With the flip of a switch, the snowmobile springs to life.
The electric motor beneath my seat engages, launching me at lightning speed through the fresh white powder ahead.
Soon I am gliding across a frozen lake in Swedish Lapland like a speedboat on water.
The sled skids to a halt.
The hum of its batteries instantly replaced by the eery quiet of the Arctic.
Today Vidde launched Alfa, the companys pre-series electric snowmobile.
In doing so, the startup joins only a handful of companies worldwide producing electric ski-doos.
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Europes Tesla of snowmobiling, if you will.
Headquartered in Stockholm, Vidde is uniquely positioned to benefit from the countrys burgeoning demand for electrified transport.
World-leading EV manufacturers like Volvo and Scania operate on its doorstep.
For decades, snowmobiles have largely avoided environmental regulation.
The common thinking has been that the sector was too small to have much of an impact.
Unlike cars, snowmobiles arent required to include a catalytic converter, which removes pollutants from emissions.
Naturally, snowmobiles are next.
And theres another, often undervalued benefit of using batteries to power sleds the silence.
Typical snowmobiles shatter the stillness of the forest like Harley Davidsons on skis.
Founded just two years ago, Vidde is off to a smooth start.
It has secured 2.5mn in grant and VC funding, and is backed by the Research Institute of Sweden.
Vidde already has a number of preorders from clients in Sweden.
The bulk of these are ski resorts, who are looking to meet customer demand for greener rides.
Some are demanding a more sustainable alternative, while some just hate the noise and smell, she says.
Every morning, Danielsson fires up a platoon of 30 snowmobiles for the days swarm of eager tourists.
The fumes can get really intense, she tells us.
Some of her fellow guides have even suffered partial hearing loss from constant exposure to the racket.
Lystrup tells us that they sourced parts for Alfa from local suppliers based in Sweden.
Each supplier provides one or two sections, and then the startup simply puts them together like lego blocks.
The company isnt pushing to produce everything itself.
And both of whom recently wentbankrupt.
Vidde is looking to sell its first production-ready sled in the 2024/2025 winter season.
Story bySion Geschwindt
Sion is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy.
