Chinese electric ATV

[alexinPA]

I'm tired of doing maintenance on my ATV: gas, oil, carb etc. Thinking about getting electric one.
Anybody has experience with electric ATVs sold on Ali-Express or Temu? What's your opinion if you got it?

 

[kneedeep]

They are all junk.
A off road golf cart would be a better buy. Polaris and a few independents are building real EV UTVs, they are pricy but sneaky silent.
The golf carts are NOT for 4 wheeling, only sneaking around on flat ground! BTDT!

 

[ericm979]

Can-am just came out with an electric ATV. Other than that, it's either expensive boutique brands that no one's heard of, or cheap Chinese stuff. I'd prefer a well known manufacturer who will be around when I want parts.

 

[Torvy]

I've had a HiSun Sector E1 (assembled in McKinney, TX) for about 2 years now.

It is a great work machine. It isn't suited for trail riding as it tops out at 35mph and has a max range of 40 miles.

We charge ours every week or two.

The original unit had a charging problem. After trying to fix it, they replaced it and reset the warranty (in writing). Haven't had a lick of trouble with the replacement.

I'd rather have got something that wasn't Chinese, but it was 1/2 the price of the Ranger Kinetic.

It climbs fine in low. Comes standard with winch, windscreen and roof.

 

[deserteagle71]

I know a couple different guys who bought the Chinese ATVs (gas, not electric). Both are now parked, useless junk, because replacement parts were not available.

 

[rgr33]

My neighbor bought a Chinese ATV about 3 years ago. It worked well for a bit over 2 years, then the frame cracked, twice
He had difficulty finding parts for it, eventually gave it to a kid that lived nearby.
He now has an electric motorcycle that reaches 60 mph in a blink of an eye. He has put a lot of miles on it, with no mechanical issues, just tires and brakes.
It’s a dirt bike style and he hasn’t babied it.

 

[alexinPA]

Can-am just came out with an electric ATV. Other than that, it's either expensive boutique brands that no one's heard of, or cheap Chinese stuff. I'd prefer a well known manufacturer who will be around when I want parts.

Can-Am electric atv sticker price $12900. Nice looking quad but too expensive

 

[sunandsand]

When you are buying a camel, look at the seller as well as the camel.

Lack of support (no parts, no warranty, no dealer) means that if anything ever breaks, you may be completely S.O.L.

Years ago (when dinosaurs roamed the earth), I had a motorcycle business in Miami. We had a steady parade of orphan motorcycles which needed only some tiny bit of unobtanium to run again. We stopped trying to kludge them back together because then we'd have these things hassling us forever, and when there was simply no hope left, it was OUR fault.

MZ, Gilera, Italjet, Aeromacchi, Peugeot, Solex, Marusho, DKW, Rupp, the list goes on.

If you can't get parts and you can't get service information, you only have an expensive paperweight. That's fine if you just want a toy, but in general, tractors are meant to work, not sit around and look pretty.

No parts, no service, no manuals, no dealer = no deal, even for free.

Best Regards,
Mike/Florida

 

[TractorTech]

I'm dealing with a Chinese golf cart that was donated to a local not for profit, a MMC Shandong that is sold direct or through Walmart.
All I needed was the foot parking brake assembly (no golf cart uses a separate pedal for this) because the spring for the pawl broke. The machine has no make, model or serial number on it. Many, many texts later, pictures of the machine and the part,
I was asked if the donor had the invoice number for the machine. He did not. Finally, a copy of the texts to 'Frank' with the company, from when the donor bought the machine got traction. Frank then said he can send the part free with $200. air freight from China!

No parts books, no local stock and lots of wasted time!

 

[EddieWalker]

The guy who shoots the hogs on my place uses an Electric Club Car golf cart that seats 4 people. It has the off road package, which means it's lifted with bigger tires. He also has a green LED light on the front so he doesn't disturb the hogs. He weighs more then 400 pounds, and when he has his brothers in there with him, there is a lot of weight in that golf cart. They drive all over in it, all night long, and it works great for them. He hunts about a dozen properties, and it's easy for him to haul the golf cart around on a single axle trailer. I've been impressed at how quiet it is, and how well it gets around the land.

When my Kawasaki Mule dies, I'll probably buy a golf cart to replace it. I don't want or need seating for four. I'd get one with a big flatbed on the back for hauling stuff around my place.

In my opinion, China makes low end copies of better quality brands. For me, I'm going to want something that lasts a decade or two, and still be able to get parts for it. I don't trust any of the Chinese brands to support what they sell ten to 20 years from now.

 

[TIMMYDUCK]

Can’t go wrong with a Polaris Ranger EV .

Paid 6500 5 years ago and she has been flawless

 

[Quaffer]

He now has an electric motorcycle that reaches 60 mph in a blink of an eye. He has put a lot of miles on it, with no mechanical issues, just tires and brakes.
It’s a dirt bike style and he hasn’t babied it.

What brand?

 

[olenjohn]

Chinese . It will make want to

 

[TerryR]

Can’t go wrong with a Polaris Ranger EV .

Paid 6500 5 years ago and she has been flawless

You got a bargain. We bought one five years ago and it was just under $17,000.

We do enjoy being able to talk to each other while riding it, and sneaking up on deer as we drive. It's great for scooting around our property.

But it's far from flawless. We had to replace a couple of batteries a year or two ago. Design is poor and cheap throughout. The gearboxes are very noisy; that's what you hear driving on pavement. Can't run in four-wheel drive without locking rear differential. Charger wants to over-charge and boil the batteries. Flimsy latches on the tailgate that don't want to close properly, cheap switches for forward/reverse, high/medium/low, and "one"/two/or four wheel drive.

But, it's the only one that fits in the little shed we made for our Mule, and the only EV side-by-side with a dealer within an hour's drive for us.

 

[crhunts]

Go with a lifted golf cart(name brand- EZGO, Club Car, etc.); had one that would go anywhere but sold it(regret). Ride is a little stiff but extremely quiet and no maintanence except for the batteries.

 

[Torvy]

The golf carts are only 2WD, iirc.

There are definitely uses for them, but I use my SxS to pull my trailer. The golf cart wouldn't be able to get up the hills with the trailer. (Note: this is a 14' utility trailer.)

On the Ranger EV...it was over $20k when were were looking. I could literally have purchased 2 Sectors for the same money at the time we bought.

 

[deserteagle71]

On the Ranger EV...it was over $20k when were were looking. I could literally have purchased 2 Sectors for the same money at the time we bought.

I would love to have an electric EV, if only for the quiet.

Just went on the Polaris web site and "built" their Ranger EV. Price now starts at over $37,000. Equipped with a cab and a heater - the way I'd require it to be because I need an all-season, all-weather machine - the price is around $47,000!!!!!

And maximum range is still only 80 miles. Not going to cut it on the rides I do!

 

[rontaki]

You got a bargain. We bought one five years ago and it was just under $17,000.

We do enjoy being able to talk to each other while riding it, and sneaking up on deer as we drive. It's great for scooting around our property.

But it's far from flawless. We had to replace a couple of batteries a year or two ago. Design is poor and cheap throughout. The gearboxes are very noisy; that's what you hear driving on pavement. Can't run in four-wheel drive without locking rear differential. Charger wants to over-charge and boil the batteries. Flimsy latches on the tailgate that don't want to close properly, cheap switches for forward/reverse, high/medium/low, and "one"/two/or four wheel drive.

But, it's the only one that fits in the little shed we made for our Mule, and the only EV side-by-side with a dealer within an hour's drive for us.

I bought a Polaris Ranger EV about 5 years ago. The FLA (flooded lead-acid) batteries crapped out about two years later, even though kept charged and watered. I don't know how or if they were maintained at the dealer, although I suspect neglect. I was a bit lax about keeping the batteries fully watered until, after the second time dealing with 8 batteries, some of which were hard to get to the cells for watering, I bought a battery watering system with hoses and special cell caps that connected to the system hoses and had valves built in to prevent over-watering.
There is a way to reprogram the charger to minimize over-charging, which I did, and do not remember how, any more.

Solved all those problems with the replacement batteries by switching to Lithium batteries. No more watering, and running them to less than 50% charge does not shorten their life such as would be the case with FLA.

I researched and found batteries that could supply the 650 watt peak current draw - an educated guess on my part, from all the information I could find at the time. Now Google AI says the peak draw is 400A, with the controller rated for 650W burst. I'd go with 650W just to be safe.
I just substituted the LifePo4 batteries in place of the FLA, and wired in the charger that came with the batteries. I left the original charger in place and connected except to the batteries themselves, as otherwise some wiring modifications are needed. Seeing as the Li batteries are about 500 pounds lighter than the FLA, the extra weight of the original charger is negligible. I did wire in a current-sensing coulomb-counting meter to more accurately know the state-of-charge of the Li batteries, as the voltage does not drop linearly with discharge like the FLAs do, rendering the original meter useless.

I'm glad I went to lithium batteries, no more lead-acid where I have a choice. I also expect not to have to replce the batteries for a long time, rather than every 3-5 years with FLA. No more acid eating the battery floor. And no watering needed.
Any one want to buy a used battery watering system?

 

[Torvy]

@deserteagle71

I hear you. Many people don't realize how cold in can get in northern Nevada. You also get out away from home. Current EV options are not close to handling your needs. Hybrid tech would likely be even more expensive. I'd guess the only way it would be possible is to have batteries that can be swapped out (like some EV ZT mowers). Then you could bring backups along for the ride.

Weather here is rarely cold enough that we would need a cab.

We only leave our 20 acres with ours when we go down the road to visit a neighbor. I doubt we've ever been more than 1 mile from the barn with it.

It is definitely a niche product.

 

[9973720wb19]

John Deere is coming out with one in 2026