- Sarara safari lodge in Kenya had its diesel Land Rover Defenders EV-converted.
- Switch was handled by Electrogenic, which built Jason Momoa’s 1929 Rolls EV.
- As well as being quieter, the conversion enables the safari tours to run all year.
Out in northern Kenya’s rugged Matthews Range, where dusty tracks thread through elephant herds wandering at dawn, the loudest thing on a safari should absolutely not be your truck.
Yet for years, Sarara’s trusted but tired diesel Land Rover Defenders clattered and coughed their way across the bush, reliable and practical but about as subtle as a generator in a library.
Related: This Vintage Rolls-Royce Is Now Twice as Powerful and Completely Silent
Now, thanks to Oxford-based EV conversion specialists Electrogenic, those old warhorses have been reborn, and suddenly, safaris at Sarara sound more like nature documentaries than construction sites.
What Powers Them?
Two of Sarara’s Defenders got Electrogenic’s E62 kit consisting of a 62 kWh battery under the hood and a 161 hp (163 PS / 120 kW) water-cooled motor, delivering a real-world range of 120 miles (193 km) in mixed on-road driving, with 160+ miles (258 km) for off-road use.
A third Land Rover received the more serious E93 kit, which has a 93 kWh battery and 201 hp (204 PS / 150 kW) water-cooled motor, delivering a real-world range of 150 miles, with 200+ miles (320 km) for off-road use. All three SUVs can take 6.6 kW AC charging but also fairly rapid CCS fills, too, which juice the 62 kWh battery up in 50 minutes.
Electrogenic, of course, has form. This is the same outfit Hollywood star Jason Momoa tapped to transform his 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II into a silent, sinister EV cruiser.
For Sarara, the team shipped in their “drop-in” electric powertrain kit, complete with pre-terminated wiring looms and a plug-and-play philosophy, and trained local mechanics to handle the transplant. Three Defenders were converted in just two weeks.
How Silence Saves the Safari
On paper, the main motivation was survival. During Kenya’s rainy season, the roads into the 850,000-acre (344,000 hectares) conservancy turn into axle-deep mud pits, making diesel deliveries nearly impossible.
In past years, Sarara had to scale back operations entirely when fuel trucks failed to arrive. With the new electric Defenders running off solar power generated on site, the camp can now operate year-round.
But the real magic happens out on the trails. With silent motors and zero tailpipe emissions, the electrified Defenders let guides ease up on wildlife without disturbing them, and without spoiling guests’ enjoyment of it.
And the EVs aren’t just greener; they’re better off-road as well. Instant torque helps the Defenders claw up slippery inclines, while regenerative braking doubles as a natural form of hill-descent control. They still retain the original transfer box and low-range gearing, too, so capability hasn’t been sacrificed.
Sarara’s team loved the project so much that the lodge is now an official Electrogenic installer, ready to help electrify other African 4×4 fleets.