Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
It was a sad week on the farm. Scout, our oldest Collie, died in her sleep after ten years of staring down rams and herding the sheep through narrow gates at a whistled command.
I wrapped her stiff body in her blanket and wasn’t surprised to see everyone halting their work to follow me to the orchard, where we took turns to dig a small grave. We all had to rub away tears when old Mandla, who worked with Scout all her life, gently tucked in the blanket and whispered in isiZulu: “You are a good dog, now run to the Lord.”
Gert, our sensitive farm mechanic, had cried openly and he hurried to catch up with me walking back to the office. In his usual forthright manner, he said we should replace Scout with an electric motorbike “which could herd sheep almost as fast as a dog, but nobody cries when bikes die”.
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Electric vs hybrid power
“The e-bikes are way overpriced, have no range and while two wheels can follow the footpaths better than a quad, motorbikes can’t carry a load,” I said.
“Not so,” said Gert, adding that two east African companies are making electric motorbikes that weigh around 75kg with two swappable batteries. Also, they make the same torque as a 750cc petrol bike at 58 Newtons and can load 220kg.
“Check their website. They show over 17 000 people are already using their e-bikes in seven countries, from Kenya to Togo. If they can’t break them, neither will we,” Gert argued.
I said I do not trust lithium-ion batteries but if we had to have an electric vehicle, I’d rather wait for Toyota’s long anticipated half-ton Stout, powered by a hybrid system. This topic immediately took Gert’s mind off Scout’s death, as I knew it would.
“The only thing more irrational than hybrid engines is making hydrogen for energy storage,” Gert retorted. “If you are really worried about emissions, a modern diesel’s exhaust gas is a lot cleaner than the smoke belching from any coal-fired plant. And don’t even get me started on the energy losses when making hydrogen, or how that smallest molecule leaks from any pressurised tank in short order.”
Gert and I agreed that humans have less influence on the changing climate than Earth’s distance from the Sun, but I could not resist teasing him.
“I agree making hydrogen uses more energy than it can store – but hybrids have their place. Take diesel-electric trains and giant mining trucks. You can’t deny that the instant torque of electric motors boosting a big diesel engine makes the most effective drivetrain move heavy loads up steep slopes,” I said.
“I suppose a hybrid bakkie could have better uses on the farm than an electric motorbike,” Gert admitted.
“Also, dogs love riding on the back of bakkies,” I said.
The mothership for Africa
“As for your bike riders in Africa, I bet most, if not all of them, aspire to move from a bike to a bakkie. The good news for them is that Toyota is positioning their plant near Durban as a ‘mother factory’ to serve sub-Saharan Africa with vehicles and parts.”
Gert sighed and gave his eyes a final rub. “I see what you are doing boss, taking my mind off Scout. She sure loved sleeping under the Hilux. I think she would have loved the Raider’s latest look too.”
“Ja-nee, from the pictures it looks to have a lot less chrome and shiny bits all round – much more ‘plaas’ than city,” I said.
“The 2,8-litre engine can be ordered with a 48-volt mild hybrid, if you are serious about going half-electric,” Gert said.
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“Nah, I’ll wait on the Stout. Meanwhile, we’re good with your clean diesel emissions from the D4D. Now get back to work. That Hino is not going to service itself.”
