UK Vineyard opts for Ranger EV
Kenton Park Estate is a family-owned boutique vineyard situated in the South West Coast of England, close to Devon’s Exe Estuary, nestled in the gentle foothills of Haldon Forest, revealing a truly outstanding area of natural beauty.
Purchased by the Oliphant-Thompson family in 2016, the estate holds twenty acres of land, ten of which are used for the 15,000 vines that are used to create their own branded sparkling wine, as well as an orchard for their award winning HARDCORE sparkling cider.
After only using Land Rover Defenders around the estate, the Oliphant-Thompson family were concerned about the fumes from their 4×4 polluting the vines, so decided to hire a Polaris Ranger EV for a short period as a step in the right direction. During the time they had the Ranger EV, they completely fell in love with the smaller, quieter and more gentle vehicle, and ended up purchasing one of their own a few months ago.
“The Polaris is used for absolutely everything! We cannot imagine life without it. It’s very much a part of the family and our lifestyle here on the estate.”
When Jayne says the Ranger EV is used for absolutely everything, she is not kidding! The tasks it is used for vary from delivering the estate’s iconic giant deli feast platters from the kitchen to the table, to transporting their dogs up to the vines to chase away any unwanted small visitors. The family also use it to herd up their Swiss Valais Blacknose Sheep and Pygmy Goats as well as taking any guests that have a disability around the estate.
“There is no end to its uses, thanks to the off-road tyres, we can whizz around the estate.”
And that’s not all! The Oliphant-Thompson family are already planning to use the Ranger EV this summer for their Safari Wine Tours as well as assisting with the harvest season this September, thanks to its towing capabilities and narrow width to fit between the vines, making the job much easier.
“The fantastic thing about the electric Polaris is that there is never any argument about who left the vehicle without any fuel - this always happens with the Estate's Land Rover Defender. Plus, it doesn’t cost anything to run - bonus!”
The Polaris Ranger EV pairs the off-road capabilities of the world’s bestselling UTV, with the gentle operation of an electric vehicle, providing a clean ride with no exhaust fumes, as well as keeping disturbance to a minimum thanks to its whisper-quiet engine noise. Charging from a standard domestic plug and propelled by a single 48-volt, high-efficiency AC-induction motor, the Ranger EV needs little maintenance due to its direct drive system with low-noise transmission and offers a usable and practical driving range in even the most demanding work environments. What’s more, the EV boasts an impressive 454kg payload capacity in addition to a 680kg towing capacity and 25.4cm of ground clearance, making it the smoothest, most capable battery electric side-by-side in its class.
Check out the Kenton Park Estate here, or follow them on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
For more information on the Ranger EV, please visit the Polaris Britain website.