Imagine This Nearly 1,000 Horsepower EV Motor In Your Next UTV
There's something positively intoxicating about the way the Stark Varg[1] delivers its monumental horsepower to the dirt. I've had the EX now for a couple days, and playing with the prancing ponies locked away in its lithe little electric motor is one of those things you just have to experience for yourself. Especially when you kick up the juice doled out to that lone rear wheel.
And EVs are especially good at that job, as you can either meter out all those rampaging horses with precise control, or just let them absolutely cook and set your hair on fire. I still haven't touched the 80 horsepower setting, as the 60 horsepower level will light up that rear wheel at a staggering 50+ mph. But whereas motorcycles have been quick to adopt EV solutions, though with varying degrees of success--LiveWire[2] vs. Energica[3] vs. Stark[4] vs. Zero[5]--the UTV world, which makes more sense to my neanderthal mind, hasn't been as forward-thinking.
Only a few out of the numerous options across the spectrum feature electrification, whereas you'd think it'd be easier than a bike, given you don't have the same space constraints. Maybe the segment is looking for something to propel it forward more, though? Maybe the companies are looking for a hero on par with the latest Superman?
Maybe they're looking for YASA's pint-sized electric motor that can churn out a truly mind-melting near 1,000 horsepower from something that weighs less than a sack of potatoes? Sweet Mary, Mother of Joseph.
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29 pounds, that's all YASA's new prototype electric motor weighs. That's just incredibly light.
So light, you could theoretically throw four of them onto each axle of a UTV and have more horsepower than God, as that's less than your average portal axle weight. But instead of basically gearing down the rig for enhanced rock crawling and off-roading, you'd have a rocket ship that would beat a Formula 1 to 150 mph. Hell, depending on the wheel setup, and whether you could find UTV axles strong enough, you might be able to smoke a Funny Car at the drag strip.
Now, obviously, we're still a ways away from this entering the market, as YASA, the company behind the motor which is part of Mercedes-Benz, says this is purely a prototype. A prototype that makes 738 horsepower but a prototype nonetheless. The company would have to start production, as well as partner with a company in the UTV industry.
And you wouldn't want a four-motor UTV that puts out 2,800 horsepower, as that's an easy way of making the 90/10 rule obsolete. Rather, a motor like this, that's as light as it is, and as tunable as YASA states, well that's an easy proposition for someone like Polaris or Can-Am or Kawasaki or Yamaha or Honda or any of the other UTV OEMs to adopt, as you could give something like a Maverick or Talon this motor, make more horsepower than the current go-fast models[6], and only really have to solve for the batteries. It'd also let engineers do their thing and come up with innovative ways of putting that "phenomenal cosmic power" to the ground.
A doable thing, for sure. Honestly, I'd love to see this motor end up in a UTV at some point, especially something built for desert racing. Imagine Can-Am or Polaris' Dakar[7] or Baja[8] entries with this motor and a bank of energy dense, but lighter batteries ala the solid-state ones that Honda and a few other manufacturers are building.
A lightweight UTV, a massive motor, and someone brave enough to put their foot down in the dunes.
Oh, the possibilities!
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