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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Lucid’s electric minivan can outsprint the Chevy Corvette Z06, and it has more interior space than a Ford Explorer. Is the Lucid Gravity really the “ultimate uncompromising SUV?”
Lucid Gravity SUV is faster than a Corvette Z06
Lucid’s electric SUV is impressive inside and out. The Gravity provides up to 450 miles of driving range, ultra-fast charging (200 miles in under 11 mins), and it even offers up to 120 cubic feet of cargo space. That’s more than the Ford Explorer (87.8 cu ft).
It’s also faster than most sports cars. The Grand Touring trim has up to 845 hp, good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 3.4 seconds, but the Dream Edition takes it to another level.
Powered by dual electric motors, the Lucid Gravity Dream Edition boasts 1,070 hp. To see how Lucid’s minivan stacks up against the competition, Car and Driver nabbed one for testing.
On the test track, the Lucid’s minivan covered a quarter-mile in just 10.6 secs, beating a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 to 150 mph by nearly three seconds.
According to Car and Driver, the Gravity didn’t just impress in the quarter-mile, “it was a beast in every acceleration metric.” Lucid’s SUV hit 30 mph in 1.4 seconds, 70 mph in 3.7 secs, and topped 100 mph in just 5.9 seconds.
Dave Vanderwerp, the testing director who took the Gravity for a spin, said the electric SUV “gets a sort of second wave of thrust starting around 60 mph.”
With a quarter-mile of just 10.6 secs, Lucid’s Gravity is the fastest SUV they have ever tested, beating out the Rivian Tri-Motor Max (11.1 secs), BMW iX M60 (11.5 secs), and Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV.
Although the Rivian’s 850 hp R1S Tri-Motor beat the Gravity to 60 mph, Lucid’s SUV sprinted ahead in the quarter-mile, traveling nearly 20 mph faster.
It was also faster than gas-powered super SUVs, including the Lamborghini Urus Performante (11.2 secs) and Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT (11.2 secs). However, they have yet to test a Tesla Model X Plaid, so that could change the game.
In what it called the “1,000 hp mom missiles” drag race, Hagerty recently pitted the Gravity Dream Edition against the Audi RS Q8 Performance, Range Rover Sport SV, Porsche Macan Turbo Electric, Rivian R1S Quad, and Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.
The result was a three-way tie between Lucid’s Gravity, the Porsche Panamera Turbo, and Rivian R1S Quad hitting the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds.
The Lucid Gravity is available to order starting at $94,900 in the US. Later this year, Lucid is launching the lower-priced Touring trim, priced from $79,900.
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Solar provided over 11% of total US electrical generation in May, while wind + solar produced over one-fifth, and the mix of all renewable energy sources generated nearly 30%, according to data just released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Solar continues to set new records
Solar continues to be the fastest-growing source of US electricity, according to EIA’s latest “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through May 31, 2025), which the SUN DAY Campaign reviewed.
In May alone, electrical generation by utility-scale solar (>1-megawatt (MW)) increased by 33.3% year-over-year, while “estimated” small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar PV increased by 8.9%. Combined, they grew by 26.4% and provided over 11% of US electrical output during the month.
For the first time ever, the mix of utility-scale and small-scale solar produced more electricity than wind: solar – 38,965 gigawatt-hours (GWh); wind – 36,907-GWh.
Moreover, utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic expanded by 39.8% while that from small-scale systems rose by 10.7% during the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The combination of utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by 31.1% and was nearly 8.4% of total US electrical generation for January to May – up from 6.6% a year earlier.
Solar-generated electricity easily surpassed the output of US hydropower plants (6.1%). Solar now produces more electricity than hydropower, biomass, and geothermal combined.
Wind is also on the rise in 2025
Wind produced 12.2% of US electricity in the first five months of 2025. Its output was 3.9% greater than the year before, almost double that produced by hydropower.
During the first five months of 2025, electrical generation by wind + utility-scale and small-scale solar provided 20.5% of the US total, up from 18.7% during the first five months of 2024. Solar + wind accounted for nearly 21.5% of US electrical output in May alone.
During the first five months of this year, wind and solar provided 26.2% more electricity than coal, and 15.4% more than US nuclear power plants. In May alone, the disparity increased further when solar + wind outproduced coal and nuclear power by 55.7% and 22.1%, respectively.
All renewables produced almost 30% in May
The mix of all renewables – wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, geothermal – produced 9.7% more electricity in January to May than they did a year ago (7.6% more in May alone) and provided 28.1% of total US electricity production compared to 26.5% 12 months earlier.
Electrical generation by all renewables in May alone provided 29.7% of total US electrical generation. Renewables’ share of electrical generation is now second only to that of natural gas, whose electrical output actually dropped by 5.9% during the month.
“Solar and wind continue to grow, set new records, and outproduce both coal and nuclear power,” said Ken Bossong, the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director. “Consequently, the ongoing Republican assault against renewables is not only misguided and illogical but also a good example of shooting oneself in the foot.”
Read more: FERC: Solar + wind made up 96% of new US power generating capacity in first third of 2025
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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Environment
Podcast: Tesla’s disturbing earnings, self-driving challenge, solid state batteries, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s disturbing earnings, a new self-driving challenge, solid-state batteries, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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