Electric Snomobile

[Jim]

Here's an article about a group of kids in madison that are building an [URL="http://www.engr.wisc.edu/news/headlines/2007/Nov01.html"]Electric Sled[/URL].

[johnemaz]

When the battery goes dead, just hope you can find a current bush along the trail to plug'er in...........

Tree huggers.... hang on as I cut'er down..........Timmmmmber !!!!!

[johnemaz]

It really is an interesting article, But I think they should stick to the dog sleds,
They would be more reliable.

[unlocal]

Where and when can I get one?? When you hit the go button for an electric motor, you get FULL torque instantly. that would be a rush. I love to snowmobile but the noise is (literally) deafening! I realize that about 50% of the racket is track noise but the other 50% is really annoying. I've ridden some four stroke sleds and they're certainly quieter than two strokers but electric power would be a whole new thing. No oil, fuel, anti-freeze, plugs, injectors, carbs or smokey, smelly exhaust. Wow, I'm starting to convince myself!
:letitsnow:

[robertslakekidrev600ho]

the smell and 2-stroke sound is what most die hard snowmobilers love and crave!

[Jer]

>>[i]you get FULL torque instantly...[/i]

Exactly, combustion must build up torgue...

There is an electric drag bike that runs a 8.083 1/4 mile @ 163 MPH!
[size=2]
[quote][b]Interesting KillaCycle Facts[/b]
[list]
[*]The KillaCycle uses about $0.07 worth of electricity for each run down the strip.
[*]The bike only uses ~300 W-hr / mile… including the burn-out
[*]Including burn-outs, the KillaCycle could make 7 or more runs on one charge
[*]Recharges in under 4 minutes. (Limited by charger.)
[*]Zero to 60 MPH in 0.97 seconds.
[*]Silent, aside from the chain and some tire noise.
[*]The KillaCycle weighs 653 lbs.
[/list]
[size=1](Facts from the [url=http://www.killacycle.com/about/]KillaCycle[/url] web page)[/size]
[/quote]
[/size]

[05FireCat600SP]

Ya I will stay away from the electric sled. A snowmobile that only goes 30 mph, goes a max of 50 miles, and is a tank is not for me. I rather stay with the internal combustion and modify it to get better emissions, fuel mileage, and be quiter, hence the other part of the SAE CSC competition in Houghton every march.

BTW, last year at competition the electric sleds didnt have that much torque due to it having to try to move so much weight. In theory it should but the added weight takes that theory and throughs it out the window.

[Tom]

You have to give these college students credit for looking outside the box.
I know one of the students, Kevin King is from the Fox Valley and rides up here a lot.
My guess is it’s his and the others love for snowmobiling that got their project going. I think it’s great what they're doing.

[05FireCat600SP]

Ya, I also do know Kevin King and a few other members on the Madison team. On that same note I am a student at the University Of Wisconsin Platteville and a Member of the SAE CSC team here at platteville. We compete in the same competition as Madison and along with the other 18 teams that are up in Houghton every year. One thing that is hard for us at Platteville and many other teams at the competition is the funding that Madison is able to get because of being a division I school as to us at Platteville being division III. This lack of funding keeps us from being able to compete in the electric snowmobile challenge and also limits what we can do with our internal combustion snowmobile. Its not that we dont go out and try to get outside sponsorships either its just possible sponsors are more willing to help madison being a bigger school then us at the smaller school even though we can graduate with the same exact engineering degree.