Not Your Ordinary Snowmobile

If any of you have had the opportunity to ride a snowmobile you know how much fun they can be. They are use a very simple drive train to get the power to the ground by using a transmission called a Constant Velocity Transmission or CVT. The basic principal of a CVT uses opposing cone shaped “wheels” for the engine output and another for the drive wheels. The driving force uses a belt or a chain between these cones. The cones move in or out to make the belt travel slow or fast depending on the needs of the driver. By using this system it allows the engine to reach the engine’s peak torque and stay there to get the sled moving.

While we all associate fast cars with high horsepower, it is an engine’s torque that we feel leaving the line. If you see an engine’s torque plotted on a graph it typically builds as the engine RPMs rise, reaching its maximum levels somewhere around 4,000 to 5,000 RPM. If you want to pick up your pace and do it quickly, your transmission selects a proper gear and you have to wait to build to the maximum torque to get to where you want to go.

The Escalade Hybrid uses slight variation on the CVT transmission concept. It is called Electronically Variable Transmission with Four Fixed Gears. Under normal driving conditions the transmission shifts up and down through the four gears as needed. When additional torque is needed, the electric motors will come on line to assist. However, if you need to get to a higher speed and do it quickly then the transmission does what you may not expect.

This is where the Escalade Hybrid separates itself. If you floor the accelerator on the Escalade Hybrid the electric motors come on-line and get the engine up to its maximum torque levels. The transmissions shifts as your speed builds, but the engine RPMs remain at the peak torque RPM levels to take full advantage of what the engine has to offer. This drive train not only takes full advantage of what the engine has to offer, but performs in a much more efficient manner.

So while the four wheel drive Escalade Hybrid will handle all sorts of hazardous road conditions, it’s not your average snowmobile.