Very low temperatures, steep terrain and heavy snow loads set the brief for the batteries in an electric snow groomer
(Image courtesy of Scania)
A long-term agreement now puts the Scania Core 800 battery pack into Prinoth‘s electric snow groomers, extending a collaboration that began with the Husky E-Motion in 2022. The deal also covers the newly introduced Leitwolf E-Motion, which Prinoth positions as the first fully electric snow groomer in the large segment, and Core 800 packs have been working in the Husky since 2023.
What the Scania Core 800 brings to an electric snow groomer
The Core 800 is a lithium-ion pack with 97 kWh of installed energy and high energy density, built around a modular design that scales from 21 kWh up to 624 kWh. Integrated liquid cooling, an advanced safety architecture and a proprietary battery management system sit alongside it, aimed at reliable operation in harsh environments.
It is a punishing brief for a battery, and Elin Åkerström, Managing Director of Scania Industrial Batteries, spells it out plainly. Snow groomers work in very low temperatures and on steep terrain while moving heavy volumes of snow, which means the pack has to deliver high power, cope with the cold and withstand constant vibration, and the Core 800 was selected to meet those challenges.
Scania Core 800 packs take the Leitwolf E-Motion into the large segment
At Mountain Planet 2026 the Leitwolf E-Motion made its debut as the electric evolution of the Leitwolf, with performance Prinoth describes as at least equivalent to a conventional model. Its Core 800 packs sit in top and side orientations, configured for the higher energy and power requirements of the larger machine, and the working width reaches up to 4.5 metres.
On Prinoth’s figures, operating speed reaches 20 km/h and run time is approximately five hours under real working conditions, with fast charging from 10 to 80% in around one hour, a window the company says allows flexible shift planning.
Husky record and first Leitwolf deployment
The Husky E-Motion arrived in 2022 and Scania describes it as the world’s first market-ready fully electric snow groomer, a machine since deployed in Norway, France, Italy, the UK and the United States, with Core 800 packs on board from 2023. Roberto Pegoraro, Head of R&D Snow Groomers at Prinoth, puts the decision to continue with Scania down to the quality of its battery systems, which have been tested in some of the most challenging environmental conditions, and credits Scania’s team with deep technical expertise and a commitment to improving Prinoth’s products alongside it.
Beyond snow grooming, Scania’s battery systems already serve mining, construction, agriculture and logistics vehicles, as well as energy storage and airport ground support equipment, and the company says the Prinoth partnership strengthens its position as a provider of electrification for demanding industrial segments.
Compagnie des Alpes is the initial customer for the Leitwolf E-Motion, with three units due to enter service in its ski resorts by the end of 2026, according to Prinoth, which calls the machine a concrete step in the technological evolution of snow groomers.
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