Electric

tractors A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...

are powered by

electric vehicle batteries An electric vehicle battery (EVB, also known as a traction battery) is a rechargeable battery used to power the electric motors of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). Typically lithium-ion batteries, they are sp ...

, or, in the case of plug-ins, by an electric power cable.

Advantages

Electric tractors offer several advantages over diesel tractors. An

electric motor An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...

needs less maintenance than a diesel motor, which has hundreds of moving parts. Electricity can offer cost savings over

diesel fuel Diesel fuel , also called diesel oil, is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a result of compression of the inlet air and t ...

Greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...

, estimated at 53 tons per year for a typical diesel tractor, are drastically reduced.

Manufacturers

Electric tractors are manufactured by a German company,

Fendt Fendt is a German agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in 1930 by Xaver Fendt in Marktoberdorf, Allgäu region, Germany. Fendt manufactures tractors, combine harvesters, balers, telescopic handlers and row crop planters. It was purchase ...

, and by US companies,

Solectrac Solectrac is an American tractor manufacturer based in Santa Rosa, California. It manufactures electric tractors for agricultural uses. The tractors are made as a zero-emission alternative to diesel tractors and can be charged by renewable energy ...

and Monarch Tractor. In October 2022, The US-American company

Ideanomics Ideanomics, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEX) is a global electric vehicle company that is focused on driving the adoption of electric commercial vehicles and associated sustainable energy consumption. It is made up of 5 subsidiaries including: VIA Motors, ...

, which specializes in electric

utility vehicle A utility vehicle is a vehicle, generally motorized, that is designed to carry out a specific task with more efficacy than a passenger vehicle. It sometimes refers to a small truck with low sides. Types of utility vehicles Military light u ...

s, has commissioned what it claims is the largest assembly plant for electric tractors in North America. The plant in

Windsor, California Windsor is an incorporated town in Sonoma County, California, United States. The town is 9 miles north of Santa Rosa and 63 miles north of San Francisco. The population was 26,801 as of the 2010 census. Windsor was once home to a waterslide par ...

, has the capacity to produce 4,100 electric tractors annually. The vehicles built in Windsor are from

, a manufacturer acquired by Ideanomics.

John Deere Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment, ...

's protoype electric tractor is a plug-in, powered by an electrical cable.

Kubota Kubota machine is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Osaka. It was established in 1890. The corporation produces many products including tractors and other agricultural machinery, construction equipment, engines, vending machines, p ...

is prototyping an autonomous electric tractor.

References

{{Reflist Electric tractors

Advantages

Manufacturers

See also

References