While the 100 E is at least a couple of
years away from being productionready,
it is already generating
significant interest among many in
the snow grooming industry.
that there aren’t many machines that have to operate in the
extreme conditions, like extreme cold and steep inclines, that
snow groomers do, and it could take some time to extend the
life of the battery pack to the desired 10 or 12 hours.
Still, PistenBully’s management team is excited about the
possibilities the 100 E has to offer. In fact, Glockhamer says
it could be a perfect option for indoor ski facilities sooner
rather than later.
“Where we see the initial potential for this is in indoor ski
centers because it’s 100 percent emission-free and that’s a
big deal when you are operating inside,” he said. “There, you
wouldn’t need as much run time to get your grooming done
before you need to recharge. If you have a couple of these, you
could knock out your grooming in an indoor center and have
no emissions. With most indoor diesel machines, they have
special filters and scrubbers to knock down emissions, but
you still can’t get it down to zero.”
While the snow grooming industry is the primary target
market for the 100 E, McGiboney says it could also be a possible
solution for environmentally-sensitive projects, such as
tailing ponds and utility work.
“Utility companies will be really big on this because they
have to push for zero emissions as well. That could be a market
all of its own,” McGiboney said.
He acknowledges that the 100 E is a concept vehicle and
will require some additional development before it is ready
to be rolled out. However, he says PistenBully is committed
to ensuring it’s done its homework before making the
machine available.
The company also wants to make sure that it’s an affordable
option for ski hills and other types of operations before
it’s made available.
“You can do all of these wonderful things, but if it comes
out to market and it’s twice the price, you’re not going to be
very successful and it’s going to be hard to continue development,”
Glockhamer said.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PISTENBULLY
GROOMING
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14 September 2019 | snowopsmag.com
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