Prinoth Panther XL Selected for Antarctic Deployment with Norwegian Polar Institute
The Norwegian Polar Institute has selected Prinoth’s high-performance Panther XL tracked vehicles to support transport and logistics at the Troll Research Station in Antarctica. A contract has been awarded for the scope of supply 10 units PXL with a relevant spare parts and service package included for the amount of 175 million NOK (U.S. $17 million). Built at Prinoth’s Granby, Québec, Canada, facility, the Panther XL combines expertise from across Prinoth’s divisions to create a machine designed for the world’s harshest environment.
A product of internal collaboration, the Panther XL draws from both Prinoth’s Snow Grooming (Sterzing) and Crawler Carrier (Granby) business units, with additional innovations developed specifically for this model.
From Prinoth’s Snow Grooming division, the Panther XL features a large, intuitive, and customizable touchscreen display adapted from snow groomers to meet the specific demands of Panther XL operations, heated windows and wipers designed to endure the most severe weather and a high-comfort air suspension seat, intuitive steering wheel, and cruise control system, providing operators with comfort and control for long-haul missions.
From Prinoth’s Crawler Carrier expertise, the Panther XL benefits from Prinoth’s patented rubber track undercarriage, incorporating large wheels and automatic track tensioning for reliable performance in difficult terrain and an advanced powertrain integration, drawing on Prinoth’s deep experience with Caterpillar power pack systems.
The Panther XL introduces innovations developed specifically for polar operations, including a full suspension cab design for superior ride quality and operator comfort. Prinoth’s patented 4-track drive dynamics for optimized traction and stability and a patent-pending operator assist drive functions are designed to support operators during long-distance hauls in extreme conditions.
“Antarctica demands the very best technology,” said Klaus Tonhäuser, president of Prinoth. “By bringing together the strengths of our snow grooming and crawler carrier teams, and adding targeted innovations, we’ve built a vehicle that’s made to perform well in the toughest conditions and underlines our groupwide leading engineering capabilities and our focus on customer needs.”
This project exemplifies Prinoth’s mission to develop sustainable, high-performance solutions that empower its partners to succeed where conventional equipment can’t.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.