Cheetah Plains in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve is the first lodge in South Africa to own a fleet of solar-charged electric Land Cruisers.
Each car is 1 500 kg and makes ‘about as much noise as a standard golf cart.’ They also all come with ‘luxurious heated bucket seats, removable rooftops, and multiple guest USB chargers, and they cost around R1 million each – about double that of a traditional game drive vehicle,’ reports Business Insider.
Japie Van Niekerk, the owner of Cheetah Plains, told Tourism Update that he loved the idea of having ‘a vehicle that looks like a Land Cruiser, drives like a Range Rover, but silent like a golf cart.’
He was involved in motorsport and was able to contact a motorsport engineer to help him with the design and execution of these Land Cruisers.
The electric vehicles don’t have the same ‘rattle and hum of the typical diesel engine,’ allowing guests to speak with the game rangers quietly and get close to wildlife without scaring them off. It’s also great for photographers as the drive is much smoother so it’s easier to take pictures.
Head field guide at Cheetah Plains, Sipps Maswanganyi said, ‘It’s mostly elephants that freeze when you approach because they don’t know what’s coming. They have to adapt to it slowly and aren’t used to a vehicle driving with nothing but a low whining sound and no vibrations.’
Maswanganyi told Business Insider, ‘I now have to talk gently to some elephants so they hear my voice, which makes it easier for them to know where we are. We get elephants that have never come across these vehicles and will be confused until they see it. But in most cases, electric vehicles disrupt animals less, and as you move into their zones, they won’t move away from you.’
The vehicles have an 80 km range on a full battery, and it takes about four to six hours to charge. The lodge is off-grid, and generating enough power to charge the vehicles and operate the camp entirely off a solar system is no small – or cheap – feat. However, they are saving about R1 million on Eskom electricity and 13 000 liters (about R300 000) of diesel each year. ‘The stats also look good on an environmental fact sheet, with an offset of 530 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.’
Pictures: Screenshots
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