Powersport machinery progresses with near reckless abandon. If you need proof, just check out where jet skis were 15 years ago and this 325-horsepower supercharged Sea-Doo RXP-X I tested earlier this year.
One company that can't be accused of keeping up with the rapidly changing powersports scene is Can-Am. It's no secret that electric motorcycles will soon be a part of the brand's portfolio, as well as an electric jet ski, but if these latest patents are to be believed, it also plans to add an electric ATV.
And it looks to be an absolute beast.
Based on what the patent shows, this model appears to fall more on the utility side of things versus the sporty, as it's almost like an electric Outlander rather than an electric Renegade.
The patent shows almost everything you'd expect from an electric ATV. It's fitted with a battery pack and an electric motor, which connects to the drive assembly. There's also a thumb-activated actuator, just like you'd find on practically any other ATV.
But if you look closely at the designs, you'll notice another actuator that's intended to be operated by an index finger, and this is the most interesting thing I've found in these patents.
An actuator, located at the front and top of the control module on the righthand side of the handlebars, bears a resemblance to a stubby stunt clutch found on a motorcycle. But this is intended to activate the regenerative braking, which generates more power for the battery while slowing the ATV down.
Normally, electric vehicles enable you to control the power of the vehicle's regenerative braking, which comes into effect when you decompress the accelerator. So Can-Am's approach of having a manually operated actuator is pretty interesting, and I'll be looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
As of yet, there's no word on the power of the electric motor or the size of the battery. But undoubtedly all of the the recent R&D that went into creating Can-Am's new range of electric motorcycles will have been a massive help.
Could you see yourself swapping out your ICE ATV in place of an electric model? It'd certainly help keep noise complaints to a minimum.
