Prinoth: First Husky Emotion Sold To The City Of Oslo

When Holmenkollen National Ski Arena needed a new snow groomer, the City of Oslo didn’t hesitate to purchase PRINOTH’s zero-emission, electric HUSKY eMOTION.

Oslo’s Holmenkollen with the famous ski jump hosts annual World Cup events in ski jumping, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined and biathlon. The state-of-the-art arena is also one of Norway’s most visited tourist attractions. While it’s one of Europe’s fastest-growing cities, more than half of the municipality of Oslo is covered by forests and parks, and the fjord extends all the way to the city center. Oslo is focused on sustainability and has set very ambitious targets to reduce its carbon footprint: By 2025, machines and vehicles in the city are to be emission-free. Municipal politicians want Oslo to take a pioneering role in climate-neutral mobility—including Holmenkollen’s snow groomers.

“When we heard about the HUSKY eMOTION, we just had to try it out,” says Knut Oppheim Kristiansen, operation manager of Holmenkollen National Ski Arena. “We have five groomers. The smallest one needed to be replaced and PRINOTH’s electric groomer seemed like a perfect fit.”

As early as December 2021, operator Lars Katzenmaier and Knut Oppheim Kristiansen had the chance to test the HUSKY eMOTION. Equipment and performance of the vehicle were a crucial part of the purchase decision, the manager emphasizes: “For us it was important that when we bought an electric machine, it was a full-fledged machine. It must have the same performance, track tillers and technical data as the diesel machine. When we tested the HUSKY eMOTION, we had the impression that the machine did not compromise to become electric. It even gained something: It is much quieter than any other machine.”

With its 208 kWh battery, the HUSKY eMOTION also offers a longer self sufficient working time than Holmenkollen’s current small vehicle. With a maximum running time of up to three hours smaller slopes and trails are prepared before the battery needs to be recharged. The ski resort has over 30 snow pits for snow production that have 400 Volt 63 amps. Now, they will also serve as charging stations around the slopes. Fear of running out of power won’t be an issue.

At Holmenkollen ski resort, the HUSKY eMOTION will be used for tourist tracks and smaller courses. Manager Knut Oppheim Kristiansen also wants to try something unusual: “Normally, we use our LEITWOLF to groom the World Cup tracks. But they are so wide that on some days we will try to use both machines, the LEITWOLF and the HUSKY eMOTION. One prepares for skating, the other one comes behind and lays the tracks.”

For us at PRINOTH, this first purchase of our HUSKY eMOTION shows the need for carbon-neutral snow groomers. We build machines that are setting new standards in terms of fuel consumption and emissions while boasting power and excellent performance. The HUSKY eMOTION is a perfect addition to our existing fleet of snow groomers.