BRP, the parent company of off-road utility vehicle manufacturer Can-Am, has announced a five-year plan to electrify product ranges from each of its brands by the end of 2026.
To achieve this, the company plans to invest $300 million in product development, specialised equipment, infrastructure, production tooling and facilities.
“We have always said electrification was not a question of ‘if’ but a question of ‘when’. We’re very excited to unveil more details of our plan to deliver market-shaping products that will enhance the consumer experience by offering new electric options,” said José Boisjoli, president and CEO. “We are leveraging our engineering know-how and innovation capabilities to define the best strategy for developing electric-powered products.”
To achieve this, BRP will develop the Rotax modular electric powerpack technology, which will be utilised across all product lines. This will lead to the expansion of the Rotax infrastructure in Gunskirchen, Austria and the creation of the BRP Electric Vehicle Development Centre in Valcourt, Quebec, Canada. This facility will feature state of the art equipment, including test benches, dynamometers and a robotised manufacturing cell for electric batteries.
The move to electric vehicles started in early 2019 for BRP, when it acquired assets of Atla Motors, an electric motorcycle manufacturer. BRP then commercialised the Rotax Sonic E-Cart and showcased concept vehicles later that year. The company has continued to develop concepts of battery-electric, hybrid-electric and even fuel cell-electric machines since then.
As the company begins the five-year path, it has announced the rapid expansion of its R&D team and is recruiting for several positions, details of which can be found on the BRP website.
More information about the BRP range of electric vehicles, specifically the Can-Am range of agricultural vehicles, is yet to be announced.
