Building Your Own Electric Honda ATV Is Quite the DIY Project

Like electric cars, battery-powered ATVs can make a lot of sense. Electrification of off-road recreation and work rigs is proceeding at a much slower pace, though, so there aren’t a lot of choices around. That’s where the DIY approach comes in.

YouTuber RMS Builds converted a 2004 Yamaha RC450 to battery power, and that build apparently went well enough to warrant an encore. This time, the donor quad was a 2006 Honda Rancher, which was chosen for its shaft drive in order to make the finished electric ATV as quiet as possible. Even without an exhaust, the Yamaha still made quite a racket thanks to its chain drive. This is all explained in one video, which also covers fabrication, while a second part covers assembly and the finished product.

A 10-kilowatt (13.4-horsepower) motor is mounted where the original gasoline engine would have gone, powered by a 6.1-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The controller and other electronics are mounted on a plate attached to the top motor mount. No extensive modifications to the frame were needed to accommodate the compact electric motor, but getting its output shaft to mate with the universal joint used to send power to the rear differential involved lots of machining.

With batteries onboard, the Rancher weighs 487 pounds, which is actually about 10 pounds lighter than the lightest stock version, according to the builder. Range is estimated at 35 miles under normal conditions. And while it wasn’t able to beat a stock gasoline-powered Rancher in a pair of drag races, that wasn’t the point of this build.

I Built The Quietest Atv Ever | Electric Honda Rancher Conversion

The real goal was to make a quieter ATV, and combining electric power with the Rancher’s shaft drive definitely did the trick. While there’s noticeable motor whine, the electric ATV is still a lot quieter than its gasoline counterpart. And there’s none of the rattling chain slap that accompanies RMS Builds’ Yamaha, especially at higher speeds.

No open vehicle is going to be completely silent on the move, but when you stop, the lack of idling noise is definitely nice. It makes it easier to enjoy off-the-beaten-path places you’ve taken the trouble to ride to. It’s part of what makes electric off-roaders appealing, so why should ATV riders be left out?