- Canada’s Pursuit has converted one of its old diesel ice explorers to electric.
- The refurbished EV is powered by a huge, 528 kWh battery, which is big enough for about 30 trips up and down the Columbia Icefield.
- The old cabin was kept, but the chassis and the driveline are completely new.
Canada’s 10,000-year-old Columbia Icefield can now be explored in complete silence, thanks to the world’s first all-electric ice explorer.
The huge, eight-wheeled truck was converted from diesel to electric by Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality with the help of Manitoba’s Noble Northern as part of a pilot program that kicked off for this year’s exploration season.
Noble Northern took one of Pursuit’s old diesel Ice Explorers and ditched everything, except the top cab. A new chassis, that’s 30% lighter than before, was fitted under the 52-passenger body, along with an air suspension setup that allows for a smooth ride over the rocky and icy terrain.
A massive, 528-kilowatt-hour battery was bolted onto the frame, which allows for around 30 to 35 trips up and down the mountain, according to Tye Noble, Noble Northern’s president. The battery has an integrated thermal management system to ensure optimal performance in the harshest conditions, and there’s regenerative braking, which reduces strain on the physical brakes and sends back power to the battery during descents.
To top it all off, 12 roof-mounted solar panels can send electricity to the massive battery when it’s sunny outside.
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Source: Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality
“We rebuilt this vehicle from the chassis up to be as light and efficient as possible while meeting the demands of glacial terrain,” said Tye Noble, President of Noble Northern, whose team led the engineering and construction of the vehicle. “Five years ago, you wouldn’t have considered six kilowatts of solar to be a possibility on a vehicle like this. That’s what makes this pilot so valuable: the technology is ready to be tested in one of the most demanding operating environments in the world.”
Besides converting one of its Ice Explorers to electric, Pursuit has also upgraded 10 of them with more efficient engines—six got EPA Tier 3 engines, and four were fitted with EPA Tier 4 lumps. What’s more, the diesel generator system installed at the Columbia Icefield was changed to propane, which reduced the facility’s carbon footprint by over 30%, according to Pursuit. The Electric Ice Explorer, meanwhile, has the potential to reduce 200 to 300 kilograms of carbon dioxide per day compared to a diesel Ice Explorer operating on the same route, according to modelled comparisons.