There are many ways of conquering the snow that is close to falling or has already fallen in many parts of the world, especially in Russia; there are quads/ATVs, snowmobiles, 4x4s equipped with snow tires and even Segways on studded tires to name but a few.
To us, though, the Ziesel (German for ‘land squirrel’ or ‘gopher’) is far cooler than any of those, as it’s basically a racing seat strapped atop two electric motors , batteries and tracks.
Essentially quite simple in conception and (joystick) operation, it’s a new idea as far as we can remember, so it’s to Mattro Mobility Revolutions of Austria’s credit that they brought it to its current level of competence (and hopefully reliability).
Technical specs don’t appear to be complete (yet), but we do know it puts out a combined 400 Nm or 295 lb-ft of twist and its top speed is (thankfully) limited to 35 km/h (22 mph). Range is currently being kept secret, as is the price, but its battery pack is decent for its size with 6 kWh of storage, helping it tip the scales at 210 kg or 462 lbs.
By Andrei Nedelea
