The new all-electric Polaris UTV will change the industry; I know because I drove it
Late last year I had the chance to test out a production prototype of the upcoming Polaris RANGER XP Kinetic UTV. It was an eye-opening experience that taught me just how powerful and yet simultaneously easy to control the electric UTV was. Now that production of that game-changing vehicle is underway, I’ve gone back to visit the factory floor as well as get another test ride, this time in a production vehicle.
I don’t use the term “game-changing” lightly here. The all-electric RANGER XP Kinetic is truly set to revolutionize the UTV market.
The Polaris engineers will be the first to tell you that it isn’t just the best electric UTV out there, it’s the best RANGER that Polaris has ever made, combustion or electric. As the team explained, they didn’t want to just build an EV for the sake of an EV. They wanted to actually build something better. And by all accounts, they’ve done it.
Thanks to the inclusion of an electric drivetrain from Zero Motorcycles, the XP Kinetic is more powerful, more torquey, and easier to control than any other RANGER that Polaris has ever built.
It also happens to be quieter, smoother, more comfortable, and cheaper to operate.
Don’t believe me? Check out my video below where I tested out the vehicles and toured the Alabama factory.
Production and shipments of the new Polaris RANGER XP Kinetic began in April, after the Huntsville, Alabama Polaris factory added the new electric UTV into its sprawling assembly plant.
Sprawling is the right way to describe it. I brought a drone and could still barely capture the whole thing in just one frame. Touring the inside showed me why; they do just about everything under one massive roof.
The northern Alabama facility, which is divided into a number of sections, can take in bare steel tubes at one end and crank out the most powerful UTVs on the planet at the other end.
They run many production lines in parallel and even send multiple types of vehicles down the same assembly lines. It’s a finely tuned machine with robotic vehicle lifts ferrying chassis down the line while workers drive electric warehouse tractors towing trailers full of components along carefully painted routes along the floor.
The same lifts that hoist engines into the other Polaris vehicles on the line now softly place giant electric motorcycle batteries into RANGER XP Kinetic chassis as they continue through the carefully choreographed assembly dance.
I wasn’t actually allowed to photograph inside the plant due to the multitude of trade secrets that are wandering around, but I was given the sterilized photographs you see here, which show us just as much as Polaris wants to let out.
The Polaris team also wasn’t sharing exact production numbers, but from the rate that things were moving in the hour or so I spent on the floor, it seems like each day there are many electric RANGERS rolling off the line, through vehicle testing and out the door for delivery.
And one of those vehicles hosted me for the afternoon as I had the pleasure of sliding it in every direction I could across the Polaris test track on site.
With miles and miles of dirt to run on, split fairly evenly between open fields and tight forested trails, there was plenty of ground to cover.
I was able to test the production version of the RANGER XP Kinetic on loose red soil, rocky sections, log piles, wet grass, and more. The wet grass wasn’t intentional, I was simply having so much fun that I would occasionally wander off of the trail a bit. But since I managed to avoid hitting any trees (other than the several felled trees I drove up and over), I call it a success.
The UTV is of course a work vehicle, first and foremost. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t also a blast to drive!
The amount of power at your command is impressive, but what is even more jaw-dropping is just how quickly you can drop that hammer. With electric motors, the torque comes on instantaneously. Not quickly, mind you. Instantaneously.
That results in some seriously fun power off the line. And when amusement isn’t your only goal, that also translates into serious towing and hauling performance.
It feels like the kind of vehicle that you can ride fences with all day, haul whatever gear you need throughout the week, and then have some serious fun with on the weekends.
But perhaps most important is the RANGER XP Kinetic’s effect on owners’ wallets. Sure, it’s expensive to purchase. The starting price window from US $25k – $30k depending on if you want the big (14.9 kWh) or bigger (29.8 kWh) battery. That’s not cheap. But then again, the Polaris XP 1000 starts at north of US $20k, and that model’s combustion engine means that it has a lot more maintenance and upkeep charges compared to its new electric brother.
The comparison is interesting, since something like 95% of the accessories are the same, meaning you’re really getting the best of the RANGER line, just now with more power and precision thanks to that electric drivetrain.
That means the all-electric RANGER has fewer maintenance concerns, lower operating costs, no need to keep jerry cans of fuel around, and an overall nicer working atmosphere.
The vehicle isn’t vibrating while operating (or even idling). It’s not spewing a cloud of exhaust. It’s not scaring livestock on the farm or wild animals when out in nature. The entire experience has major advantages everywhere you look.
And now that the company is (finally) delivering the long awaited all-electric RANGER XP Kinetic, more and more operators are going to start experiencing those advantages. I’ve felt them first hand, and so I know what those owners are in for. I’m not sure I’ll ever have a place for one in my 800 square foot apartment, but perhaps I can convince my parents that their ranch sure could use one.
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Is it an electric van or a truck? The Kia PV5 might be in a class of its own. Kia’s electric van was recently spotted charging in public with an open bed, and it looks like a real truck.
Kia’s electric van morphs into a truck with an open bed
The PV5 is the first of a series of electric vans as part of Kia’s new Platform Beyond Vehicle business (PBV). Kia claims the PBVs are more than vans, they are “total mobility solutions,” equipped with Hyundai’s advanced software.
Based on the flexible new EV platform, E-GMP.S, Kia has several new variants in the pipeline, including camper vans, refrigerated trucks, luxury “Prime” models for passenger use, and an open bed model.
Kia launched the PV5 Passenger and Cargo in the UK earlier this year for business and personal use. We knew more were coming, but now we are getting a look at a new variant in public.
Although we got a brief glimpse of it earlier this month driving by in Korea, Kia’s electric van was spotted charging in public with an open bed.
The folks at HealerTV found the PV5 variant with an open bed parked in Korea, offering us a good look from all angles.
From the front, it resembles the Passenger and Cargo variants, featuring slim vertical LED headlights. However, from the side, it’s an entirely different vehicle. The truck sits low to the ground, similar to the one captured driving earlier this month.
When you look at it from the back, you can’t even tell it’s the PV5. It looks like any other cargo truck with an open bed.
The PV5 open bed measures 5,000 mm in length, 1,900 mm in width, and 2,000 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,000 mm. Although Kia has yet to say how big the bed will be, the reporter mentions it doesn’t look that deep, but it’s wide enough to carry a good load.
The open bed will be one of several PV5 variants that Kia plans to launch in Europe and Korea later this year, alongside the Passenger, Cargo, and Chassis Cab configurations.
In Europe, the PV5 Passenger is available with two battery pack options: 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh, providing WLTP ranges of 179 miles and 249 miles, respectively. The Cargo variant is rated with a WLTP range of 181 miles or 247 miles.
Kia will reveal battery specs closer to launch for the open bed variant, but claims it “has the longest driving range among compact commercial EVs in its class.”
In 2027, Kia will launch the larger PV7, followed by an even bigger PV9 in 2029. There’s also a smaller PV1 in the works, which is expected to arrive sometime next year or in 2027.
What do you think of Kia’s electric van? Will it be a game changer? With plenty of variants on the way, it has a good chance. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: HealerTV
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Is Nissan raising the red flag? Nissan is cutting about 15% of its workforce and is now asking suppliers for more time to make payments.
Nissan starts job cuts, asks supplier to delay payments
As part of its recovery plan, Nissan announced in May that it plans to cut 20,000 jobs, or around 15% of its global workforce. It’s also closing several factories to free up cash and reduce costs.
Nissan said it will begin talks with employees at its Sunderland plant in the UK this week about voluntary retirement opportunities. The company is aiming to lay off around 250 workers.
The Sunderland plant is the largest employer in the city with around 6,000 workers and is critical piece to Nissan’s comeback. Nissan will build its next-gen electric vehicles at the facility, including the new LEAF, Juke, and Qashqai.
According to several emails and company documents (via Reuters), Nissan is also working with its suppliers to for more time to make payments.
“They could choose to be paid immediately or opt for a later payment,” Nissan said. The company explained in a statement to Reuters that it had incentivized some of its suppliers in Europe and the UK to accept more flexible payment terms, at no extra cost.
The emails show that the move would free up cash for the first quarter (April to June), similar to its request before the end of the financial year.
One employee said in an email to co-workers that Nissan was asking suppliers “again” to delay payments. The emails, viewed by Reuters, were exchanged between Nissan workers in Europe and the United Kingdom.
Nissan is taking immediate action as part of its recovery plan, aiming to turn things around, the company said in a statement.
“While we are taking these actions, we aim for sufficient liquidity to weather the costs of the turnaround actions and redeem bond maturities,” the company said.
Nissan didn’t comment on the internal discussions, but the emails did reveal it gave suppliers two options. They could either delay payments at a higher interest rate, or HSBC would make the payment, and Nissan would repay the bank with interest.
The company had 2.2 trillion yen ($15.2 billion) in cash and equivalents at the end of March, but it has around 700 billion yen ($4.9 billion) in debt that’s due later this year.
As part of Re:Nissan, the Japanese automaker’s recovery plan, Nissan looks to cut costs by 250 billion yen. By fiscal year 2026, it plans to return to profitability.
Electrek’s Take
With an aging vehicle lineup and a wave of new low-cost rivals from China, like BYD, Nissan is quickly falling behind.
Nissan is launching several new electric and hybrid vehicles over the next few years, including the next-gen LEAF, which is expected to help boost sales.
In China, the world’s largest EV market, Nissan’s first dedicated electric sedan, the N7, is off to a hot start with over 20,000 orders in 50 days.
The N7 will play a role in Nissan’s recovery efforts as it plans to export it to overseas markets. It will be one of nine new energy vehicles, including EVs and PHEVs, that Nissan plans to launch in China.
Can Nissan turn things around? Or will it continue falling behind the pack? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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