Polaris has begun shipping the first fully electric RANGER XP Kinetic off-road vehicles from its Huntsville factory to dealerships. These first production all-electric off-road vehicles have all already been ordered by customers. The company began production of the all-electric off-road vehicles this month.
Steve Menneto is the president of Off Road at Polaris.
“Since announcing our electrification efforts and partnership with Zero Motorcycles, it has been major milestone moments like today’s announcement that have motivated and driven our team to engineer and deliver category-redefining powersports vehicles,” said President Menneto. “The RANGER XP Kinetic demonstrates the game-changing performance advantages that an electric powertrain can provide, and we look forward to getting these vehicles into the hands of our dealers and consumers across the country.”
The all-electric Ranger has proven to be very popular with Polaris customers. The company plans to take additional orders on the RANGER XP Kinetic this summer.
Josh Hermes is the Vice president of Electric Vehicles for Off Road at Polaris.
“We knew there would be interest for a performance-driven electric RANGER, but selling out two hours after opening our initial order window for the XP Kinetic exceeded our expectations,” said VP Hermes.
Polaris is based in Minneapolis and produces off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, and side-by-side vehicles. The company opened its 900,000-square-foot facility in Huntsville in 2016.
Economic developer Dr. Nicole Jones told Alabama Today, “Polaris has been a partner with the state of Alabama since 2016, and the company can now add electric off-road vehicles to its Made in Alabama portfolio. The Huntsville facility is one of Polaris’ largest manufacturing plants, which makes the Slingshot, the RANGER, and most recently, the RANGER XP Kinetic. Several companies in Alabama are on the cutting edge of research and development of electric vehicle technology, a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.”
Greg Canfield is the Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“From automobiles and airplanes to ships and rockets, Alabamians build all kinds of complex vehicles,” said Secretary Canfield. “Now we can add all-electric off-road vehicles to the list of world-class products made in Alabama.”
Other vehicle manufacturers in Alabama have also begun production of all-electric products.
Both Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai are producing all-electric vehicles at their Alabama facilities. Autocar, a maker of specialized trucks, delivered its first EV built in Alabama, a battery-electric terminal tractor, last year. New Flyer of America is making zero-emission buses in Anniston.
Mercedes is already producing the all-electric EQS SUV at its Tuscaloosa County plant.
The company recently announced plans to build the luxury all-electric Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV in Tuscaloosa. The new luxury vehicle will have two electric motors that are expected to produce 649 horsepower and be capable of accelerating from zero to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds.
The range on the new Maybach is expected to be over 285 miles.
The all-electric Polaris comes equipped with an on-dash USB port and a 12-v cargo box power port for customers to charge their phones, tools, and accessories. The quietness of the all-electric Ranger XP Kinetic means that it can quietly get a hunter to his tree stand or hunting blind without tipping off everything with ears within a quarter mile like gas engines. The quiet electric engine will also be less disturbing for farmers and ranchers working around livestock.
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