Longer range fails to lift electric snowmobile sales

Electric snowmobiles remain rare among Finnish consumers despite improvements in their range, Yle reports. Only 151 of the 72,403 snowmobiles in traffic in Finland at the end of March were electric, according to the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom.

Most electric models are used by tourism and activity companies, where short guided tours suit their limited range. The vehicles are quiet and produce no emissions, but high prices, few model options and a sparse charging network make them less attractive to private buyers.

Ilkka Korteniemi, a dealer at Koneliike Korteniemi, said electric snowmobiles were mainly designed for tourists on safaris. The newest models can travel about 100 kilometres on one charge, while older ones manage a little over 40 kilometres. Private riders may want a range of 200 to 300 kilometres, he said.

Tourism entrepreneur Janne Honkanen has about 200 snowmobiles at his destinations, just under 10 per cent of them electric. He said the range was sufficient for his business, where safaris last a few hours. Honkanen said the shift to electric models was a gradual transition, comparable to the earlier move from two-stroke to four-stroke engines.

BRP snowmobile factory director Valto Ristimella said sales had grown more slowly than expected. Finnish manufacturer Aurora Powertrains’ product development director, Matti Autioniemi, said the company’s current focus was business customers, particularly safari operators.

Electric snowmobiles cost between 20,000 and 35,000 euros. Some models are available for less than 20,000 euros, but offer a relatively short range. Aurora Powertrains was due to unveil a new model with a range of about 100 kilometres at a snowmobile fair in Rovaniemi over the weekend.

More than 3,400 snowmobiles were registered in Finland last year, including 29 electric models. The proportion of electric snowmobiles among new registrations has remained at a similar level this year.