John Deere unveils all-electric tractor prototype for zero-emission agriculture - Polidicks

[video]https://youtu.be/Q8t81yYWZmM[/video] [QUOTE]The iconic American machinery manufacturer showcased the new prototype ahead of the Sima show in France next month. ... Where you would normally find a large diesel engine under the hood, there are stacks of battery packs adding up to 130 kWh of capacity. ... John Deere expects that the electric motors will require much less maintenance than a diesel engine. They will also provide redundancy and last longer. [/QUOTE] [url]https://electrek.co/2016/12/05/john-deere-electric-tractor-prototype/[/url]

If it can't go all day without a recharge (or at least from morning to lunch and lunch to evening), farmers aren't going to be interested. I don't see any specs but I'm going to guess based on its size it won't do either of those. [editline]6th December 2016[/editline] Same problems as electric trucks.

[QUOTE=download;51479464]If it can't go all day without a recharge (or at least from morning to lunch and lunch to evening), farmers aren't going to be interested. I don't see any specs but I'm going to guess based on its size it won't do either of those. [editline]6th December 2016[/editline] Same problems as electric trucks.[/QUOTE] All day? Try 24h constant for months on end. Grinding season in Louisiana means they have X amount of weeks to harvest all of the sugar cane, and they run 24/7 during that time.

[QUOTE=download;51479464]If it can't go all day without a recharge (or at least from morning to lunch and lunch to evening), farmers aren't going to be interested. I don't see any specs but I'm going to guess based on its size it won't do either of those. [editline]6th December 2016[/editline] Same problems as electric trucks.[/QUOTE] Electric motors are also a lot better when it comes to idling and moving relatively slow. Gives you the ability to run high power machinery out in the field as well if you need to do that for whatever reason. Probably have to wait for this Sima show for all the details.

[QUOTE=Morgen;51479490]Electric motors are also a lot better when it comes to idling and moving relatively slow. Gives you the ability to run high power machinery out in the field as well if you need to do that for whatever reason. Probably have to wait for this Sima show for all the details.[/QUOTE] Turning big tires on soft ground with regular turns isn't efficient. I'll wait for the details however.

for the constant running, something like a workhorse vehicle will probably have interchangeable battery packs because that'd just be a necessity. Leave a couple packs charging at a station while you're out and come back to cycle through them as needed

I've heard of some farmers in Australia that could be interested in this, they already run off the grid with solar panels and backup generators. If the hardware and pricing was reasonable, and you had enough panels, you could maybe consider one of these.

Honestly the amount of tractors out there causing emissions of any grand scale when it comes to affecting the world would be laughable.

[QUOTE=Evanstr;51479702]Honestly the amount of tractors out there causing emissions of any grand scale when it comes to affecting the world would be laughable.[/QUOTE] Every bit counts

[QUOTE=Evanstr;51479702]Honestly the amount of tractors out there causing emissions of any grand scale when it comes to affecting the world would be laughable.[/QUOTE] when someone's bleeding out you don't just give up trying to bandage them just cause they've lost a lot of blood.

Don't forget that this is probably aimed towards farmers who bought electrical permits who own smaller scale wind farms and shit like that.

[QUOTE=Evanstr;51479702]Honestly the amount of tractors out there causing emissions of any grand scale when it comes to affecting the world would be laughable.[/QUOTE] Agriculture produces 9% of all greenhouse gases in the United States. Of that 8% is produced by tractors meaning tractors account for 0.72% of greenhouse gas emissions. By comparison, the entirety of our transportation industry uses 26% which makes up cars, planes, trains, boats, etc. So tractors make up no small number.

but can you own it or will it be another one of those idiotic perpetual licenses

A bit deceptive to say electric produces zero emissions - it ignores the other parts of energy production/battery production.

I suppose it makes sense. Tractors and related farm equipment rely more on torque than raw speed, so as stated if you can keep them running long enough to justify their costs it could be an attractive option for some farms. That said, I can't wait to see how farmers in this region would milk the fuck out of any subsidies provided to get their hands on one of these. They're already notorious for planting shit at the wrong times so the crops are destined to fail so they can run to the DoA and say "gib money pls".

Just gonna do some pretty simple calculations here... The article says that particular tractor has up to 130 kWh worth of batteries, and 402HP (300kW) max. Electric: Let's say during ploughing it's using 70% of it's rated power, so 210kW. 130kWh / 210kW = 0.61h or 37 minutes of run time. Diesel: Let's say one with a 300L tank. 300L diesel * 36MJ/L = 10.8GJ of energy. Diesels are 45% efficient so that equates to 4.86GJ = 1.35MWh usable energy. 1.35MWh / 210kW = 6.4 hours run time So overall pretty awful, not to mention you'd need a (small) crane or something to replace a pack that big, and charging would take ages.

Imo why dont we just ban diesel engines, theyre an absolute scourge on the environment. Electric engines have a lot of torque and interchangeable batteries makes the 24hr day argument irrelevant

Was wondering when we would start seeing electric heavy equipment. I think it will be awhile yet before mass adoption, but I'm glad there's work being done in the field. I'll be super impressed when we have electric dozers and trackhoes. [editline]5th December 2016[/editline] Also engine fumes are the least of my worries when it comes to "zero emission agriculture." Agriculture itself is environmentally toxic.

[QUOTE=No_Excuses;51482902]Just gonna do some pretty simple calculations here... The article says that particular tractor has up to 130 kWh worth of batteries, and 402HP (300kW) max. Electric: Let's say during ploughing it's using 70% of it's rated power, so 210kW. 130kWh / 210kW = 0.61h or 37 minutes of run time. Diesel: Let's say one with a 300L tank. 300L diesel * 36MJ/L = 10.8GJ of energy. Diesels are 45% efficient so that equates to 4.86GJ = 1.35MWh usable energy. 1.35MWh / 210kW = 6.4 hours run time So overall pretty awful, not to mention you'd need a (small) crane or something to replace a pack that big, and charging would take ages.[/QUOTE] While I would expect a tractor to have a higher battery capacity in the presentation I'm pretty sure it says it only does 130 kW continuous output. So it probably only bursts to a higher output for short periods.

[QUOTE=Morgen;51479490]Electric motors are also a lot better when it comes to idling and moving relatively slow. Gives you the ability to run high power machinery out in the field as well if you need to do that for whatever reason. Probably have to wait for this Sima show for all the details.[/QUOTE] Compared to what exactly? Some of the modern tractors use hydraulic systems, and even the conventional gearbox ones have so many options it's not even funny. [img]http://i.imgur.com/mjGSSdY.jpg[/img] These aren't some ultra light 1.6L turbo cars. These are monstrous displacement high torque, low RPM machines that are purpose built around being able to continuously provide gargantuan amounts power under heavy load for months on end. [QUOTE=Morgen;51482982]While I would expect a tractor to have a higher battery capacity in the presentation I'm pretty sure it says it only does 130 kW continuous output. So it probably only bursts to a higher output for short periods.[/QUOTE] This really depends on what kind of equipment you are running. Some of the monstrous pieces of equipment require stupid amounts of power to operate. Even just a plow is a black hole for power consumption. Dirt is heavy. Don't forget that for some tasks, you daisy chain several pieces of equipment together (often with hydraulics), literally creating an entire processing facility on wheels.

Seems like this is more for moving shit then the big harvesting equipment everyone in this thread is talking about. Being able to simply jump into a tractor and fire it right up to move stuff from here and there doesn't seem like a bad thing. The tractor they use in the video isn't going to need to run for days at a time like the combines, only a few hours here and there for things like spreading on the field or pulling things to assist on the far also that kind of tractor is used extensively by cities and others to maintain the grass in very large areas such as fields and along highways where again it just has to run for a few hours at a time i think john deere knows where the market is for this or else they wouldn't be showing it off

Batteries are the only thing holding all-electric big power equipment back, we need better batteries [I]now[/I].

For most farms this thing will be useless and a massive loss in profit. But I imagine it could be used in smaller or more specialized farms.

Let me guess, electricity provided by coal plants?? Also, what about the pollution caused by the production of electronic motors and batteries? I doubt John Deere will realse these numbers any time soon.

[QUOTE=Zeemlapje;51484748]Let me guess, electricity provided by coal plants?? Also, what about the pollution caused by the production of electronic motors and batteries? I doubt John Deere will realse these numbers any time soon.[/QUOTE] Well it's for a French show and the vast majority of French power is nuclear.

[QUOTE=Zeemlapje;51484748]Let me guess, electricity provided by coal plants?? Also, what about the pollution caused by the production of electronic motors and batteries? I doubt John Deere will realse these numbers any time soon.[/QUOTE] Damn, you're right. We should stop everything electrical... This is the weakest argument you can make towards something like this article. No shit there's a high cost of entry, but in the long run it is going to be environmentally cheaper. However, there's only one way to get fuel/diesel. How many ways do you know of to get electricity that do not involve coal or gas? If you answered correctly, you should have said a number over zero.

This is something most people will not care much about but the noise removal kinda makes me happy about this. :v: I just hope we can get better batteries though, I'm worried about what'll happen when we run out of materials for these things however.

[QUOTE=Zeemlapje;51484748]Let me guess, electricity provided by coal plants?? Also, what about the pollution caused by the production of electronic motors and batteries? I doubt John Deere will realse these numbers any time soon.[/QUOTE] And let me guess the diesel tractor factory uses completely clean energy only right?

[QUOTE=Tasm;51482932]Electric engines have a lot of torque and interchangeable batteries makes the 24hr day argument irrelevant[/QUOTE] Interchangeable batteries will either be hundreds of small battery packs or one giant pack, either one will be cumbersome. With the small one it would likely take hours to change them, with a large one you would need to haul out a forklift to change it. With traditional diesels you just need a tank with a hose. We need tiny nuclear reactors to power electric cars and shit.

[QUOTE=Evanstr;51479702]Honestly the amount of tractors out there causing emissions of any grand scale when it comes to affecting the world would be laughable.[/QUOTE] You're joking, right? there is a [b]shitload[/b] of tractors out there.