Electric rock crawlers? There are plenty under development around the world and they actually make sense. Whodathunkit? Watching (and hearing) electric rock crawlers turns out to be about the same as playing around with scale remote-control crawlers… but at full-size…
Whodathunkit? Watching (and hearing) electric rock crawlers turns out to be about the same as playing around with scale remote-control crawlers… but at full-size 1:1 scale you can actually sit in them and drive.
If any electric 4×4 makes sense it’s gotta be the rock crawler. After all, it only needs to run for short distances, because it’s not road legal so it has to be trailered to the site, and it makes maximum torque from zero revs, which is obviously pretty handy when you want to clamber over big obstacles.
Here are a few videos showing some innovative builders who’ve been working on electric rock crawlers.
This first one is a first drive of what looks to be a beautifully built machine.
And here’s another video of an EV crawler that’s already been completed, taking on the imaginatively named Butt Hurt Hill at the Interlake State Recreation Area in Southern Indiana.
Here’s a video of JK Wrangler that that’s been converted to an EV, and it sounds so much like a scale RC crawler you’ll probably do a double-take.
And then there’s this Aussie-built Land Rover that Unsealed 4X4 has looked at previously.
Finally, for those who want to sample an electric 4×4 for themselves, it appears as though Jaunt Motors has almost got its first vehicle, called Juniper, ready for hire.
