World premiere. On November 20, near Churchill in the Canadian Far North, a few polar bears had a surprise visit. A curious 4×4 bus as white as their coat and perfectly silent crossed the subarctic tundra under their eyes, which we imagine to be round, for the occasion.

This was a test ride of the aptly named Toundra Buggy , the very first all-electric buggy of this size. And for good reason, the company Frontiers North Adventures (FNA), to which it belongs, has completely modified its own vehicles, super 40-seater diesel buggies, so that they become eco-responsible.

Do it yourself. “  The biggest challenge we had with the first vehicle was that it had never been done before  ,” says Jessica Burtnick , communications manager for Frontiers North Adventures. This tour operator specializes in trip roots, alternating crossings in sleds while being pulled by dogs, nights at the top to observe the northern lights and raids in 4×4 in the midst of polar bears.

In collaboration with several academics, these Canadians set about rebuilding their 12 diesel vehicles by modifying the entire system to accommodate electric motors and recovery batteries. It must be said that trips to the polar regions are very fashionable, as if everyone wanted to see with their own eyes these animals threatened with extinction by global warming.

Save polar bears. This is also the primary motivation of FNA: to cancel all greenhouse gas emissions during its excursions. This is why they worked upstream with the Manitoba Conservation and Climate Fund before deciding to convert their fleet. But the other interest of this retrofit is to remove vibration and noise pollution, in order to better respect the environment of the animals and to be able to grasp them naturally. When the entire fleet has been transformed into Toundra Buggy EV, "  the team will have reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 3,600 tons of CO2 over 25 years,  " explains FNA. Let's bet it won't be too much...

Front cover photo credit: Frontiers North Adventures / Robert Taylor