So Much Power in Reserve
The Beast, our all-powerful electric task vehicle is right at home set amongst the ancient woodlands and wetlands of the Watatunga Wildlife Reserve. Founder Ed Pope explains why The Beast has delivered both behind the scenes and as part of the reserve’s electric tour fleet.
Watatunga Wildlife Reserve is just as interested in its environmental responsibilities as it is in the wellbeing of the endangered wildlife at the 170-acre wilderness. That’s why founder Ed Pope, made contact with Electric Wheels to enquire about the availability of a robust zero-emission all-electric utility task vehicle. It needed to be tough enough for everyday site tasks, as well as quiet enough to not disturb the wildlife living on-site. The aptly named ‘The Beast’, fitted the bill and now plays a massive part at the Norfolk reserve.
The Beast, the Newest Addition to Watatunga’s Electric Fleet
“We have a huge fleet of different electric buggies,” commented Ed. “From souped up golf buggies through to utility style vehicles. The Beast from Electric Wheels is our absolute pride and joy. It’s brilliant. We’ve got all these buggies and they all do different jobs, but this UTV is fantastic for all the heavy lifting. It’s a four-seater (with room for six off-road) with a manual cargo rear tipper which makes it perfect for transporting feed and silage to the animals. It’s frequently used to tow trailers of larger visitor groups. Basically, it’s a Jack of all trades. One minute it’ll be towing an Ifor Williams trailer with a tonne of topsoil, the next minute it will be towing a trailer with 20 schoolchildren on tours of the reserve. Then it moves on to its next job of delivering Buffalo burgers to the barbecue hut for events. It’s turned into our ultimate go to machine.”
The Beast is All-Electric, All-Terrain & Super Quiet
Ed was particularly looking for an electric machine for the on-going chores on-site. “I had a Polaris Ranger crew cab, which was actually a very nice machine, but it was petrol and a little too noisy for the jobs at hand,” Ed added.
“The Beast, however, was electric, tranquilly quiet with four comfortable seats. It ticked the box for its utility style and really was the only option out there. Polaris were making electric machines, but they were too small for what we needed. It needed to be able to cope with mud and transporting hay bales on the back of feeder wagons. The Beast made sense and even though I was a little nervous due to the price being a little more, the slight extra spend has been worth it. It includes so much more than the standard, so we made the right choice.”
An Impressive Speed On & Off-road
UTVs tend to have an average speed of approx. 25 miles per hour. The Beast can reach an impressive speed of up to 37 miles per hour which Ed describes as one of the biggest benefits. “Being able to travel at a reasonable speed down the road has made the distance between tasks much more efficient and manageable. We do a few road miles and a lot of UTVs are frustratingly slow. When it comes to getting about, we’re all about efficiency. Speed is key for us!” Ed continued.
“We’ve also found the benefit of having quality low ground pressure tyres to be a great addition. When it comes to tyres, usually you need to specify specialist off-roading tyres which will be an extra cost, however The Beast has these as standard.”
Ed continued: “Another standard with no need to upgrade, has been the lithium battery. It’s a lightweight battery system which we can easily charge sporadically as and when. In fact, it travels an impressive 53 miles on just one charge.”
We’ve loved and appreciated hearing from Ed about how the Watatunga team has been using and enjoying driving The Beast at the Norfolk-based reserve. To find out more about The Beast, please get in touch. Call us on 0333 3582175 or email us at enquiries@electric-wheels.co.uk.
Keep reading to find out more about the reserve itself…
What is The Watatunga Wildlife Reserve?
The reserve is a conservation haven for endangered species from around the world. Maintaining a natural, well-balanced, and calm space for the 26 different ungulate and bird species, is key for the wellbeing of the wildlife as well as not disturbing the reserve’s visitors and holiday guests who can visit the site throughout the year based on bookings and seasonal opening times.
To enhance the experience for the public the reserve offers popular electric buggy tours to explore the large open spaces of wetland areas, lakes, ancient woodlands, grass meadows and herb rich pastures. To become part of the natural environment, these electric buggies need to be able to safely and carefully meander numerous terrains to see the likes of endangered deer, antelope, water buffalo and birds.
Learn more about Watatunga, its accommodation and tours, visit www.watatunga.co.uk.
