If you need capable transportation in a remote area where there are no roads, yet you still want to stay at least somewhat eco-friendly, your options are limited. That's exactly why the six-wheeled Green Scout electric amphibious ATV was created.
The all-terrain vehicle has been in development since 2017, and was conceived of by a group of Russian geologists working in the far north. Based on the features that they believed an ATV should possess, a team of Russian engineers designed and built the current prototype.
It features a welded steel frame with a protective coating, a watertight polyethylene body that can seat up to six people, and of course the six wheels. Each one of those independently suspended wheels has its own hydraulic shock absorber, hydraulic disc brake, and 3-kW (4-hp) electric hub motor. Power is provided by a battery pack located under the driver's seat.
The vehicle weighs 450 kg (992 lb), has a ground clearance of 0.45 m (18 in), and can carry a maximum payload of 800 kg (1,764 lb) on land, or 1,200 kg (2,646 lb) when floating on the water. Its top speed is 70 km/h on land (43 mph) and 5 km/h on water (3 mph). We're still waiting to hear back about how it moves through the water – it may just spin its knobby-tired wheels, although a transom for an outboard motor is offered as an accessory.
Its land-going battery range is a claimed 100 km (62 mi) per charge.
According to its designers, the ATV can keep going as long as at least one wheel/motor on each side remains functional. Additionally, if one of them does conk out, it can be replaced with a spare by the driver, on location. And as an added benefit, the battery pack can be used to power external devices if needed.
The Green Scout team is currently looking for investors, and is also offering discounts to potential buyers via an Indiegogo campaign. It is hoped that the vehicle will be commercially available in the second half of this year, priced at around US$10,000.
You can see the prototype in action (although not on the water), in the following video.
Sources: Indiegogo, Green Scout
What are the advantages of an electric transmission? Besides the fact that it is quiet, ecological ... In that it is possible to create a 6-wheel amphibious all-terrain vehicle that has a soft suspension. The fact that the clearance of the all-terrain vehicle can be greater than the radius of the wheel.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2689/5080/products/big-trak-hands-on-zeon_387.jpg?v=1589328779
If the Green Scout looks like anything, it is the Soviet lunar rover of the 70s.