How to Estimate Battery Life and Range for Your SnowdogX Winter Adventures

If you’re considering the all-new SnowdogX, you may have some questions about what to expect for battery life and driving range. 

• How long will the battery last on the SnowdogX?
• How far will the SnowdogX go with 1 battery?
• Is an Electric Snowdog a good idea?

Whether you're hauling ice fishing gear across a frozen lake, navigating snowy trails, or towing cargo in rugged winter conditions, knowing how long your SnowdogX battery will last is crucial. Here’s a breakdown of maximizing your time outdoors.  To be clear, these are estimates, and you may experience different results depending on conditions and workload.

While your SnowdogX does come with an onboard gas generator, you’ll expect to be using it most of the time in all-electric mode, and charging only when necessary.  That being said, your generator can charge your SnowdogX while driving, so if you’re noticing that your battery is low, you can still travel with the help of the generator.

Let’s get to the good stuff!

SnowdogX Key Specs

For reference, these are the specs we used in the calculations below.  We estimated the driver and cargo weight, so we’re hoping these are fairly realistic estimates.

We estimated that the driver weighs on average 225 lbs, and would be carrying roughly 100 lbs of cargo.

Using the provided specifications and additional data in the image, let's calculate the range and driving time under normal and cold temperature conditions.

Key Parameters:

• Battery Energy Capacity: 58 Ah × 72 V = 4176 Wh = 4.176 kW

• Maximum Motor Power: 7 kW

• Rated Motor Power (Continuous): 4 kW

• Maximum Speed: 15.5 mph (~25 km/h).

• Assumptions:

• Weight: SnowdogX (324 lbs) + Driver (225 lbs) + Cargo (100 lbs) = 649 lbs (~294.4 kg).

• Terrain: Relatively flat, average use conditions.

Baseline Calculations (at +10°C):

1. Runtime Estimates:

• Continuous Mode (4 kW):
  Maximum Power Mode (7 kW):
  

2. Range Estimates:

• Continuous Mode (4 kW, 15.5 mph or 25 km/h):
  Maximum Power Mode (7 kW, 15.5 mph or 25 km/h):
   

Additional Considerations

1. Motor Efficiency: Cold weather may increase drag and resistance in mechanical components, slightly reducing overall efficiency.

2. Terrain: Snow and ice can add rolling resistance, further impacting range.  Climbing hills under load can also impact range.

3. Preparation: Preheating of the battery before installation (and keeping it warm between rides) can mitigate some cold-weather effects, but expect noticeable reductions in range, especially at -20°C.

Effect of Ambient Temperatures

Cold weather reduces battery capacity. Typical reductions are as follows:

• At -10°C: Battery capacity decreases by 20–30%.

• At -20°C: Battery capacity decreases by 40–50%.

Summary Table of Range and Runtime

WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN FOR ME?

These calculations are for illustration purposes only.  If you drive through deep snow, up hills both ways, or if you somehow only ride when it’s -30C outside, your results will vary.  What it does show you, however, is that for most of us, an all-electric ride is actually achievable.

As an example, the Rec Rev Team makes a few trips up to Lake Winnipeg every winter, and we use our Snowdogs to get to our favorite spots on the ice.  In most cases, our favorite fishing spot is no more than 10-12km from the marina where we park.  If the weather’s nice (only -10°C or 14°F) then we may not even need to use the generator!  That’s a whole day of fishing, with little or no gas used.  We can plug in the charger when we get home, and we’re ready for another day of fishing. 

Keep following us as we test our own SnowdogX machines in the wild and hear back from our amazing customers. We’ll be sure to get plenty of video to show you when it’s time.

HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

We want to hear them!  We’ll be doing other calculations and estimates of the SnowdogX in other applications (trail grooming, for example), but if you have a question that we haven’t answered yet, feel free to reach out by email at sales@recreationrevolution.ca!