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Personal Transport

EZRaider: Electric 4X4 Review

This beast is called the EZRaider HD4, it’s a personal all terrain 4X4 vehicle and don’t you dare call it a scooter. Its creators claim its the most capable off-road platform in the world, and the US Armed forces concur, because the $19,2000 EZ Raider just passed an operational evaluation with the special forces, and they’re ordering more units.

Mud or sand, rocky peaks or thick backcountry, the all electric, all wheel drive EZRaider provides a unique combination of power, agility, and usability. I recently got the opportunity to go on some clandestine missions myself around my neighborhood, and I can tell you, besides its function as a utility vehicle, it’s an absolute blast to ride.

Ride Experience and Vehicle Overview

Now let’s take her for a spin and get a feel for the ride experience. You can stand up or sit down but I feel most in control riding in a standing position.

Powered by a 60V – 3000 W/h lithium ion battery pack with an advanced BMS, the acceleration is so perky you almost expect the front to jump up on you into a wheelie, but with the 4 wheel drive system, even when you put the pedal to the metal the power output is quite smooth and manageable.

When operating any high power electric vehicle it’s always astonishing to feel such a strong physical sensation of torque as you accelerate, knowing all that horsepower is being transmitted magnetically through an air gap between the rotor and the stator with no physical contact.

The EZRaider HD4 has four independent 1,200 Watt brushless Hub-motors, and it’s 4 matching dedicated Sine-wave Controllers can reach peak outputs up to 18,000W. Outfitted with top quality components like chromoly driveshafts and Japanese precision bearings, the powertrain provides instantaneous power and high energy efficiency.

This vehicle definitely has it’s own unique form factor, and elicits a surprisingly unique kinesthetic wiring.

I’m pretty wired in on electric skateboards, bicycles, scooters, surfboards and so on, but this is definitely a different class of vehicle and a totally unique ride feel. There’s really nothing to compare it to, it’s sort of like a rideable mars rover.

You steer through a combination of shifting your weight from side-to-side like a Skateboard, using lateral movement to apply a tilt motion along the roll axis, and twisting the handlebars to control your forward directional angle. But you don’t need to know any of that, because it all feels pretty natural and intuitive.

The stability is what’s unique and surprising, when I first got on I was a bit wary about the possibility of a rollover, but just like a Tesla with it’s centrally located battery, the EZRaider’s low center of gravity and relative axle width create a stable vehicle with a low polar moment of inertia and a strong rollover resistant base.

Engineered for stability across diverse terrain, the EZRaider features a patented 6 axes, 360 degree, Floating Long Travel Suspension that can flatten anything you throw at it. In combination with the 4 wheel drive system, and beefy 22 X 7-10 tires, the 10 inches of ground clearance allow an experienced rider to crawl over remarkably challenging surfaces. Frankly, we haven’t seen such a capable personal all terrain vehicle since they invented the horse.

It can stop on a dime too. Each wheel is equipped with dual piston caliber Hydraulic disc brakes, and you can really feel the strong slowing pull of the regenerative breaking as you let off the accelerator, which takes a bit of getting used to.

Constructed with strengthened steel and an extremely rigid tubular structure, the EZRaider is designed to take a beating and keep on ticking.

Now let’s talk performance.

Ride Along and Performance Characteristics

Welcome to the cockpit of the EZRaider HD4. Come along for a ride with me and I’ll tell you some more about the vehicles operation and performance characteristics. As is customary of military vehicles, the controls are minimalistic and essential. Here we have our three power modes that route DC power to the HD4’s quad independent motors, power indicator, light switch, hand brakes, accelerator and hold red to reverse.

Here we have our accelerator, hand brakes, ignition switch, power indicator, hold red to reverse, light switch, and our three power modes that route DC power to the HD4’s quad independent motors

The top speed is electronically limited to 28 MPH to comply with local regulations. Now I’m not saying this is the case, but hypothetically if I were to remove the governor, we could be looking at a top speed of over 40 mph, but i would never do that, because that’s dangerous, and illegal in my jurisdiction.

Depending on the terrain and your riding style you’re looking at a maximum range of up to 55 miles on a single charge.

At a weight of 280 lbs The EZRaider’s lightweight chassis creates a strong power to weight ratio which is optimized for maximum efficiency.

Sensitive to all body types, the EZRaider can carry up to 441 pounds of fat boy, two medium boys, or one skinny boy with a fat gearpack. Equipped with the raider electric powered cart, it can pull an additional 550 pounds.

Designed as a working vehicle, the HD4 has a wide range applications outside of just recreational hotrodding.

Military Applications

Both the US Armed Forces, and the Israeli defense forces are currently performing an operational evaluation of the EZRaider HD4, and after a series of successful tests, they’re in the process of ordering more for different fighting units.

The EZRaider’s stout build and powerful electric powertrain provide a good base for a high mobility personal off-road vehicle, and the 4X4’s low infrared signature and quiet electric motor make it well suited for reconnaissance operations.

Eyal Eizenberg, a major general in the Israeli Defense forces told breaking defense, “This new revolutionary vehicle creates an unexpected dimension when it comes to speed and distance and that among other things create the capability to surprise the enemy. It will without any doubt make a revolution in the operation of special forces.”

In combination with the tactical military cyber truck we envisioned in a previous video, this could be an unstoppable electric combination.

Other Applications

When it comes to useful working applications for the HD4, the possibilities are endless. Along the same vein as its military and defense uses, the EZRaider also makes a fine patrol vehicle for police, border patrol, or even campus security. In fact the Israeli police are already using the EZ RAIDER in its border units. One thing’s for certain, as a patrol vehicle, it’s not only more capable than a segway, it’s a lot less humiliating.

For more agrarian purposes, the EZRaider makes an excellent ranch vehicle for chasing down cows, hunting, or just simple transportation over rough terrain. To throw out a fun business idea, how cool would it be a buy a bunch of these and operate a post-apocalyptic tour of abandoned towns. If anyone wants to start one of those up at Chernobyl let me know, I’ll be your first customer!

Autonmous EzRaider

This is pretty cool. Autonomous vehicle company SoftRide Technologies recently created a robotic EzRaider by outfitting an HD4 with a custom autonomous vehicle package. This hybrid plaform can be ridden by a human driver, then dismounted and can navigate on its own. Thanks to an array of sensors and controllers powered by a unique approach to mapping, localization, and object detection, the soft ride autonomous platform can attach unmanned capabilities to the durable all-terrain EZRaider and open up an array of new use cases At the very least, it makes one very cool RC car.

Origin Story

The evolution of the EZRaider to become the capable off-road plaform it is today, started from humble beginnings.

Notable Israeli motorsports figure Erez Abramov first dreamed of its creation during his childhood spent working on the family farm. Instilled with an early familiarity for machinery, his future passion for skateboarding and motorsports would blend to spark an idea for an off-road skateboard that could be ridden on the rough, unpaved terrain of his family property.

In 1990 the first prototype of what would later become the “EZRaider” was constructed from a large surfboard like plank, with a 2 stroke motorcycle engine, large wheels, and a handlebar for stabilization – an inspiration he got from the jet ski.

Impressed by the off-road capabilities and maneuverability of this rough prototype, he knew he was on to something.

Erez would go on to a career spent designing self driving military vehicles, and in his free time building and racing off-road buggies for the Dakar Rally.

Funneling his decades of experience into a unique perspective on off road vehicles, In 2010 he revisited the EZRaider concept, undertaking a total redesign, creating a completely new patented suspension system, electric motor, and chassis. Thus the EZRaider was born.

Other Models

The EZRaider is currently available in several other models.

When they asked me which model I wanted to try, I obviously opted for the biggest, baddest most expensive one, the Heavy Duty 4.

But EZRraider also makes the LW model, a lighter weight, more compact version with a two wheel drive configuration and a smaller battery pack perfectly suited for sport and recreation.

Easily transportable and highly agile, this model has even seen extreme athletes push its capabilities and develop impressive riding expertise.

The Heavy Duty 2, is the HD4’s extremely capable rear wheel drive younger brother that delivers very similar performance, but is optimized for work or recreational environments with less extreme off-road requirements.

All of the models come with EZRaider’s patented suspension, hydraulic dic brakes, battery management system, and meticulously engineered lightweight chassis.

Transporting the EZRaider is simple. With a hitch mounted ATV carrier, you can quickly load and unload the vehicle for impromptu missions. This model from versa haul installed easily, and worked perfectly for the EZRaider.

Conclusion

As electric power is transforming the automotive world, with EV adoption rates growing at about 60% each year, technological advancements in motor efficiency and improvements in battery storage technology are giving rise to a new generation of quiet, sustainable electric vehicles.

With its unique new form factor, and powerfully efficient electric powertrain the EZRaider is an exciting new entrant in the off road category, and we look forward to seeing what other new vehicles will emerge in our electric future.