By SASHA PAULSEN, Register Features Editor
The newest step in the move to “green” farming could be the quietest so far.
The Register was on hand recently when Robert Jordan, vice president at Buckland Vineyard Management, and Juvenal Magdaleno, a foreman for Buckland, tried out their new all-electric ATV from Barefoot Motors in Sebastopol.
ATVs are the workhorses of vineyard, Jordan said. “We use them for weeding, spraying, mildew applications, irrigation monitoring and taking pruning samples” as well as during harvest.
Regular gas-fueled ATVs, however, “can release four to 10 times the emissions of a normal passenger car,” according Melissa Brandão, who co-founded Barefoot Motors.
The only emissions associated Model One come in the form of the black “CO2” design printed on the white background of the 100 percent electric vehicle, called “the world’s first earth utility vehicle.”
Based on initial reaction to the electric ATV, Brandão said, “We’re beginning to believe that a good part of our market will be viticulture and wineries.”
Brandão said Barefoot decided to focus on developing an electric ATV for farming because, “although there’s a lot (of development) going on in cars other customers are underserved.”
As far as ATVs, she added, “other companies are focused on recreational vehicles. We thought in California there’s a good market for one with for agricultural and industrial applications.
“There’s a lot of motivation to develop this kind of equipment,” she added. “There haven’t been a lot of ways for farmers to reduce their carbon footprint.”
Right now the price of an electric ATV from Barefoot is $12,000 to $15,000, she said. “Initially the price comes from batteries, but that is offset by maintenance. There are fewer moving parts — and no oil changes,” she added.
According to the Barefoot Motors Web site Model One has “all the high performance, heavy duty speed and torque” that farmers need, but “it’s a smoother ride with lower noise, less heat and zero fumes.”
From the farmers’ perspective, both Jordan and Magdalena agreed.
“We’d drive this for fun,” Magdaleno said.
The Model One runs for about an hour and 45 minutes after a battery charging, Brandão said.
“After the first time I tried it I was sold,” Jordan said. “Usually, if you’re driving an ATV and your phone rings, you have to stop and turn the ATV off so you can talk. This (electric ATV) is so quiet, you can hear the birds as you’re driving it.
“You feel close to nature, and that’s a consideration for us.”
Jordan said he’d be happy to speak to anyone interested in his experiences with the prototype ATV.
