Barefoot Motors calls itself a "green" off-road utility vehicle company
Barefoot Motors is a company that integrates best-of-class electric propulsion technologies and innovative design into rugged, high-performance, market-driven vehicles. The company's research and design facility is located in Ashland, Oregon and Sebastopol, California.
Barefoot's first product is the Model One, a which is a 100% electric, heavy-duty all-terrain vehicle ("ATV") for agricultural, industrial and recreational applications.
ATV is so quiet
Robert Sinskey Vineyard Manager Debby Zygielbaum said the electric ATV is so quiet she can talk on her cellphone and the only thing she hears is the sound of the wind, and maybe a possible irrigation leak.
Sinskey and Saintsbury were the first two wineriesin Napa, California, to put a deposit on this new green machine. “It’s been neat to be in on it from the ground level because they’ve put in some design touches since,” said Zygielbaum, “such as cruise control, so that when you’re doing work in the vineyards and you need to keep a steady speed you can. They’re also putting plugs on it so you can put it in auxiliary.
"I’m excited because we’re certified biodynamic and we’ll be using an ATV with no emissions, an electric spray tank with no emissions, and the maintenance fees and fuel are less with this vehicle.”
Why aren’t all wineries jumping on the green bandwagon?
The word has been slow to get out said Debbie because Barefoot’s proof of concept vehicle is not as good as the actual prototype they’ve come out with now.
“I think when some people saw the concept, they thought it would be powerful enough. But now there are almost 20 deposits that have been put down on the vehicle,” enthused Zygielbaum. “The cost is a little more expensive up front, about $15,000, where as a gas ATV is about $6,000. But, with a gas ATV there’s a lot of maintenance. You need to change the oil, you need to maintain the engine, and if something goes wrong you have to take the whole thing apart and deal with it.”
Zygielbaum said she has a graveyard of gas ATVs sitting in pieces because somebody ran them out of oil.
There’s a trade off. Pay up front or pay along the way.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever been on a gas ATV but you practically go deaf from the noise and the vibration of the engine. I have to wear earplugs.
It’s really nice to have no emissions. Those little gas engines are so dirty burning you feel like you have asthma by the time you get off the bike from breathing the emissions.”
“Another good thing about the electric ATV is that it has a lower center of gravity and is slight heavier than a gas ATV- so you can tow a little more weight and it’s more stable if you’re towing a light stand.”
The cons of the electric are small for Debbie. “The batteries only last four or five hours, so you have to plan ahead to charge it.”
Nowadays, there are quite a few green alternatives for the cars we drive. But what about those gas guzzling, exhaust burning, engine revving off road vehicles? Did they get left in the “environment friendly” dust?
“Until now, there has been no green alternative to the gas ATV that is being used in vineyards, and the technology is out there to build a vehicle that is comparable.”
Barefoot Motors co-founder Melissa Brandao is going to change that. “What we discovered here at Barefoot, is that we could build a better electric vehicle in terms of performance.”
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