The Battery Powered Orchard

Tuesday Mar 8th, 2011 53 Views Fruit Grower Report

The Battery Powered Orchard. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

We are always looking for a better, more efficient way of getting things done. Gwen-Alyn Hoeheisel, extension educator with WSU says that is true for working in the orchard and especially when it comes to getting around and hauling gear.

HOHEISEL: It’s an electric ATV so it uses a lithium phosphate battery. Right now through our tests it runs for about 4 hours consistently on one charge and I mean that’s running 4 hours.

Hoheisel has been part of a group that has been testing the use of the electric ATV in orchard applications. The machine comes from Barefoot Motors in Oregon.

HOHEISEL: So we said, okay we have to buy a new vehicle to connect a Weedseeker to, let’s buy this to access electric power within orchards and vineyards and farm situations. Is it feasible?

So everyone wants to know what you think of it.

HOHEISEL: It’s fabulous. It’s big. It’s much bigger than a standard ATV so that has to be considered into a farm operation…is how’s it going to fit in your rows. Because some of the research vineyards that we have are going into 7 foot plantings as testings and it’s pretty hard by the time that the grapes start to grow into the center of the row, it’s pretty tight. But that being said, it’s extremely quiet, it’s been very low maintenance, it’s very easy to use. I’ve enjoyed it so far.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.