When the organizers of the 2019 World Alpine Skiing Championship in Åre, Sweden wanted to reduce the carbon footprint of the event, they turned to Aurora Powertrains of Rovaniemi, Finland for a fleet of its electric snowmobiles. These silent, sleek, and sexy eSleds feature a range of 35 km and a top speed of 100 km/h thanks to a 9.3 kWh battery and a 107 hp motor that cranks out 110 ft-lbs of torque. The machine weighs 280 kg and can be fully recharged in 1.5 hours with a 6.6 kW charger. The Aurora eSleds were used by the event organizers and contestants at the championships and also provided transportation for visitors between the hotel and the competition.
Snowmobiles are extremely popular in Scandinavian countries but just as ATVs annoy those who want to enjoy the charms of nature in warm weather, the snarling, exhaust spewing beasts raise the hackles of lots of adventure oriented people in winter who would prefer not to breathe in the exhaust products of internal combustion engines while cavorting in the great outdoors.
According to the Norwegian Electric Automobile association, known as Norsk elbilforening, Taiga Motors in Canada is working on electric snowmobiles but the company said in e-mail they are not yet in volume production.
Aurora eMotion
In addition to making electric snowmobiles, the company also organizes safaris in Lapland at various times of the day and night. The noontime excursion “takes guests to a hunting cabin in the middle of the forest. The journey begins in daylight with crossing the frozen lake Lehtojärvi and continues through bogs and forests. We stop at a hunting cabin on the top of a hill to warm ourselves by the fire and enjoy hot juice, sausages, and cookies before heading back as the daylight fades and stars light up in the sky.”
The Aurora Borealis trip begins at 8:00 pm and lasts 3 hours. “We ride our eSleds to the top of a hill, far from the city lights — an ideal place for watching the Northern Lights. We stop to observe and admire the night sky and stars, and, if we are lucky, see the Northern Lights as well. During the stop we warm ourselves by the fire in a private hunting cabin and enjoy a Finnish supper.”
Look at the photo above and tell yourself you wouldn’t love to share this experience with friends or loved ones. The price for a couple on one eSled is €300, which seems quite reasonable for an adventure that will definitely take your breath away. Aurora provides all the warm clothing and protective gear needed to make the journey enjoyable and safe.
If you go, write up your experience and we will happily publish it on CleanTechnica. In fact, let us know when you are going. We might go along with you!
A tip of the CleanTechnica hat to Are Hansen.
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