web plus

This ultimate ice buggy is under development by Venturi Automobiles, the Monaco-based maker of electric cars. Its purpose: To allow scientists to more safely reach core-sample drilling locations on the Antarctic ice shelf – and do so in areas where combustion engines are banned, says Franck Baldet, head of the Venturi testing department.

“Currently there is no other way [to reach drilling sites] except to walk or ski, which is dangerous and takes a lot of time,” Baldet explains.

Dog sleds have been banned on Antarctica since 1993, a move spurred by fears that the nonindigenous animals would spread diseases such as canine distemper to the native seal population.

Venturi was tapped to develop this electric snowcat after Prince Albert II, the reigning monarch of Monaco and a noted environmental advocate, returned from a trip to Antarctica in 2009. “Scientists from the French Polar Institute told him they needed a vehicle that could reach sites without creating pollution that could alter drilling samples,” Baldet says.

Funded by Prince Albert’s private foundation, which supports environmental and sustainability issues, this unusual EV meets four goals set by institute officials: emission-free propulsion, easy operation, a range of at least 20km (12.4m) and five-passenger capability. So far, so good, according to a recent prototype test drive in the Alps in southern France, with Prince Albert at the helm. The Antarctica easily (and quietly) manoeuvred on slopes as steep as 45 degrees and handled temps down to -20°C (-4°F). “It worked perfectly – incredibly easy to drive,” Baldet says. The vehicle’s top speed is a breezy 15mph.

It’s not easy to develop an electric-powered transporter that can work reliably in temperatures as low as -70°C (-94°F), Baldet notes. “It’s difficult for a battery to generate current at those temperatures, plus it’s more vulnerable to damage,” he says.

To deal with the extreme temperatures, designers snuggled the 23kWh lithium-ion battery inside a heated compartment that remains a toasty 0°C (32°F) – even when outside temps reach -40°C/F. The battery powers two mid-mounted electric motors producing a combined 89 horsepower; each motor drives four of the vehicle’s eight wheels, which usually are covered with removable caterpillar treads. Regenerative-braking technology pushes juice to the battery pack between charges, Baldet says.

To keep the vehicle as light as possible (the two-seat prototype weighs about two tons), Venturi designers may end up building the shell with extremely strong but lightweight materials used to make space satellites. “We want to optimize all systems so the vehicle consumes as little energy as possible, which leaves more energy to power the vehicle and provides more range,” Baldet says.

The Antarctica is controlled via a joystick – no steering wheel or throttle/brake pedals. “It’s very easy to drive – like a video game, more or less,” he says. “It’s a drive-by-wire system. There are no mechanical links between the control and the motors.”

To move forward, just push the joystick away from the driver. To brake, pull back on the stick. To turn left, move the joystick left; to turn right, move it right. It’s that simple, Baldet says.

It will be at least two more years before Venturi can deliver a fully realised version of the Antarctica to South Pole researchers. The cost? Baldet declined to provide an estimate, but did note that because of its advanced technology and exotic materials, the machine likely would be far too expensive to sell commercially.

“It will probably be the only vehicle of its kind on Earth,” he points out. “Unless the institute ask for two, then there will be two. And if they ask for three, there will be three. It will be very exclusive.”