the market will expand as batteries improve and become practical for bigger and bigger motors. Flux Marine’s biggest motor is 70 horsepower, and the number will continue to grow, Sorkin said.
“Every five or so years, the sweet spot changes,” he said.
Major manufacturers of boats, snowmobiles and mowers have been slow to go power. John Deere, the largest maker of self-propelled mowers, doesn’t offer battery-powered options, but plans to discuss its electrification strategy with investors at an event May 25-26.
The recent history of the auto industry may serve as a warning to established companies. Just as the slow-moving car companies that initially ceded territory to Tesla and are trying to catch up, new companies like Taiga are taking advantage of the wide open markets.
Taiga chief executive Samuel Bruno said electrification of snowmobiles was a challenge because the batteries and motors needed to cope with extreme temperatures and rough terrain.
“Nobody was coming into that space, because that would require new technology,” he said. “That’s the opportunity we saw.”
Competition is coming. BRP, a Quebec-based company that makes all-terrain vehicles and motorboats along with Ski-Doo snowmobiles, has said it will introduce electric versions of all of its products by 2026. The company also plans to enter the motorcycle market with a line. Electric two-wheelers in 2024.
“There is a trend driven by automobiles,” said Jose Boisjoli, chief executive officer of BRP, the largest snowmobile maker. “We can’t ignore it.”
But he said the transition to entertainment would be more gradual. For one thing, the markets are very small, which makes it hard to achieve the cost savings that come with mass production. Fewer than 135,000 snowmobiles were sold worldwide in 2021, compared to about 60 million cars.
And snowmobiles and powerboats don’t get the government subsidies or tax breaks that could cut the price of an electric car by thousands of dollars. Charging in the wild is also an issue. Taiga has installed charging stations along a popular snowmobile trail network in Quebec, and is planning more.
But snowmobilers who venture deep into the woods will still prefer gasoline, Mr Boisjoli said. “The combustion engine will be present in snowmobiles for a long time,” he said.
Dominic Jackangelo, executive director of the New York State Snowmobile Association, agreed that long-distance snowmobilers, who can easily travel more than 100 miles in a day, would be skeptical.
Still, Mr. Jackangelo said he looked forward to trying out a taiga. “In terms of performance, you have a sled that will hold up with anything else in the market,” he said.
Because electric snowmobiles are quieter, they can help reduce friction between snowmobilers and those who consider the machines an insult to nature. This will open up more terrain for snowmobiles.
“Certainly,” said Mr. Jackangelo, “an electric sled is going to change a lot of environmentalists’ view of snowmobiling.”
