Swedish startup Vidde Snow Mobility is looking to revolutionize the snowmobile industry with the launch of the world’s first electric snowmobile designed with “circular ambition.” It says its pre-series Alfa is a significant milestone in the pursuit of cleaner, more environmentally friendly snowmobiling experiences. Vidde Co-founder and CEO Christian Lystrup presented the new sled last week on YouTube.

Traditional snowmobiles have long been recognized as heavy polluters within the vehicle sphere, but until recently have largely escaped the focus of regulatory authorities and manufacturers, according to Vidde. The company says its coming snowmobiles will remove about 85% of today’s emissions.

When it reaches the market later this year, the series production version will be vying for customers in a quickly growing electric snowmobile market led by other leading startups like Finland’s Aurora Powertrains, which unveiled its first electric snowmobile in 2018 and its latest eSled in 2023, and Canada’s Taiga Motors with its Nomad launched in 2022.

The company’s journey began with a realization during a safari in the Swedish wilderness that the noise and pollution emitted by conventional snowmobiles detracted from the beauty of nature itself. Recognizing the need for change, Vidde Snow Mobility founders, Lystrup and CFO Yalda Mirbaz, embarked on a mission in 2021 to develop an attractive snowmobile that is fun to ride and has minimized environmental impact.

 

Developed with partners

Vidde draws on Sweden’s automotive heritage and its position as the largest snowmobile market outside of North America. Through research and collaboration with partners such as RISE (Research Institute of Sweden), the company homed in on key aspects such as driveability, battery functionality in arctic climates, and noise reduction, ensuring that the Alfa delivers “an unparalleled snowmobiling experience.”

Italian design house Pininfarina contributed to its clean sheet design with a marriage of form and function embodying the principles of sustainability and longevity. The Vidde snowmobile in November had its world premiere sneak preview in conjunction with a Pininfarina exhibit at ISPO Munich 2023, one of the world’s largest trade fairs for the sports industry.

However, the launch of the Alfa at the iconic Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi last month marked a significant milestone in Vidde’s journey. As a “pre-series partner,” the hotel represents one of the main customer user demographics of tourism and experience tourism. SkiStar, a leader in the ski-resort market and another pre-series partner, is similarly paving the way for fully electric destinations. Vidde says that these partnerships signify a shift towards a more sustainable future for winter tourism.

“In two years, a lean core team working with absolute top partners has taken the terrain mobility category from super dirty to the start of a circular electric future,” said Lystrup, at the Icehotel. “We are proud to present the world’s cleanest snowmobile to the market and look forward to start validating it in actual use with our partners.”

 

Electric engineering

Since the launch last winter of the ICE (internal combustion engine) converted prototype called Frank, the team has worked to overcome many of the compromises often faced when turning from an ICE vehicle to an electric one.

“We have prioritized our efforts to set the technical foundation for the vehicle right,” said Fredrik Blom, Head of Engineering & CTO at Vidde. “We want to make sure we can actually have a vehicle that can be powerful, with a good range, and give the driver a pleasant ride. The focus has therefore been to develop the winter battery solution, connect the vehicle to the digital cloud for continuous upgrades, and set the construction right for perfect weight distribution that creates the best drivability, to mention a few” of the opportunities afforded by electric technology.

Preliminary specifications for the Alfa pre-series include electric motor outputs of more than 130 kW and 400 N·m (295 lb·ft). The targeted range is more than 100 km (62 mi), efficiency is 18.4 kW·h/100 km, and emissions are less than 100 g CO2/km. Level 2 charging at 220 V takes about 3.5 h. Continuous towing capacity is more than 270 kg (595 lb).

For comparison, the Taiga Nomad offers a range of up to 100 km and boasts an impressive towing capacity of 511 kg (1125 lb).

“From the beginning of this project, we have had a dream to have our launch here at the Icehotel, not only because of the amazing location and scenery but also because this is where we really can show that our product can work in true Arctic conditions,” added Lystrup.

The Alfa has a battery system with internal heating, making it possible to function in cold-climate conditions as low as -39°C (-38°F).

 

Design for sustainability and longevity

While Frank was a converted ICE prototype, the clean-sheet Alfa design enabled the drive for sustainability and longevity.

“Through close collaboration with users and a focus on sustainable materials and usability, we are creating a vehicle that will remain relevant and attractive for years to come,” said Kristine Lium, Head of Design and Sustainability at Vidde.

Together with the design house Pininfarina, the development focused on finding solutions that can emphasize the pure pleasure of using the vehicle while making it functional and attractive for years to come.

“Putting a vehicle into the market today is also a responsibility for taking care of the product as it goes out of life 5, 10, or 15 years from now,” added Lium. “We need to make sure that our snowmobiles already now are designed to be part of our future.”

She is supported in that effort by Pininfarina. To bring Alfa’s carbon emissions to less than 100 g/km, Pininfarina and Vidde collaborated to create an environmentally sustainable snowmobile that, beyond being electric, was designed to maximize its service life.

According to Pininfarina, this was achieved by balancing aesthetical, functional, technical, and social obsolescence, aiming at a design that is timeless (practical, easy to use, versatile to drive, modular, and upgradable); purposeful (sturdy, easy to service, nimble, and with great attention to details); and attractive (simple, inviting, natural, and one in which form and function align). It leveraged all its product and experience design and innovation capabilities, from exploratory research to strategic design, product and interaction design, virtual and physical modeling and prototyping, as well as evaluative research.

“The Vidde project is unique in that way as it’s not only looking to solve what is right in front of us,” said Xavier Blanc Baudriller, Pininfarina VP of Experience Design. “The big focus is to create a solution that meets the needs of the customers today as well as tomorrow.”

One example of greater circularity is the Alfa’s PaperTail rear panel, a flat and simple bio-based wood component. A co-development between Vidde and PaperShell AB, with project support from Vinnova and a LIGHTer strategic innovation program, its use reduced CO2e emissions by 80-95%. The material is pitched as an alternative to components made of aluminum, fiber composites, or plastics such as PA or PC.

Testing for production in 2024

The Vidde pre-series will be tested together with SkiStar; Sveaskog, Sweden’s largest forest owner; Skellefteå Kraft, Sweden’s fifth largest power producer; and Icehotel for the rest of this season.

“We’ve worked together with these partners in the development of the product, and now it’s time to get it into the field and start testing it in real conditions and situations,” said Lystrup.

The production vehicle is planned to be ready to start shipping during the latter stage of 2024, with expanded production in 2025. It is expected to start delivery with a price tag of €26,200.

The first units are already reserved by the test partners, but there are still many opportunities to sign up and pre-book a Vidde snowmobile at https://viddemobility.com/pre-book/.