The MTT-136 is a low, all-electric tracked machine built by Quebec inventor Yvon Martel. Shaped like a long box sitting on a snowmobile-style track, it can carry a rider, haul a load or push through deep snow, and in early 2014 its demonstration film went around the winter-sports world.
Who built the MTT-136
Yvon Martel is an inventor from Quebec, a province where snow covers the ground for months every year. He released the video of his working prototype in February 2014, and it was picked up by The Car Guide (Guide de l'auto), New Atlas, Popular Science and Autoblog within days.
The name stands for "My Track Technology". The number refers to the track: New Atlas gives a tread length of 136 inches, a familiar length for snowmobile tracks. At the time Martel was looking for investors and a manufacturer to build the machine on a larger scale.
MTT-136 specifications
The reported figures from 2014 give a clear picture of the prototype:
- Power: fully electric, with electric motors driving the track through a belt drive.
- Chassis: aluminium, with the batteries housed inside the box-shaped body.
- Weight: about 280 lb (127 kg).
- Top speed: about 40 km/h (24 mph) on open ground.
- Range: roughly 45 to 210 km (28 to 130 miles), depending on the battery pack fitted.
- Charging: from 15 minutes to eight hours, again depending on the battery set-up. The longest ranges go with the larger packs and longer charges.
- Extras: a 110-volt outlet for tools, lights or charging other devices, and a handle that folds down for transport.
The rider steers and controls power through a modified handlebar. Because the machine sits so close to the ground, the centre of gravity is very low, and electric motors deliver full torque from a standstill. That combination is what lets it pull logs, tow a sled or push a stuck vehicle.
What it can do in snow, mud and water
The demonstration shows the MTT-136 crossing deep snow, but Martel designed it as an all-season hauler. Reports describe it running through mud and grass, crossing water, clearing snow and squeezing into narrow spaces that are too tight for an ATV or a full-size snowmobile. A twin version bolts two track units side by side and adds a storage box on top for heavier loads.
The trade-off is comfort. The rider sits low and in the open, so snow, slush and gravel thrown up by the track end up on the driver. As a work tool for a cabin, farm, ski hill or trail crew, that matters far less than the pulling power and the quiet electric drive.
Electric tracked vehicles in winter
Cold is hard on batteries, which is why most snowmobiles and snowcats still run on petrol or diesel. Small electric tracked machines like the MTT-136 make sense where trips are short and predictable and where noise and fumes are unwelcome, for example around a lodge, a groomed trail network or a backyard woodpile. Martel's prototype was an early, home-built take on that idea, with a choice of battery packs to match the job.
Explore more: a track system designed around pickup wheels; a tracked Volkswagen conversion.
Related reading
- Track N Go: A Pickup Truck Track-System Demonstration
- The Canadian Ice Truck: Construction, Driving and Melting
- A Nissan GT-R on the Snow at Kåbdalis
- A Car Recovered from an Opening in Lake Ice
- a tracked Volkswagen conversion
Sources
- The Car Guide: MTT-136, a Revolution in Offroad Transport, From Quebec
- New Atlas: MTT-136 personal electric sled
- Popular Science: electric sled like a miniature winter tank
- Unofficial Networks
- Video and still: MTT-136 track (MTT-136 Technologie on YouTube)
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