If you’re looking to experience frozen wilderness on the quiet, this pioneering electric snowmobile is for you. The Alfa by Swedish visionaries Vidde Snow Mobility is claimed to be a world first. Until now all snowmobiles have been both noisy and polluting, which is bad for everything from reindeer to snow and above all to the planet. The Vidde Alfa electric snowmobile, by contrast, is silent due to battery power and about as polluting as the average electric bicycle. Why has no-one thought of this before?
One reason is the complexity of the job. Vidde say they’ve spent two years working on the Alfa before its launch. Inspiration was a trip to Sweden’s northern wilderness by the company’s founders where, as they now put it "the noise and pollution emitted by conventional snowmobiles detracted from the beauty of nature itself". The project that became the Vidde Alfa electric snowmobile was born, in partnership with some big names in both design and in icy holidays.
Sweden, it turns out, is the largest snowmobile market outside of north America. That, along with the rich automotive heritage of the country, makes it a perfect place to develop an electric snowmobile. For the eye-catching form-follows-function design of their electric snowmobile, Vidde turned further south - to Italy and the best of the best. Pininfarina, better known as Ferrari’s favourite design house, had a hand in how the Alfa electric snowmobile looks: all futuristic sharp angles that wouldn’t look out of place in the next James Bond film.
Technical specifications are impressive. The Alfa is currently undergoing a rigorous proving schedule before deliveries begin. Vidde say their model will charge up in three and a half hours, with a range from its powerful 175 bhp electric motor of 100 miles, which should just about get you to the famous Icehotel at Jukkasjärvi, rebuilt each year from frozen ice in northern Sweden and another partner on this project. You’ll be able to tow anything that weighs up to 270 kg and start up your electric snowmobile in temperatures of -35º C, quite an achievement given how battery charge can degrade in low temperatures.
This electric snowmobile is surely essential for your ski chalet in St Moritz, a must-have for the new season. Or perhaps you’d like one for your next visit to the frozen wilds of northern Sweden? Either way, Vidde have their order books open now and are awaiting your call. The Vidde Alfa isn’t a low-cost option - those nice Swedes are asking £22,500 for each electric snowmobile ordered - but then saving the planet while still having a riot of fun was never going to be cheap. We’d love one.
Find out more from Vidde Mobility.
