The inventor was halfway through his run, on a frozen river in a Saguenay park, when he had the idea. He saw a young person in a wheelchair slowed down by the snow. Unable to drive to shore. And the ice would have given way under the weight of a snowmobile.
Yvon Martel began to imagine a light, electric caterpillar that could go anywhere, in snow as well as on land, on ice or in mud. All without noise. Without air pollution. And while inventing, he thought that the ideal would be to be able to remote control it.
“I had the click by wanting to help the human,” he says.
That was 13 years ago. The electric tankette, baptized MTT, was born. Today, it is present in outdoor centres, on agricultural farms, the Canadian army has it in its sights – even researchers in Greenland are interested in it to check the thickness of the ice in the crevices.
Visually, the MTT has something reminiscent of Inuit luges. There are two models, including one equipped with a joystick, which can be guided remotely. Recently, the caterpillar was tested in a California garden park, where small goats can pop up at night, says Martel proudly. He assures that no animal was injured.
President and CEO of Electric Mobility Canada, Daniel Breton, former MP and Minister of the Environment, says he had the opportunity to meet the designer and his team five or six years ago. The caterpillar was already functional at the time, he says. According to him, there is work being studied by the provincial and federal government to introduce a credit for the purchase of this type of vehicle.
“I find the caterpillar extremely original and practical, a brilliant idea. We are talking about an off-road work tool that has a definite future. Not just for trails. The tankette certainly has its uses in hard-to-reach areas, whether for the army, the coast guard or for rescues. »
Over the years, Mr. Martel and his team have succeeded in giving the tankette a range of 75 kilometers, thanks to three quickly interchangeable batteries. The batteries are special in that they do not need a terminal, they can be recharged at a 240 volt residential outlet. The maximum speed of the tankette is 18 km/h.
With its 24 national parks, the Society of Outdoor Establishments of Quebec (SEPAQ) has adopted a policy aimed at prioritizing the purchase of electric or hybrid to maintain its thousands of square kilometers. Three years ago, SEPAQ seriously considered acquiring the MTT, before deciding on the purchase of seven electric snowmobiles (Taiga) for its patrols, luggage transport and various interventions.
Simon Boivin, from the communications department at SEPAQ, explains that the “speed” required to maintain the cross-country ski trails weighed heavily in the balance. However, SEPAQ remains on the lookout for innovations, it is explained.
“In very cold weather, the classic cross-country skiing and skating trails tend to harden, I am thinking, among others, of those at Duchesnay station and Camp Mercier, in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve. You need a groomer with great hydraulic power, and a vehicle with a cab to cover long distances. »
Mr. Martel recently presented his tankette to the Norwegian army, to carry out rescue operations and operations. Talks are underway with a Montreal borough, he says. With the hydroelectric sector, too. According to him, his tankette is the “smartphone of transport and energy”.
“The agricultural environment becomes really important for us, among other things for the transport of hay bales, to extend the protection sheets on the seedlings. The MTT found takers in sugar bushes, including one with 115,000 taps; the tankette is just at the right height to check the pipes. It was tested on a 35 degree slope, it supported a load of 1000 pounds [454 kilograms] downhill. Its versatility is unmatched. »
The MTT Technologie manufacturing plant in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean has about twenty employees. Its annual production capacity is 5,000 caterpillars, with materials coming mainly from the region, including aluminum.
The competition is fierce to decarbonize off-road transportation. In the Savoie region of France, the Val Cenis ski center put into service in December a first 100% electric snow groomer, designed by the company Prinoth. The giant John Deere presented last summer an electric tractor without a cabin, with a range of 10 hours. Motrec’s industrial electric vehicles are also more and more numerous in factories, for the transport of passengers, especially in airports.