Is a Polaris Ranger Hybrid Coming Soon?
According to a patent application we have recently uncovered, it looks like a Polaris Ranger hybrid vehicle is in the works.
We’ve seen several electric ATV and UTV models over the years, but those fully electric models have not been fully adopted by the off-road world. But the ATV and UTV world hasn’t seen much in the way of hybrid offerings so far.
We would think that a hybrid power train would make more sense for off-road vehicles than a fully electric system. First, you help eliminate the range anxiety that comes from electric vehicles. Second, you can run on pure electric power when you want to be silent – like when you drive to your hunting stand.
Segway (yes, that Segway) recently announced its lineup of interesting hybrid off-road vehicles, but that brand is new to the off-road industry and we are still waiting for a chance to take one for spin.
Polaris, on the other hand, is very much a major player in this industry and has the resources to make a big move with a hybrid powerplant. In fact, we found a patent application a couple of years ago that seemed to show a hybrid Polaris military vehicle. You can read about that here. That was the last we heard about a hybrid vehicle from Polaris until now.
This recent patent application features what looks like a Polaris Ranger, which might be the best selling UTV in the industry. This application focuses on a “Hybrid Utility Vehicle,” so the Ranger is a logical platform.
We will include a couple of the drawings below, but it’s worth checking out the full application to see all 20 of the drawings to get a better idea of what Polaris is working on.
I have been working exclusively in digital media since 1997. I started out with TSN.ca, spending nearly nine years creating and editing content on Canada's leading sports website. I left to join VerticalScope, Inc., one of the world's largest online publishers, to start a number of powersports publications. While at VerticalScope, I've helped create and oversee content for a wide variety of different publications, including ATV.com, Off-Road.com, ArcheryTalk.com, Tractor.com, RVGuide.com, and many more.
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