This company that we’re hearing more and more about was founded in 2015 by three McGill students who became engineers. They focused on the development of electrically powered recreational vehicles.
TAIGA is now listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and is worth several million right now. The company has a building in Montreal and will complete the construction of another one in Shawinigan in 2022. The first one will be dedicated to research and development and the other to production.
It is important for them to stay in Quebec. They told me « We have a huge support from the Canadian market, especially from Quebec! They plan to produce around 60,000 electric off-road vehicles and 20,000 powertrains annually by 2025, for an estimated annual revenue of $1.3 billion. TAIGA, which custom designs over 2000 components, has filed several patent applications and has completed over 100,000 hours of testing.
In five years, these engineers were able to increase the range of their snowmobile from 50 km to about 140 km and double the power to 180 hp, which is comparable and even better than some gasoline snowmobiles on the market. They worked on the aspect of battery operation in cold weather and found ways to insulate them to limit the loss of power. According to the manufacturer’s website, these snowmobiles offer instant torque and power, regardless of altitude, temperature or riding style.
Since they have no pulleys or oil, they require little or no maintenance. In addition, they are equipped with a remote update and diagnostic system, which can eliminate the need to go to a service shop since problems can also be corrected remotely.
BATTERY RECHARGE
On a normal plug (120V or Level 1) the recharge of the battery would take 14h and around 4h with the chargers we know for cars (240v or level 2). Moreover, they are compatible with J1772/CCS1 charging systems (this is the standard plug for all electric vehicles except Tesla). In 30 minutes, 80% of the battery would be recharged. The regenerative braking system also regenerates energy.
CHARGING POINTS
TAIGA recently announced that it aims to electrify 75,000 kilometers (off-road) with 1,100 charge points by 2025. As such, they have begun installing chargers and have targeted thousands of new charging locations. This answers the questions that some people had about autonomy during long rides.
By the way, here are the addresses of the new charging sites:
1) Saint-Paulin
3550 Chem. des Trembles, Saint-Paulin, QC J0K 3G0
Le Baluchon Éco-villégiature
2 Level 2 charging stations
2 Level 3 charging stations
2) Saint-Alexis-des-Monts
1000 Chem. du Dom. Pellerin, Saint-Alexis-des-Monts, QC J0K 1V0
So without further ado, I present to you what TAIGA offers in terms of electric snowmobiles:
ATLAS 137 inches model
With a 137″ x 15″ x 1.6″ track, it is a trail snowmobile weighing 634 lbs with a 42.3″ ski gauge and adjustable shocks. It is offered in two versions:
Performance version:
-Engine up to 180 hp;
-0-100 km/h in 2.9 *sec;
-Maximum range of 140 km
Standard version :
-120 hp engine;
-0-100 km/h in 3.7 *sec. ;
-Maximum range of 103 km
*Under ideal conditions
ATLAS
EKKO 154 and 165 inch model
With a track of 154in. X 15in. X 2.5in. or 165in. X 15in. X 2.5in. it is a mountain and off-trail snowmobile weighing 597 lbs with a 37.4 inch ski gauge including a deep snow option in its features. It is offered in two versions:
Performance version:
-Engine up to 180 hp;
-0-100 km/h in 3.3 * sec;
-Maximum range of 131 km
Standard version:
-Engine up to 120 hp;
-0-100 km/h in 4.1 *sec;
-Maximum range of 98 km
*Under ideal conditions
EKKO
NOMAD 154 inch model
With a 154inch studded track. X 16in. X 1.6in. it is a versatile 2-seater snowmobile weighing 607 lbs, capable of pulling between 770 lbs and 1125 lbs, with a ski gauge of 42.3 inches and including active stability management in its features. It is offered in two versions:
Performance version:
-120 hp engine;
– Payload: up to 57.4 kg (126 lbs)
-Towing capacity up to 1125 lbs;
-Maximum range of 134 km
Standard version:
-90 hp engine;
– Payload: up to 57.4 kg (126 lbs)
-Towing capacity up to 770 lbs;
-Maximum range of 100 km.
NOMAD
All three models include an HD display with GPS mapping. In addition, we can adjust our driving parameters, from maximum torque to throttle sensitivity. We can also customize driving modes for different conditions and save them.
The powertrain has a peak power of up to 135 kW (180 hp), 170 Nm of torque from zero to 7,000 rpm and a top speed of 130 km/h at 9,000 rpm. for the Ekko and Atlas. For the Nomad, this is slightly reduced by the utility configuration.
TAIGA announced on December 23 that the first deliveries to its pre-order customers will begin in early 2022. The company is currently working with various regulatory agencies to obtain final approvals. Prices, subject to change, would start at $15,000 USD.
To give you an idea of the power of these snowmobiles, I invite you to watch the videos on the company’s Facebook page and also this link as a Tesla Model S races against the TAIGA ATLAS.
I hope this article has enlightened many of you and answered some questions. Until I get my hands on a TAIGA test machine (I hope so) and can evaluate it, I wish you a good season and a good ride.
Pascal Fortin
Pascal habite la belle région du Saguenay-Lac St-Jean depuis son jeune âge. Il a toujours aimé l’hiver et être à l’extérieur pour en profiter. Il est un mordu de motoneige depuis plus de 20 ans. Il adore rouler et dévorer plusieurs kilomètres sur les sentiers balisés. Son travail saisonnier dans le domaine de la construction lui permet de profiter pleinement de sa passion. Il aime admirer ce que mère nature lui offre comme paysage. Il est un gars d’équipe très sociable et aime échanger au sujet de la motoneige. Il s’est déjà impliqué comme patrouilleur bénévole pour un des clubs de sa région pendant quelques années. Ses amis vous dirons qu’il est un vrai crinqué toujours prêt à partir en motoneige.
Pour offrir les meilleures expériences, nous utilisons des technologies telles que les témoins pour stocker et/ou accéder aux informations des appareils. Le fait de consentir à ces technologies nous permettra de traiter des données telles que le comportement de navigation ou les ID uniques sur ce site. Le fait de ne pas consentir ou de retirer son consentement peut avoir un effet négatif sur certaines caractéristiques et fonctions.
Fonctionnel
Toujours activé
Le stockage ou l’accès technique est strictement nécessaire dans la finalité d’intérêt légitime de permettre l’utilisation d’un service spécifique explicitement demandé par l’abonné ou l’utilisateur, ou dans le seul but d’effectuer la transmission d’une communication sur un réseau de communications électroniques.
Préférences
Le stockage ou l’accès technique est nécessaire dans la finalité d’intérêt légitime de stocker des préférences qui ne sont pas demandées par l’abonné ou l’utilisateur.
Statistiques
Le stockage ou l’accès technique qui est utilisé exclusivement à des fins statistiques.Le stockage ou l’accès technique qui est utilisé exclusivement dans des finalités statistiques anonymes. En l’absence d’une assignation à comparaître, d’une conformité volontaire de la part de votre fournisseur d’accès à internet ou d’enregistrements supplémentaires provenant d’une tierce partie, les informations stockées ou extraites à cette seule fin ne peuvent généralement pas être utilisées pour vous identifier.
Marketing
Le stockage ou l’accès technique est nécessaire pour créer des profils d’utilisateurs afin d’envoyer des publicités, ou pour suivre l’utilisateur sur un site web ou sur plusieurs sites web ayant des finalités marketing similaires.
