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Zero Motorcycles Taps Polaris to Make Electric Off-Road Vehicles and Snowmobiles

The electric motorcycle industry is far from being as lucrative as the automobile one. Despite the efforts made by startups to make electric two-wheelers popular, established bike makers are still a long way from joining the fun, with Harley-Davidson being so far the only one risking to go down this path.
Zero SR/S 52 photos
Photo: Zero
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Zero Motorcycles is one of the startups we mentioned, one of the oldest and arguably the most successful. On the market since 2006, Zero made a name for itself by selling affordable (when compared to what else is out there in this segment), high-performance electric motorcycles – yet the 9 or so models currently available are just the beginning.

How would you feel about some incredible machines, powersports-destined ones, that could make use of electricity?

Starting 2021, that’s exactly what we’ll get - Zero is joining the electric off-road vehicles and snowmobiles game. It won’t do it alone, but together with Polaris, after the two announced the signing of a 10-year agreement.

More to the point, Zero will develop the powertrain technology (hardware and the electronic software), while Polaris will handle the development and manufacture of the rest of the vehicles.

“This revolutionary partnership is bringing together two incredibly talented teams aimed at dramatically expanding the electric options in powersports,” said in a statement Zero Motorcycles CEO Sam Paschel.

“Our EV expertise and millions of miles of real-world, rubber-meets-the-road EV experience, coupled with Polaris’ broad product portfolio, scale, supply chain and market leadership, makes this a game-changer for every powersports enthusiast.”

For now, there are virtually no details on how many vehicles we’re talking about here, let alone their capabilities. We do know the first jointly-developed product should surface by the end of 2021, and it will be followed by an electric vehicle option within each of Polaris’ core product segments by the middle of the decade.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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