
ATVs can be lots of fun, but an all-electric one gets my attention. Australian company EVolution do electric conversion projects and have recently converted this POLARIS PRO XD from a 3-cylinder diesel to an all-electric monster.
This project was commissioned by the Australian Defense Force, which is also great to see, showing they are aware of the opportunity electric vehicles present and they’re prepared to experiment.
The e-ATV conversion now offers up to 200kms of range from its 24kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
Powering the ATV is a unique and custom-designed tri-motor drivetrain to enable the prototype to meet strict requirements including reduced noise and heat signature, reducing the risk of discovery while in the field.
The individually powered wheels also enable greater maneuverability and an improved opportunity for moving away from threats, even one wheel has been damaged by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
The charger is located where the standard diesel cap, where you’ll find a Mennekes (Type 2) AC charge connector. This allows you to charge the ATV from any standard 240v power outlet, although it won’t be as rapid as CCS2 fast charging.




Another great attribute of the design is the ability to export power from the ATV, which opens the door to charging communication equipment, laptops, lights etc. This is a trick we’ve seen announced for upcoming vehicles like the Hyundai Ioniq5, so its great to see it’s being applied here on a real utility vehicle.
Each year the Army holds an Innovation day and yesterday, 19th April 2021 at the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre, the e-ATV was on display.
This year the challenge context was ‘leveraging technologies to improve the energy and environmental resilience of the deployed Land Force through improvements in power, energy and environmentally responsible operations.’ To me, this electric ATV is the perfect representation of that goal and you can find more information about the challenge here.
There’s a great video of the final result, complete with a military camo wrap and it sure looks like a hell of a lot of fun. I love that this project takes an already very capable machine and makes it ever better. I love this is happening in Australia with our military and private business and I would love to climb behind the wheel of this beast.
When it comes to electric vehicles, we often talk about road cars, but the reality is, all vehicle types need to go electric. While it may be a while before we see an electric Tank, certainly transport vehicles like this ATV, can definitely benefit from the transition.