In a press release on the 28th, Polaris announce their intentions to co-develop EV’s with Zero motorcycles. What will it mean for the two wheel production?
The announcement made headlines right away, as this is a big deal for Zero Motorcycles. This is great recognition from Polaris, being a major holding company of some of the major brands world wide, as well as a top producer.
Zero Motorcycles will co-develop with Polaris – off-road vehicles and snowmobiles, expected to debut 2021. As written in the announcement “…now is the right time for Polaris, with Zero Motorcycles as a key strategic partner, to implement our rEV’d up initiative and aggressively accelerate our position in powersports electrification” Scott Wine – CEO of Polaris.
As we said – that’s great recognition from a huge manufacturer, but we still put our focus on two wheels, and wonder what could that do to the current (outstanding) production line of Zero motorcycles.
If we were to guess, affects from a deal such as this can be substantial. While Zero will benefit from the obvious investment in co-developing EV’s that they did not produce so far, Polaris benefits from cutting edge tech, proven experiance in production line product manufacturing of electric vehicles, and Intellectual property of Zero Motorcycles.
So what would that possible do to the two wheel line? Let’s see what this could mean.
The Polaris deal could be a great increase in cash flow that can help generate a faster progression in technology, which might just put Zero at an unbridgeable gap from other competitors. If Zero plays it’s cards right, and invest back into innovation. This would help them create a gap in tech (similar to what is being done by Tesla) that other electric motorcycle brands would find hard to catch up with.
Further developments of off road vehicles with Polaris will enhance their ability to mature, grow and expend their offering for electric off road bikes. We have seen that Zero motorcycles don’t lack on any motorcycle type in their line, and they provide great off road two wheel options. This deal can bring them to the next level, with offerings that will be increasingly competitive in both technology and performance. Heck, who knows, if we really want to stretch the limit of imagination – co producing for off-road 4-wheelers where other considerations such as AWD come into play, that could enable Zero with off road expertise that could possibly be integrated to designs that are not your ordinary belt/chain drive motor.
The reality is, this deal is great for both sides, and will eventually get us – the consumers excellent EV products for off-road fun. We can expect ATVs, ORVs, snowmobiles, and possibly much more (water is another great domain of Polaris products). Our main take away here, is with the hope that Zero will maintain progression on the two wheels, and utilize this opportunity to give out more for their electric motorcycle riders.
Check out the full Polaris announcement here
Via: Polaris