https://english.news.cn/20260210/4537199fa8f24863abe07ec267ec0fd7/c.html

According to China’s 42nd Antarctic expedition team, China’s self-developed Snow Leopard 6×6 wheeled vehicle recently completed extreme environment testing in the Antarctic interior, traveling more than 10,000 km with zero failures.

From Dec. 5 2025 to early February this year, the red Antarctic vehicle conducted a series of tests at China’s Zhongshan Station research base and in five typical Antarctic inland terrain areas, where it encountered sea ice, gravel, soft snow, hard snow and solid ice.

The successful testing of this vehicle fills a crucial gap in China’s equipment capabilities for rapid ground personnel transport, scientific research support, and emergency rescue operations in Antarctica, according to the team.

The Snow Leopard vehicle can reach speeds of 28 km/h on soft snow and 42 km per hour on hard snow, and maintain a stable speed of 65 km per hour on solid ice. It has a maximum range of approximately 700 km with a full tank of fuel.