Prinoth Turns to Scania Batteries for a New Generation of Electric Snow Groomers

Prinoth, the Italian manufacturer best known for machines that keep ski runs in shape, is deepening its battery partnership with Sweden’s Scania to bring two new electric snow groomers to European slopes.

The machines, an electrified take on the Prinoth Husky and the freshly announced Leitwolf E-Motion, will draw power from Scania’s Core 800 lithium-ion system. That pack family runs at 691 volts and pairs liquid cooling with a dedicated charging management setup, and because it is modular it can be scaled from a modest 21 kWh block up to a hefty 624 kWh. For a groomer pushing heavy snow up steep pistes in sub-zero weather, that headroom is exactly the point.

Scania’s industrial battery division frames the deal as a stress test it actively wanted. “Collaborating with Prinoth is an exciting challenge for us, as it involves deploying our battery technology in extremely demanding conditions,” said Elin Åkerström, Managing Director of Scania Industrial Batteries. She noted that grooming work involves very low temperatures, steep terrain and large volumes of snow, all of which demand packs that can deliver high power while shrugging off cold and vibration. Åkerström said the company is proud its technology was recognized through a long-term agreement.

The two firms are not newcomers to each other. Their collaboration stretches back several years, with the first Scania-battery-powered Prinoth groomer reaching the slopes as early as 2022. Since then, the zero-emission machines have repeatedly demonstrated that electric drivetrains can hold their own in extreme cold — a claim that has often been treated with skepticism in heavy-equipment circles. On the Leitwolf E-Motion, Scania’s packs are arranged in both top and side orientations to satisfy higher energy and power needs, which opens up additional use cases for Prinoth’s heavy-duty lineup.

Roberto Pegoraro, who heads R&D for snow groomers at Prinoth, said the decision to continue with Scania came down to the quality of its battery systems, which the company has tested in some of the most challenging environmental conditions available. He credited Scania’s team with deep technical expertise and a strong commitment to meeting Prinoth’s needs while the two worked together on product improvements.

Scania’s industrial batteries already see duty well beyond the ski industry, appearing in mining, construction, agriculture and logistics vehicles, as well as energy storage installations and airport ground support equipment. Applying them to snow grooming adds another proving ground where cold-weather durability matters more than raw range figures — and where electrification has quietly been gaining ground for years.