The 2022 Polaris Electric Ranger will bring quiet operation to the side-by-side market in early 2022.
Side-by-sides are a booming segment of the off-road vehicle market. With the ability to haul multiple passengers and loads of gear, these capable vehicles have overtaken the likes of quads as kings of the trail. And with their smaller-than-jeeps stature, lower need towing and hauling capacities, and generally shorter needed range, they’re ripe for evolution into electric vehicles.
Polaris / ZERO Electrification Partnership
Today, Polaris announced that it’s teaming up with ZERO Motorcycles in the launch of the RANGER, an electric utility side-by-side. This model is the spearhead of what Polaris calls its “strategic rEV’d up electrification strategy.”
We talked in-depth about this when Polaris announced a long-term partnership with ZERO across a wide range of Powersports.
2022 Polaris Electric Ranger UTV
While Polaris did give a tiny glimpse into its electrified UTV future (see lead image above), the details remain extremely sparse. At this time, we don’t know much about the new electric Ranger other than we should see the product in December of 2021 and they should start arriving in dealerships in early 2022.
Design and development efforts for the all-new electric RANGER are underway in Wyoming, Minnesota, with manufacturing for North American vehicles to take place at Polaris’ facility in Huntsville, Alabama.
Beyond that, we’re left guessing what the electrified Ranger will look like. We’re guessing that it will follow the design cues of the current gas-powered RANGER, which starts at about $10,500 and builds up to around $30,000. It’s a popular tool for hunters, farmers, and ranchers who need to haul gear through off-road situations.
Electric Ranger: What Polaris Says Now
For now, we’re left guessing a little about the new EV. But several executives made statements about the new product line.
“Our rEV’d up strategy positions Polaris to help define yet another chapter in powersports innovation,” said Mike Speetzen, interim CEO, Polaris Inc. “With the rising interest in electrified vehicles, we are investing in electrification in order to meet the needs of current customers as well as appeal to tomorrow’s powersports riders. The all-new electric RANGER is our latest effort aimed at leading the industry forward in electrified powersports vehicles.”
“The strength of our partnership with Zero Motorcycles and our own investments in electrification R&D enable us to leverage advancements in electric powertrains and performance to drive the off-road industry into the future,” said Mike Donoughe, senior vice president and chief technical officer, Polaris Inc. “This will be one of the most technically advanced off-road vehicles on the market and reinforces Polaris’ position as the innovation leader in powersports.”
The RANGER model is Polaris’ top-selling off-road brand. The company calls it the “hardest working, smoothest riding UTV, leading the market in rider-inspired innovation,”
“The new electric powertrain will elevate the RANGER platform to a whole new level of capability, durability, and performance,” Steve Menneto, president of Polaris Off Road. “We’ve actively engaged our RANGER customers, and without a doubt, there is significant demand for even higher levels of performance and capability,” added Menneto.
We’ll be following the development of the RANGER and will update this story as more information becomes available.
