ENGS 89/90 Reports

Year of Graduation

2025

Project Advisor

Chris Magoon

Instructor

Solomon Diamond

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

Long, low-angle approaches in backcountry skiing substantially limit the terrain that can be accessed in a single day. Snowmobiles remain the primary motorized solution but are difficult to transport and pose needless risk to the user, other recreationists, and the environment. Other options fall short of the portability, cost-effectiveness, or flexibility necessary to solve this problem. To address this gap, we refined a compact, battery-powered electric vehicle to aid skiers in efficiently reaching backcountry trails. Our prototype keeps the backcountry skier on their skis as a wheel behind them propels them forward. The prototype previously developed by our sponsors encountered issues of inadequate torque for some climbs, overheating, and a lack of safety measures. To solve the issue of overheating, we paired a 3kW mid-drive motor with a 2.5:1 gear reduction providing a 40% increase in torque from the previous hub-drive system. We fabricated custom motor and battery mounts to accommodate the motor which also provides more air cooling to resolve overheating. The motor battery combination provides an estimated 19 miles of range on flat ground and 4500 ft. of elevation gain on a sustained 10º slope. Moving to the open source VESC software provides a robust platform for testing drivetrain performance, tuning throttle response, and incorporating a killswitch. This vehicle offers a highly portable alternative to existing snow travel solutions. Future work includes extensive on-snow testing, ergonomic refinements and thorough traction exploration.

Download

Restricted

Available to Dartmouth community via local IP address.

Share

COinS