Reflections from the Woods: The Coyote's First Ride

 It was fortuitous timing that the first production-built Outrider Coyote rolled off the assembly line just before Thanksgiving and the accompanying start of Pennsylvania’s hunting season. Tommy Ausherman, CEO and product designer at Outrider USA, had long dreamed of bringing an off-road Outrider into his family’s woods during hunting season, but the timing had just never worked out. Finally, this year was different, and Tommy found himself heading north with the first production Outrider Coyote, for an extended weekend hunting in the woods with this brand new 4WD Outrider.  

“Silently riding up the trail to my hunting stand before dawn felt like a major achievement in itself because I just hadn’t been able to pull it off in the past, but as I actually experienced the Coyote’s performance on trails that I’ve only otherwise travelled by traditional 4-wheeler or pickup, I knew we had built the machine we’ve been dreaming about for the past 3 years.”

 The 4WD Coyote has been in development and prototyping for about two years, but the result has been worth the wait. Designed to be the most compact and capable electric 4WD off-road vehicle, under 200 lbs., the Coyote was born from the dream to make any wilderness accessible to any body, regardless of mobility level. After a weekend traversing multiple types of terrain, it was clear  this dream is becoming a reality with the 4WD Coyote.

 “There are so many types of terrain in this one parcel of land in the Pennsylvania mountains, I felt like I got a great idea of the overall performance of the Coyote in just a few days of riding. Right out of the gate, we took the Coyote into the surrounding corn fields full of corn stalk stubble and just couldn’t believe how it just chewed up everything it went over! Out in the wide open we could really feel the powerful torque transmitting directly to the four motors in the wheels.  The responsiveness in steering and throttling made the Coyote an absolute blast to ride- the corn stubble may as well have been grass underneath!”

 From rolling fields full of corn stubble, to rocky trails with steep inclines, to gravel roads, the Coyote absolutely exceeded expectations on each type of terrain. And with a max speed of 22 MPH, ripping through a corn field or through a wooded thicket feels a lot faster than in a road setting.  

 “There is one section of the mountain where the trail leading up is covered in round stones that range from softball to soccer ball size. We typically take our 4WD pickup on this particular trail, and don’t travel much faster than 10MPH. I was shocked to discover how smooth the independent air suspension on the Coyote was, allowing me to cruise right over this rocky trail at 22MPH. I honestly hadn’t expected such a smooth ride.”

 The goal in designing the most compact and lightest weight electric 4WD off road vehicle, was mostly focused on the ease of transport of the Coyote for riders of all mobility levels. However, during his time on the Coyote in the woods, Tommy more fully realized the benefits of this design.  “At one point in my ride, I came to a tree that had fallen across the trail.  Typically, I would always carry a chainsaw in the truck or on the back of the 4-wheeler for these types of situations, but I realized there was actually nothing keeping me from just navigating right around the tree with the narrow footprint of the Outrider, or even lifting the Coyote over it. The larger footprint of other 4WD vehicles I typically ride on the mountain has always kept me dependent on passable trail conditions.  The liberation found in ditching the trail completely to ride anywhere that is even just walkable was an absolute revelation. The additional reassurance of knowing I can easily maneuver a sub 200lb. machine out of any spot I could possibly get it stuck in was the cherry on top of confirmation that the Coyote is indeed the freedom machine we’ve been dreaming of.”

 The dream was never just about creating the most capable, compact, and lightweight electric 4WD vehicle, it has always been about making that technology work for people of all mobility levels.  Any body, any wilderness. 

 “For years now, every time I go hiking, I ask myself ‘Could a quadriplegic rider access this trail on an Outrider?’ Many times, the answer has been no because of the nature of the three-wheeled platform our Outriders have traditionally been built upon. While road legal, they don’t provide the stability that 4-wheeled models offer on trails. This trip into the mountains with the 4WD Coyote has changed my ability to answer that question positively, and I’m so excited about that.”

 Outrider 4WD Coyotes are adaptable for people of all mobility levels.  For more information on the Outrider adaptive control systems used on the Coyote, check out this deep dive bench video or this recent blog post. 

 To watch Tommy’s full ride in the mountains of Pennsylvania, check out our YouTube page here. And stay tuned for the full video of how the Outrider performed during hunting season! 

 As always, if you have any questions about our custom builds, shoot us an email at info@outriderusa.com.