Polaris has just announced that shipments have begun for its revolutionary new Polaris RANGER XP Kinetic UTV (utility terrain vehicle). The first shipments of the high-power electric side-by-side are headed to dealers this week for customer pickup.
Ever since I first got behind the wheel of a production prototype version of the electric RANGER XP Kinetic, readers have been asking me when this new UTV would begin shipping.
Pre-orders originally opened at the end of 2021 with an expected summer 2022 shipping date. Despite the slower than expected rollout, those who were quick enough to put down a pre-order before the available units nearly instantly sold out will soon be cruising around in the most powerful RANGER ever.
The UTVs, which are produced at the company’s more than 900,000-square-foot manufacturing facility located in Huntsville, Alabama, are expected to re-open to new orders this summer.
The all-electric RANGER XP Kinetic was made possible through a partnership with Zero Motorcycles, a manufacturer of electric motorcycles. The two companies joined forces to see those high- performance electric motorcycle powertrains employed in Polaris’s off-road vehicles.
The RANGER XP Kinetic is the first Polaris vehicle to receive Zero’s EV drivetrain, but other models are expected to follow.
As Polaris president of off road Steve Menneto commented:
Since announcing our electrification efforts and partnership with Zero Motorcycles, it has been major milestone moments like today’s announcement that have motivated and driven our team to engineer and deliver category-redefining powersports vehicles. The RANGER XP Kinetic demonstrates the game-changing performance advantages that an electric powertrain can provide, and we look forward to getting these vehicles into the hands of our dealers and consumers across the country.
The Polaris RANGER XP Kinetic isn’t just the most powerful RANGER UTV, but it’s actually the most powerful UTV, period. It not only beats out the existing lineup of combustion engine Polaris RANGERs but also all other UTVs currently available.
That’s because the new all-electric RANGER has the most horsepower and torque ever found in a utility side-by-side. An impressive 110 horsepower and 140 lb.-ft. of instant torque deliver maximum power and capability, including the ability to tow up to 2,500 lb. (1,334 kg) and haul an industry-best 1,250 lb. (567 kg).
More than just raw power, the electric drivetrain is also surprisingly smooth, giving better precision control when operating at low speeds. Owners are likely to find that the electric drivetrain thus offers even more control while towing or backing up to a trailer, and that the fewer moving parts should mean a significantly lower maintenance bill each year.
For those that like to focus more on power though, the instantaneous torque of the electric motor also delivers quicker acceleration than the UTV’s combustion engine compatriots.
The drivetrain is whisper-quiet, allowing passengers to talk to each other or other drivers without shouting over an engine and exhaust.
Hunters and outdoorsmen will also be able to take advantage of the quiet operation to get closer to nature without scaring off the local wildlife.
Two battery options are available depending on the trim package: a 14.9 kWh pack offering up to 45 miles (72 km) of range and a 29.8 kWh option with up to 80 miles (130 km) of range.
The Polaris RANGER XP Kinetic Premium starts at $24,999, while the Polaris RANGER XP Kinetic Ultimate with the larger battery and a host of high-tech upgrades starts at $29,999.
Despite the main use of these UTVs as work vehicles, I couldn’t shake just how much fun it was operating such a smooth, easy-to-use powerhouse of an off-road vehicle.
Take a look at my testing video below to see for yourself.
Polaris has long established itself as a leader in the UTV industry and a pioneer in off-road vehicles. The company consistently invests heavily in research and development that has led to an extensive range of UTVs.
Several other electric UTVs are also rushing to market though. With Polaris’s head start, it remains to be seen if newer competitors will be able to compete against such well-established companies.
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Tesla’s brand damage is eroding the value of used Tesla vehicles at a rapid rate, as owners rush to sell theirs.
It is breaking the used Tesla market as prices are plunging just as the broader used car market is recovering.
After a few tough years for the used car market following the pandemic, it is finally starting to recover over the last month.
Economic uncertainty and a fear of higher inflation due to Trump’s tariffs are prompting some buyers to shift from the new car market to the used car market.
According to Car Guru‘s used car index, used car prices have risen an impressive 2.17% in the last 30 days alone.
However, there’s an exception: Tesla.
The price of used Tesla vehicles has been falling, like the rest of the used car market, since the pandemic; however, it is not benefiting from the reversal in the current macroeconomic situation.
While average used car prices rose more than 2% in the last 30 days, Tesla’s used car prices decreased by 1.34% in the US.
That’s due to oversupply, as many Tesla owners are selling their vehicles to distance themselves from the Tesla brand, which is associated with CEO Elon Musk and his increasingly divisive political views.
The demand to sell used Tesla vehicles is so high that many used car dealers, who had been fighting to acquire inventory just a year prior, are starting to be reticent about buying Tesla vehicles as the value decreases so rapidly.
In Quebec, Le Journal de Montréal spoke with local used car dealers and attended a car auction where many Tesla vehicles were up for sale, with some selling for half the price they were selling for just over a year ago.
Éric Piuze, owner of a used car dealership on Montreal’s South Shore, said (translated from French):
“People don’t want them anymore. The Elon Musk effect is very real in Quebec.”
The used car dealers at the auction noted that they are not confident they can sell the used Tesla quickly enough to avoid further value decreases.
Furthermore, they note that potential buyers are lowballing on Tesla vehicles because they are aware that inventory is high, creating a buyer’s market.
Dealers are also seeing higher defaults on Tesla car payments, as buyers who took on debt to purchase them just a few years ago struggle to make payments.
Piuze added (translated from French):
People paid a lot of money for Teslas. During the pandemic, we saw many people remortgaging their homes to buy a Tesla. Those days are over.
At its peak, the average used Tesla price was over $60,000 in 2022. Now, the same vehicles are worth a fraction, but their car payments are still high.
Electrek’s Take
Even with the used car market finally getting a breather from crashing prices, Tesla vehicles are not benefiting at all. This highlights a significant issue in the used Tesla market. It’s broken.
The market can’t absorb the surge in people selling their Tesla vehicles.
I wouldn’t want to be a company holding a fleet of Tesla vehicles right now. The value erosion is impressive.
I thought that maybe the Cybertruck was dragging the entire Tesla market down, with a 6.64% decrease in used value over the last 30 days. However, the Model Y alone saw a 1.67% decrease during the same period.
The good news is that the vast majority of people selling their used Tesla vehicles are purchasing other electric vehicles, thereby boosting the EV market. It’s also giving people the chance to get into Tesla vehicles for cheaper, although they should expect the value of those vehicles to decrease rapidly.
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The new flagship Q-Range electric drive cone plant from the quarry experts at Sandvik is engineered to be safe, quiet, and tough enough to operate in the most hostile environments the mining and quarrying industries can put it in.
Cone crushers enhance quarrying efficiency by enabling operators to crush rock, stone, and ore down to a precise size. In ELI5 terms, big rocks go into the top of the plant. Inside, a cone-shaped mantle moves inside a larger cone in an eccentric circle that grinds up the stone and ore between the mantle and the cone’s sides, breaking them up into smaller pieces. Once the pieces are ground to a given size determined by the position of the mantle within the larger cone, they fall out into a cone-shaped pile (but that’s just a coincidence).
Basic mechanisms of cone crusher
The “how it works” version.
The cone crusher is part of a broader “train” of machines on a quarry that work together to turn a massive rock face into a fine sand and/or anything in between. With the launch of the QH443E electric cone plant, Sandvik now offers mine operators a fully electric driven train – one that includes the UJ443E fully electric jaw crusher launched in 2023, the QE342e hybrid scalper, and the QA452e hybrid triple-deck Doublescreen launched in 2022 (if you want to know more about how those work, let us know in the comments).
The new QH443E features a new heavy-duty feeder design equipped with electrically driven components, which can be powered by batteries, or a connection to grid power. An on-board diesel generator capable of running on 100% HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil), providing a number of more sustainable fuel choices and effectively reducing the mine’s operating costs.
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Sandvik claims the electric delivers a 25% fuel savings on generator (and, obviously, 100% on grid or battery power), as well as a 78% reduction in oil usage compared to previous generations.
The new crusher bridges the gap between tracked mobile, wheeled portable, and stationary cone plants by combining electric drives and track mobility on a single platform. The QH443E uses Optik intuitive automation system and My Fleet remote monitoring software hooked to a suite of sensors that provide 24/7 telematics, geo-fencing, and remote-operator support that’s designed to ensure continuous crushing and optimal performance.
Those sensors also help drive innovations in safety, as well. “Safety is paramount in the design of the QH443E,” said Sandvik, in a statement. “The unit includes remote camera viewing of the crushing chamber, 270 degree access around the crusher for easy maintenance and mandatory audible and visual warnings for safe operation. Our extensive global distributor and sales support network ensures that you receive the best support for your operations.”
The QH443E is available in the EU now through Sandvik Mobile’s global dealer network, and will be available everywhere by Q4 of 2025.
Electrek’s Take
Sandvik QH443E portable cone plant rounds out the company’s electric train offering; via Sandvik.
While there are a lot of people outside the drilling and mining space who may scoff at environmental concerns, the quest for improved efficiency and cost reduction among commercial fleet managers knows no political ideology. Simply put: If it’s better or cheaper, they’ll buy it. If it’s better and cheaper, they’ll buy two — and battery power is proving to be consistently better, in a broader scope of use cases, than diesel.
The current EV era is ripe with revered classic car designs and nameplates that are being reborn as battery-powered rides – and the success of cars the Renault 5 proves it can be a winning formula. Today, I’m suggesting another classic that deserves a modern electric update: the OG Ford Taurus.
It might seem old and dated now, but when the original Ford Taurus made its debut in 1985, it was so fresh, so different, so futuristic that it was included, almost unchanged, in Robocop’s sci-fi vision of a dystopian Detroit. Really.
I’d buy that for a dollar
From the movie poster for Robocop; MGM Studios.
The aerodynamic design of the Ford Taurus wasn’t just futuristic, it was successful – and, from 1992 through 1996, the OG Taurus was not just Ford’s best-selling car, but the best selling car in North America.
The sedan market is very different forty years on – so different, in fact, that Ford doesn’t actually sell any sedans in North America. With the exception of the 2-door ICE Mustang, the Blue Oval brand doesn’t even sell any cars, and operates almost entirely as a truck and SUV brand.
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Now, imagine Ford decides to get back into the sedan game. It’s 2025 now, and the Tesla Model 3 has proven that there’s enough demand for at least one successful electric sedan in the US. And, crucially, it seems like most of those buyers won’t be trading their Tesla back in for another one.
If there was ever a time to do it, that time is now – and Ford is perfectly positioned to fast-track a new-age Taurus.
The VW connection
Chinese-market Volkswagen ID.7 Vizzion; via VW.
Yes, I know that’s a Volkswagen – but hear me out. Ford and VW have a strong, existing relationship when it comes to EVs, having co-developed the MEB electric skateboard platform that underpins both the high-riding Ford Capri (itself a modern take on a classic Ford) and the Volkswagen ID.7 shown, above.
The ID.7 is an interesting piece, because it was always Volkswagen’s original intention to bring the car to the US, but slowing sedan demand and a dealer body that would rather sell Scout-branded SUVs and pickups than near/entry-luxe sedans killed the car’s chances before before the first one made it over. Now, it’s not coming to the US at all.