Category Archives: utility vehicles

ePower Trucks Sells First Ligier Flex L3 Low Speed Electric Truck In UK

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Flex L3 All Electric Truck

Flex L3 All Electric Truck

Earlier this year ePower Trucks became distributor for French manufactured Ligier Flex L3 all electric trucks and they have now announced that Newcastle University’s EAT@NEWCASTLE catering service has purchased the first such vehicle. The Flex L3 is a street legal low speed electric vehicle with a top speed of 25 mph, range of 35 miles and payload capacity of 400 kg. The truck costs approximately 22,500 USD.

The catering service will use the vehicle to deliver hot and cold food and beverages to various venues on campus. For their purposes the Flex L3 has a box body but the vehicle can also??be configured with a flat bed, cage or tipper. The electric drive train is powered by a lead-acid gel battery pack which can be recharged in 8 to 10 hours. Learn more: ??EVworld.com

John Deere Offers Two New Special Edition Gators

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John Deere recently announced two new special edition Gators, the??Midnight Black XUV825i and Midnight Black RSX850i. Appealing to customers who are looking for additional styling, the UTVs feature a matte black paint scheme with gray decals.

Key features of the ??XUV825i??Midnight Black Special Edition include:

  • Matte black paint scheme with charcoal gray decals
  • Sport steering wheel
  • Power steering
  • High performance exhaust
  • Long-range light kit
  • Poly half doors
  • Matte black alloy rims and Maxxis?? 2.0 Bighorn tires
  • Deluxe cargo box with spray-on liner
  • Optional??power and front protection package with power lift, a heavy-duty front brushguard and fender guard, as well as floor mats

Key features of the??RSX850i Midnight Black Special Edition include:

  • Matte black paint scheme with charcoal gray decals
  • Black and silver alloy rims with Maxxis?? 2.0 Bighorn tires
  • Trail-sport package with a special edition door closeout panel with Gator image, PreRunner bumper, and a Warn?? 3,500 lb. winch
  • Full underbody aluminum skid plate
  • Mounted HELLA?? HID Sport lights
  • FOX?? 2.0 Performance Series shocks
  • 2-inch front receiver hitch
  • Side nerf bars
  • Cargo box rails.

The MSRP for both special edition UTVs??is $15,999. Both vehicles are currently available in limited quantities at John Deere dealerships. Learn more: ??Deere.com

Comment:?? With MSRPs $3,000 more than their respective base models, these special edition Gators are at an entirely different price point. They are designed to appeal to the real Gator enthusiast who is looking to make a personal statement with their vehicle. It is also a way for John Deere to tap into the popularity of different paint and graphic schemes that have become more prevalent in the UTV market, especially at higher price points. While the iconic green and yellow John Deere paint scheme is an important part of the brand image, the company needs to be able to break away from that standard paint scheme to remain competitive and take advantage of consumer demand for different paint/graphics schemes. Rolling out special edition vehicles is one way to address this demand.

Polaris Announces New 2015 Side-by-Sides

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New 2015 Ranger 570 Full-Size

New 2015 Ranger 570 Full-Size

New 2015 Ranger ETX

New 2015 Ranger ETX

New 2015Ranger RZR XP 1000 EPS High Lifter Edition

New 2015Ranger RZR XP 1000 EPS High Lifter Edition

New 2015RZR XP 1000 EPS Desert Edition

New 2015RZR XP 1000 EPS Desert Edition

Polaris announced their 2015 off-road vehicle lineup including the new??RZR 900, RZR S 900, Full Size and Two-Passenger RANGER 570, as well as the Sportsman ACE 570.

Changes to the RZR product line include:

  • A 50 in. RZR 900 with a 75 hp ProStar engine and dual a-arm rear suspension
  • A 60 in. RZR S 900??with a 75 hp ProStar engine and dual a-arm rear suspension
  • Special edition RZR XP 1000’s for specific off-road terrain: ??the??RZR XP 1000 High Lifter Edition for mud and RZR XP 1000 Desert Edition for sand.
  • The Desert Edition also features the new??Polaris Digital Interactive Display, a full-color, 4.3 in LCD display with Bluetooth??? capabilities.
  • Polaris Digital Interactive Display will??be available on RZR 900 XC Edition and the RANGER XP 900 EPS Vogue Silver Deluxe.
  • Previously announced??RZR XP 1000 and RZR XP 4 1000 with a higher output 110 horsepower engine and and new direct flow intake covers, new belt and a new clutch cover with more ducting providing two times more airflow directly to the clutches.

Changes to the Ranger product line include:

  • An upgraded 68 horsepower Ranger XP 900.
  • A new Ranger 570 Full-Size with a 44 hp ProStar 570 engine.
  • A Ranger Diesel, with a 3-cylinder, Tier 4 compliant KOHLER?? diesel engine.
  • A new entry level Ranger ETX with 31 hp and electronic fuel injection.
  • Upgraded features on the Ranger 570, Ranger EV, Ranger ETX and Ranger Crew 900 include??Lock & Ride??? PRO-FIT??? cab accessory integration, increased horsepower by 10 percent to 44 horsepower, and 20 percent more towing capacity, increased fuel range, more storage, and an improved bench seat for added comfort on the Ranger 570. All updates will also be integrated to the four-passenger Ranger Crew 900.
  • Three deluxe edition Ranger XP 900 EPS for specific uses including:??the Ranger XP 900 EPS Vogue Silver Deluxe Edition for the trail, Ranger XP 900 EPS Hunter Deluxe Edition for hunting, and Ranger XP 900 EPS NorthStar Deluxe Edition for cold weather and work.

Polaris also added to their new Sportsman Ace product line with the Sportsman Ace 570 which uses a ProStar 570 engine with 45 hp.

Comment:?? Polaris keeps on rolling out new vehicles and upgrades faster than any other manufacturer in the market. They saturate a market segment with specific price points and feature combinations to target specific sub-segments. While some OEMs may have one or two vehicles in a particular segment, Polaris will have numerous models and keep adding to the lineup if they see potential in dissecting the market segment even further. This also makes it difficult to compete against them since you either put out models with a more general feature set that must compete against a range of vehicles with feature sets more tailored to certain end-use applications or you have to limit your focus to a particular sub-segment and compete on a model to model basis. In recent years they have also leveraged their own engine development efforts as they recognized the importance of horsepower and other engine characteristics as critical selling points in the side-by-side market. On that note, I noticed they now display horsepower information for each model directly on the home pages of their 2015 Range and Sportsman product lineups.

Polaris Reports Record Quarterly Results – Gains Market Share

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Beauty shot of the new Sportsman ACE from Polaris.

The Sportsman ACE, one of the many different vehicles that helped drive record quarterly performance for Polaris.

Polaris Industries reported record second quarter results with sales of $1.014 billion and net income of $96.9 million. Sales increased 20% from Q2 2013 and net income 21%. Key drivers were an increase of 15% in North American retail sales with strength in ORV and motorcycle products. Management also raised their full year guidance to a 16-18% increase revenue. Here are some highlights from the earnings call with a focus on small, task-oriented vehicles:

  • ORV sales increased 13% for the quarter to $701.5 million
  • Guidance for full year: ??up 11%-13%
  • Side-by-side sales up low teens % and outpaced the market
  • Polaris gained market share in side-by-sides and ATVS
  • Sportsman ACE is selling well and customer data to date indicates that it is reaching a new market segment
  • New ORV models will be announced shortly
  • Promotion environment for side-by-sides remains aggressive
  • Small Vehicle sales increased 29% to 43.5 million
  • Aixam Mega sales up over 40% in Q2
  • GEM and Goupil sales combined increased 6%
  • New products will be announced in the second half of the year
  • Small Vehicle sales guidance for the year: ??up 25%-30%
  • In the commercial segment Brutus sales are below expectations as the company tackles the B2B sales process but Bobcat and National Account sales did well.
  • International sales increased 29% in Q2 to $170.5 million driven, in part, by side-by-side sales in many regions

Learn more: ??Seekingalpha.com (Earnings call transcript)

Comment:?? Polaris continues to operate on nearly all cylinders and will be shortly rolling out new products. Their only weakness appears to be in the commercial segment. It is telling that Bobcat and national accounts did well in the quarter but the Brutus ??retail sales, while improving, remained below expectations. This points to the continuing mismatch between the majority of Polaris’s distribution network and the commercial customer the Brutus is targeting. Most of their current dealers are accustomed to a different consumer-oriented sales process. Management is likely to pursue additional marketing partnerships in this segment to bolster commercial sales while trying to assist, train and bring more of their traditional dealers up to speed in this segment. But this is nitpicking, the company continues to roll in competitive markets and is even exceedng high expectations.

Flex L3 Electric Utility Truck Available In UK

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The Flex L3 electric truck produced by Ligier is now available in the UK.

The Flex L3 electric truck produced by Ligier is now available in the UK.

ePower Trucks will be the UK distributor for Ligier’s Flex L3 electric utility truck. Ligier is a French manufacturer. Powered by lead gel batteries, the street legal Flex L3 has a top speed of 25 mph and a range of 35 mph. The target applications for the vehicle, which can come in a flat bed, cage, box body or tipper??configuration, are urban delivery and estate management. The payload capacity is up to 400 kg. The Flex L3 is priced at 13,500 pounds and is available in white, red or gray. Learn more: ?? Transportengineer.org

Comment:?? The urban delivery market application is a good niche market for electric vehicles especially for the delivery of goods that are neither too large or heavy. This type of application requires slower speeds and less range so more expensive lithium-based battery packs and more powerful electric powertrains are not necessary. This type of application is more prevalent in Europe and Asia. For similar reasons, light-duty maintenance applications on college or corporate campuses or city parks are also a good fit for this type of vehicle.

Polaris Launches Ranger Crew With Integrated HIPPO Multipower System

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Polaris Ranger with HIPPO Multipower System at a recent trade show.

Polaris Ranger with HIPPO Multipower System at a recent trade show.

Polaris recently launched their Ranger Crew Diesel utility vehicle with an??integrated HIPPO??? Multipower??? System (MPS) from the Mobile Hydraulic Equipment Company. The MPS allows users to??power hydraulic, pneumatic, electric and welding equipment directly from the vehicle???s diesel engine, in this case a 24 hp engine. Polaris points to??rail, municipal, construction, oil and gas, rental, utilities and mining industries as well as the military as potential markets for the vehicle.??The integrated HIPPO 1041CP Multipower System has one hydraulic tool circuit, two quick disconnect pneumatic fittings, two 120 volt electric outlets at 20 amps and one welding console with quick disconnects.The RANGER with HIPPO MPS is currently available for sale through authorized dealers, Polaris Fleet Sales and defense channels. Learn more: ??Polaris.com

Comment:?? This vehicle is a continuation of Polaris’ strong push In the last several years into the commercial, government and military utility vehicle segment. With a sales process and longer selling cycle than what their typical dealers are accustomed to, management has not been satisfied with their rate of progress in the commercial and government segments. To that end they have developed partnerships with companies and brands with a strong presence and marketing experience in the commercial markets such as Bobcat, Ariens and now Mobile Hydraulic Equipment Company.

Polaris Adds Horsepower To The 2015 RZR XP 1000 and XP 4 1000

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The new RZR XP 1000 is the fastest-selling side-by-side in Polaris history.

The 2014 RZR XP 1000 shown here will feature additional horsepower in model year 2015.

Polaris recently introduced the 2015 RZR XP 1000 and XP 4 1000 which feature a 110 horsepower high output engine compared to 107 hp in the 2014 model. The 2015 models feature additional changes related to the boost in horsepower including:

  • New engine calibration with high-output cams, stiffer valve springs and a higher compression ratio of 11:1.
  • Revised exhaust system, incorporating closed loop control and catalyst technology improves emissions and efficiency.
  • New direct flow intake covers, new belt and a new clutch cover with more ducting providing two times more airflow directly to the clutches

The??RZR XP 1000 will be available in Havasu Red Pearl, Voodoo Blue and White Lightning, and the RZR XP 4 1000 in Havasu Red Pearl and Voodoo Blue. All units feature standard Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and will be available in dealerships starting in July. Learn more: ??Polaris.com

Comment:?? The competition in the side by side market remains strong. In the high performance sport segment horsepower is one of the areas where competitors try to outdo each other. Suspension travel and handling are not far behind. I expect to see some new models or updates from Arctic Cat and/or Can Am in this segment.

Cenntro Motor To Produce Electric Utility Vehicles At Nevada Facility

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Cenntro Motors Kombi EV electric utility vehicles to be produced in Nevada.

Cenntro Motors Kombi EV electric utility vehicles to be produced in Nevada.

Cenntro Motor plans to begin production of 1,650 electric vehicles at a Sparks, NV facility by August or September of this year. The $20.1 million, 150,000 square foot facility will also serve as the company’s headquarters. The facility will employ approximately 100 people and training grants along with tax deferrals were part of a $1.2 million incentive package to attract the company.

Cenntro Motors designs and builds lightweight electric commercial and passenger vehicles and their first vehicle is the Kombi EV designed for maintenance, delivery and light cargo transport. The vehicle currently comes in two configurations, the Green Space Version with a cargo bed and the City Version with a van box. Both vehicles are 2WD and use a 10 Stator KLD DC motor with max power of 12.5 kW. The vehicle’s??KLD Energy Technologies oneDRIVE??? propulsion system??uses a 48V system with a 6.8kW KLD Li-ion battery pack. Other key features include 800 payload capacity, 4-wheel hydraulic disk brakes, a range of 50 miles and top speeds of 31 mph for the Green Space and 25 mph for the City.

Cenntro Motors also recently acquired SITL-Brandt Motors located in Lyon, France, which will be the headquarters for their European operations. The acquisition was valued at $50 million and management plans to invest an additional $20 million. With the acquisition Cenntro’s lineup in Europe will include an all-electric CITELEC commercial truck, a two-person quadracycle and electric scooters.??Learn more: ??Reviewjournal.com and Cenntromotors.com

Comment: ??The commercial/government market for small electric vehicles is attracting more attention as many companies believe this is where the growth is. From colleges and universities to municipalities and commercial entities organizations are finding these vehicles to be green, safe and cost-effective for applications that do not require traditional passenger vehicles or pick-up trucks. It continues to represent a growth segment for the STOV industry. It is also an international market with arguably better opportunities in European and Asian markets where smaller vehicles are more accepted, prevalent and have been used effectively for many years.

 

Environmental Groups Seeking To Limit UTV Trail Access In New York

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The new 50-inch wide Wildcat Trail XT from Arctic Cat

The 50-inch wide Wildcat Trail XT from Arctic Cat was specifically designed to access narrower trails.

A coalition of environmental groups are opposing a proposed New York State bill that would allow heavier off-road vehicles, such as UTVs, access to public recreation trails. The bill would increase the weight limit of allowable vehicles from 1,000 lbs to 1,500 lbs, essentially expanding the types of allowable vehicles from ATVs to include some UTVs as well. Groups like the Adirondack Council believe the UTVs are too fast, big and destructive to be allowed on the trails, causing more erosion, as well as water and air pollution. They are not looking to restrict use on private lands or on public lands by people with disabilities. Learn more: ??Northcountrypublicradio.org

Update: ??According to Protect The Adirondacks, another group that opposed the legislation, the bill was recently defeated in the state assembly.

Comment:?? It is likely that more of these conflicts between recreational UTV riders and environmental groups will be occurring in the future. The UTV market continues to grow and in the last couple of years more UTV models that are only 50 inches wide have come onto the market. They are specifically designed to provide access to ATV trails that are typically too narrow or in some areas feature numerous narrow gates for which traditional UTVs are too wide. These type of trail systems are prevalent in the Northeast.

Good & Bad Trends For UTVs

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Recent news articles point to a mix of good and bad trends for the utility vehicle market. The good is that UTVs are becoming increasingly popular for a variety of work applications as they increase worksite efficiency. As an article in Rental Management Magazine??points out, an increasing number of equipment rental bids for construction, utility, oil and gas, and event planning contracts require a line for utility vehicles. This trend is one of the reasons growth in the UTV market has outpaced the economy as a whole. Buyers have been willing to spend money on the vehicles because it makes economic sense for their operations.

The driving force is increased productivity and efficiency as users are able to more easily move around equipment and people. UTVs have increased their capabilities and versatility with more hauling and towing capacity, crew versions and increasingly the ability to add work attachments. In addition, there is a range of fuel options now available for UTVs with diesel, gas with fuel injection, electric and hybrid powertrains. The trend has been increasing horsepower across all of these powertrains. Electrics have been migrating to 72 volt AC motors which give them more capabilities and expand their potential work applications as some users institute “green” initiatives.

The rental business is an important indicator since it caters to such a wide variety of market segments, exposes customers to new equipment and provides them an opportunity to try out the equipment. The rental business does offer special challenges though because of the variety of work applications. One being the need to correctly match the UTV to the end use depending on key factors such as off-road/on-road use, terrain, people moving, hauling or towing requirements, weather conditions and more. For equipment rental companies this means carrying a range of UTVs to match their regional market needs. Another issue is safety since users may be unfamiliar with UTVs or a particular brand of UTV. A variety of safety options may be available from side netting, three-point seat belts and ROPS to reverse alarms, dynamic braking and light packages and online training/safety material. Different types of speed limiting technology is also available depending on the vehicle brand.

If the UTV rental business is a positive trend, the negative trend is an increase in UTV thefts. A recent article from The State in South Carolina highlights this trend. We have also been tracking this through other local newspaper articles from throughout the country. One of the reasons for the rise in thefts is the increasing popularity of UTVs and thus creating more of a market for stolen vehicles. Some simple actions proposed by law enforcement to reduce thefts include:

  • Do not leave items near or close to the highway.
  • Make sure serial numbers are recorded and stored in a safe place so that the items may be placed into the national computer system if stolen.
  • Please don???t leave any of these items in areas that are easily accessible or near the roadway.
  • If someone approaches you about selling one of these items at greatly reduced cost, please report that to law enforcement.