Barefoot Motors charge ahead with an electric quad bike

A new electric vehicle company called Barefoot Motors has come out with an electric quad bike called the Model One ATV. Unlike previous, feeble electric quads, the Model One can tow 450kg, has all-wheel-drive and makes use of regenerative braking to squeeze the most out of its lithium batteries. It's hoped that it will represent a serious alternative to petrol models for use on farms.

"There is much to be done in making vehicles better for the environment and for riders. Barefoot is here to do our fair share," says co-founder Max Scheder-Bieschin on the Barefoot Motors blog. Scheder-Bieschin, who was the former president of eco-vehicles company ZAP, is running Barefoot with former colleague Melissa Brandao, who was the acting general manager. From ZAP -- which stands for Zero Air Pollution -- they bring with them extensive backgrounds in designing and marketing electric vehicles.

Barefoot Motors has also brought on board the moustachioed Jamie Hyneman (pictured), of the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters programme, to help with product development. You can see him in this video testing out the Model One ATV.

"Our Model One does not pollute, it has better power and if you consider the fuel savings alone -- forget about utility rebates, forget about carbon credits, forget about incentives for now -- just the fuel savings, the vehicle could actually cost 50-75 per cent of the gas equivalent over the course of its life," says Scheder-Bieschin.

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