GROOMING
Prinoth’s New-Concept
Snow Groomers
The next era of snow grooming machines is upon us as
more ski resorts and ski areas aim for carbon neutrality
By Barb Feldman
In its ongoing effort to bring carbon neutrality to the snow
operations industry, Prinoth is happy to introduce its
two new concept machines: the Leitwolf h2Motion, the
world’s first hydrogen-powered snow groomer, and the
Husky eMotion, the world’s lightest electric snow groomer.
“We had a huge interest wave coming out of our announcement
before Christmas, especially for the Husky eMotion,”
said Andreas Muigg, Ph.D., Prinoth’s head of product portfolio
management.
The difference between the two models is where and how
the energy is stored and then provided to the hydraulic powertrain,
he says. For now, both concept vehicles are conventional
snow groomers except for the electric motors – the
second, easier step will be to achieve full electrification of
the powertrain.
“For the Husky eMotion, we replaced the diesel engine
with batteries, and an electric motor runs the rest of
the powertrain,” Muigg said, noting that this light, zeroexhaust
machine will be ideal for indoor ski domes,
smaller areas that require a high degree of maneuverability
and urban facilities that have rigorous pollution or
low-noise requirements.
There’s a notably lower noise level in the cabin, he said,
“and it’s noticeable outside, too – a very positive effect.
“The concept is based on the existing machine, but we are
able to get 272 horsepower (200 kilowatt hours) and 1,140
newton-meters in immediate maximum torque from start
out of this battery capacity, which is about 20 percent more
than in the diesel version. We installed a total capacity of 190
kilowatt hours, with a usable capacity of 150 kilowatt hours,
which allows it to drive up to three hours in normal operation.
The better the charging station infrastructure is on site,
the faster it can be recharged, of course – six hours for AC,
and less than an hour with DC.”
“We want to get the ski
business to zero emissions.”
– Andreas Muigg, Ph.D., Prinoth
PHOTOS: PRINOTH
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