The UK’s farming community is being urged to make the switch from dirty old diesel engines and embrace an electric transport future, with the help of an innovative solution.

Not traditionally considered the most forward thinking of industries, with many hundreds of years of tradition and farms generally passed down from generation to generation, the same might be said for the aging but robust fleet of farm vehicles.

What self-respecting farmer is seen in the roads without his trusty Land Rover Defender? But with farming costs spiralling, the financial cost of filling a vehicle with diesel might not be appealing. But a new ‘drop-in’ battery kit from car conversion specialists Electrogenic could provide an immediate solution to the problem. At a cost of £24,000, it might seem like a large outlay, but the team behind the solution say that it will save £6,000 a year in fuel costs.

Electrogenic say that the conversion, which sees an electric motor bolted to the Defender’s existing clutch, can provide more than 100 miles of range, and has a similar 120 bhp to the diesel equivalent.

“This new electric conversion kit is a really exciting development for us,” said Steve Drummond, co-founder of Electrogenic.

“We do high-specification conversions for road-warriors, but this

kit is all about giving landowners an economic, sustainable option.

“It gives Land Rover Defenders – long a trusty workhorse for farms up and down the country – an affordable new lease of life, reducing

running costs while enhancing performance and driveability around the estate.

“After an extensive development programme, in partnership with automotive experts at Cardiff University, we also know that it future-proofs the traditional Defender, readying it for decades of reliable, sustainable service as we enter the age of low-carbon agriculture.”

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