- NorthForge is a spin-off of mobility company eOutdoors Ltd. from Alberta
- The Dispatch is being designed as an ISR vehicle for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
- Technical specifications are expected to be released in May
An electric motorcycle is currently being developed in Canada — not for the road, but for the battlefield. The newly founded company NorthForge, based in the Canadian Rocky Mountains in the province of Alberta, is working on the Dispatch, a fully electric enduro designed specifically for military operations. Unlike previous approaches where armed forces adapted commercial electric motorcycles for field use, the Dispatch is being built from the ground up as a tactical vehicle for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
Canada’s New Defense Strategy as the Starting Signal
The background to the project is political. On February 17, 2026, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled the country’s first defense industrial strategy. It prioritizes Canadian suppliers and materials in procurement, aims to accelerate contract awards, and targets investment in domestic innovation. Over the next decade, approximately 180 billion US dollars (around 166 billion euros / 180 billion USD) are set to flow into defense procurement. The strategy builds on an announcement from June 2025, which was described as the largest increase in Canadian defense spending since World War II. Canada aims to reach the NATO target of two percent of GDP in the 2025/26 fiscal year and is targeting five percent by 2035.
NorthForge was founded precisely for this moment. The company is a spin-off of Alberta-based mobility firm eOutdoors Ltd. and sees itself as a direct response to the political will to make Canada’s defense industry less dependent on foreign supply chains. Trevor Hayter, CEO and founder of NorthForge, puts it succinctly: “The Dispatch is a Canadian answer, designed here, built here, powered here, and it delivers an operational capability that our forces and allies urgently need.” NorthForge was specifically founded to reduce dependence on foreign supply chains with a platform developed, engineered, and manufactured in Canada, while simultaneously providing modern combat capabilities.
Lessons from Ukraine and Afghanistan
Recent conflicts have already demonstrated that electric two-wheelers can offer a real advantage on the battlefield. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian units deployed commercial electric off-road motorcycles for tasks including transporting anti-tank weapons and positioning sniper teams. Motorcycles were also used extensively in Afghanistan and Syria, from improvised solutions with small Chinese motorcycles to regular deployment by various parties to the conflicts.
The problem: commercial motorcycles, whether powered by combustion engines or electric motors, are only partially suitable for sustained military use. They are not mechanically robust enough for years of operation under extreme conditions, generate too much noise, and have a high thermal signature that makes them easily detectable by modern drones and thermal imaging cameras. This is precisely where the NorthForge Dispatch aims to make a difference.
Silent, Cold-Resistant, and Modular
The Dispatch’s technical specifications read like a requirements catalog for extreme operational scenarios. The electric drivetrain provides near-silent mobility while simultaneously minimizing the vehicle’s infrared signature, making detection by enemy sensors and drones significantly more difficult. The machine is designed for an operating temperature range of minus 35 to plus 45 degrees Celsius, enabling deployment in both Arctic and desert conditions.
For the battery, NorthForge has partnered with specialists from SysNergie, based in Magog in the province of Québec. The company develops robust, mission-critical battery systems already in use by the Canadian Coast Guard. There, they are deployed in navigation buoys that must operate year-round under the harshest weather conditions. While conventional batteries lose significant capacity in extreme cold, SysNergie’s system is designed to operate reliably even at minus 35 degrees. Notably, conventional combustion engines also struggle at such temperatures.
The Dispatch’s batteries are also intended to power other military equipment, such as electronic warfare devices. This effectively turns the motorcycle into a mobile energy source on the battlefield.
Further development highlights include a modular design enabling field repairs with quick component swaps, a targeted military service life of at least ten years, and air transportability for rapid deployment by aircraft or helicopter. According to specialist media, the motorcycle is also designed to be submersible, which is unsurprising given the battery system’s origins in Coast Guard technology. Concrete technical data such as power output, top speed, range, charging time, and weight have not yet been published by NorthForge. Specifications are expected to follow in May.
Experienced Leadership and a Network Across Five Provinces
NorthForge has assembled experienced professionals for the Dispatch’s development. Michael Uhlarik, an internationally acclaimed motorcycle designer with 26 years of industry experience, heads product development. He previously held senior positions at Yamaha Motor Company, Piaggio, BRP, and Damon Motorcycles, and has led vehicle programs from concept to series production on three continents. Uhlarik emphasizes that the Dispatch is a completely new development, not a derivative of an existing machine. Not a single component comes from another motorcycle, not even the individual battery cells.
The financial side is managed by CFO Greg Campbell, who brings 25 years of experience in the automotive and financial industries, having previously held leadership positions at the Humberview Group, HG Partners, and Jim Peplinski Leasing.
NorthForge itself operates on a so-called asset-light model. Rather than building its own factory, the company utilizes a consortium of established Canadian firms across five provinces. In addition to SysNergie for the battery, the consortium includes Rainhouse Inc. from Victoria in British Columbia for prototyping and small-batch manufacturing, and Motorcycle Global from Halifax in Nova Scotia, which has international connections to major motorcycle manufacturers in Europe, Japan, and North America. Additional partners provide off-road testing facilities as well as design and manufacturing capabilities in Ontario and Québec.
Fully Sovereign Supply Chain Without Asian Dependency
A central feature of the Dispatch is its entirely Canadian supply chain. NorthForge emphasizes that neither batteries, motors, nor software come from Asian sources. In the current geopolitical climate, where Western nations are increasingly questioning their dependence on Chinese suppliers in security-critical areas, this is a deliberate signal. Even the individual battery cells are manufactured in Canada from Canadian components.
Licensed Manufacturing for Allies Planned
NorthForge is already thinking beyond the Canadian market. According to Uhlarik, several countries have expressed interest in the Dispatch, with NorthForge actively engaging with armed forces from various nations. The company plans to manufacture the first production series in Canada but intends to allow qualified partner nations to build the machine under license on their own soil. This model is reminiscent of established patterns of NATO defense cooperation during the Cold War. In the long term, the Dispatch could also see service with other Western armed forces, including, according to specialist media assessments, the German Bundeswehr, which currently equips its motorcycle couriers with the Yamaha Ténéré 700.
Not Alone on the Field
NorthForge is not alone in its approach. Russian defense conglomerate Kalashnikov already unveiled a similarly conceived electric military motorcycle, the IZH Enduro, in 2025. The difference lies in the details: while the Russian solution primarily targets its domestic market, NorthForge positions itself with its consortium model and focus on a sovereign Western supply chain as a partner for NATO allies.
The images of the Dispatch released so far are, according to NorthForge, largely AI-generated renderings. A finished prototype has not yet been presented. Whether the ambitious project can actually be realized will become apparent in the coming months, when the technical specifications are released in May and the company must take its next development step.
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