Monday, 18 March 2019 08:18

Twist-n-go electric bike all this farmer needs

Written by  Mark Daniel
Craig Brown with his electric bike. Craig Brown with his electric bike.

Waikato dairy farmer Craig Brown's Ubco all-electric bike is making him big savings on fuel and maintenance.

Brown is a fourth-generation dairy farmer at Ngarua, Waikato. 

His company Farmer Brown Ltd operates on 69.5ha effective, carrying 180 dairy cows and 25 followers on a closed-herd basis, relying on pasture. 

For reliable farm transport the Brown family has over the years been through two-wheelers, quads and lately side by side machines.

Always interested in emerging technologies, Brown first saw an Ubco 2 x 2 at Fieldays 2015, and taken with its ‘green’ credentials he set about researching the idea. Hence the first Ubco all-electric farm bike arrived in February 2016 and he hasn’t looked back.

The latest Ubco has a light, strong aluminium frame weighing 65kg -- about half that of a typical petrol-engine equivalent. The frame cradles a 48 Ah lithium-ion battery that typically has a 120km range; it has a recharge time of six hours from flat to 90%.

Running cost is estimated at $1/120km. 

Electric wheel motors are contained in the front and rear hubs, making the machine two-wheel drive with a top speed of 50kph.

To ride it you turn the twist-grip, and braking is via brake levers to both wheels; these when activated create a regenerative effect to put power back into the battery.

The Ubco 2x2 dimensions — very similar to those of a well-known Japanese step-though machine of the 1980s -- initially appealed to Brown, but the stand-out function for him is the drive layout.

“In wet or muddy conditions, the Ubco just keeps travelling in the direction you point it. Compared to a conventional two-wheeler -- whose front wheel ‘washes-out’ in mud and the bike ends up laying on its side -- the driven front wheel on this machine just keeps things moving and on track.” This makes it safer for farm staff to ride, Brown says.

Of course, the machine suffers none of the issues inherent in using petrol — storage, safety when refilling and the risk of theft. And you never need go looking for a fuel can.

The Ubco, priced at $7995, of course costs much more than a petrol machine, but Brown says the savings on fuel and reduced maintenance soon outweigh the initial outlay. 

“Our first machine has been here for just three years and has cost just $700 in repairs and maintenance — a pittance compared to petrol bikes we have run in the past.”

Brown bought a second in 2018.

More like this

A step up for two-wheeler fans

Replacing the well known XR 125, the new Honda XR 150L is a step up for those preferring two wheel transport on the farm or between properties, as the machine is road registerable and LAMS approved.

Electric UTV for the environmental farmer

While electric and hybrid vehicles gain traction on our roads, the concept is largely missing from the rural and off-road markets. But Hisun Motors New Zealand is ‘dipping its toes’.

Handy bike carrier

Smith Attachments has recently released a carrier for motorcycles and quads.

Featured

Pāmu farm opens gate to urban visitors

For many urban New Zealanders, stepping into Pāmu’s Pinta dairy farm near Taupo last month was the first time they had had the chance to experience farm life up close.

Afimilk appoints new general manager

Afimilk, a global dairy farm management solutions provider, has appointed Justin Miller as the new general manager for New Zealand and Australia.

National

Machinery & Products

Alpego eyes electric power harrow

Distributed by OriginAg in New Zealand, Italian manufacturer Alpego recently showed its three metre Alysium electric power harrow at the…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Dodgy!

OPINION: If you believe Maori Party president John Tamihere’s claim that “nothing dodgy” occurred at Manurewa Marae during the last…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter