Imagine cruising silently through the Maasai Mara, surrounded by the sounds of nature and the fresh scent of the savanna. With the quiet of electric safari vehicles, the tour guides can use all their senses to spot wildlife.
The guides can hear a bird’s warning call and know a predator is nearby, giving the tourist a better chance to see animals up close without disturbing them.
More wildlife. More respect for nature. More power. No noise pollution and no exhaust fumes.
Emboo River Hotel Has The First Full Fleet of Electric Safari Vehicles in Maasai Mara
Emboo River is proud to have the first full fleet of electric safari vehicles in East Africa. They are based in Maasai Mara and focus on eco-tourism.
These electric vehicles are silent, powered completely by solar energy, and can take guests on all-day game drives. Emboo River claims that the electric vehicles are even more powerful than the traditional fuel-powered vehicles.
In Nairobi, Emboo River worked with a company called Roam to convert their old Land Cruisers from the 1990s into electric vehicles. Roam makes some of the best electric safari vehicles in Kenya.
They removed the old engines and gearboxes and replaced them with electric motors, batteries, and touchscreens. Each vehicle has a battery that can hold 35 kilowatt-hours of power.
At Emboo River, the electric vehicles do not emit any carbon dioxide while driving. This is a big difference compared to traditional safari vehicles, which can produce more than 350 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer.
When we think about the environmental impact of electric vehicles, we should consider their entire lifespan. Making and recycling these vehicles can cause carbon emissions, but in places like Kenya, which uses a lot of renewable energy, these emissions are much lower.
This means that the total emissions from making and using an electric vehicle are only a fraction of those from a traditional vehicle.
The batteries in Emboo River’s electric vehicles are also special. They do not use rare-earth metals, which are hard to find and mine. Instead, the batteries use Lithium Iron Phosphate cells, which are more sustainable.
A look at the vehicles shows how smoothly and quietly these vehicles move through the Maasai Mara, giving you a unique and eco-friendly safari experience.
One of the limiting factors of acquiring these cars is the cost because the electric safari vehicles price in Kenya is around Ksh. 10 Million for a 2013 model. This is because retrofitting tour vehicle with electric system costs about 37,000 USD (4.8M) for the battery, motors and full electrical system.
If you are looking for electric safari vehicles for sale, it is hard to come across ready vehicles and most of the time people convert land cruiser tour vans to electric safari vehicles. This involves the removal of the engine and gear which are replaced with battery packs, motors, and other electric systems.
Closing Remarks
Emboo River is the first hotel to have a full fleet of electric safari vehicles in East Africa which puts it at the forefront of sustainable tourism in Kenya. These vehicles are revolutionizing tourism by bringing silent and eco-friendly vehicles to the parks.