Can an electric tractor connected to the grid via a cable replace today's diesel-powered machines? The project Kabeldriven eltraktor is currently developing one to investigate its feasibility.
The purpose of the project is to develop, test and demonstrate a tractor that is connected with power cables to the mains in real-world field conditions. The result will be evaluated from a technical, practical and economic perspective. As electricity replaces fossil fuel, agriculture's use of fossil fuels could decrease drastically.
Initiator for the project is the entrepreneur Kurt Hansson. He has been working since the 1970s to achieve a truly sustainable agriculture by replacing fossil energy with renewable energy. He is also one of LRF's 26 future entrepreneurs.
Already today, Kurt Hansson delivers renewable energy to the grid through the farm's solar cells. By using a part of the electricity to drive a tractor, it can be driven by the sun's rays, like the plants on the fields. Sala-Heby Energi, Sweco and SLU (Swedish Agricultural University) also participate in the project group.
The concept is, like many other uses of renewable energy, based on extensive historical experiences. Already in the early 20th century, several projects focused on electric tractors and implements. As an example, ASEA (now part of ABB) manufactured a system that used electric motors to pull implements back and forth over the field, and different manufacturers built electric tractors that were powered by a cable. Cheap fossil came, as was the case for road traffic, spell the end for these options at the time. In recent years, attention to the environmental impact of fossil fuels and long-term price increases has again increased the interest in alternatives to fossil fuel. Several tractor manufacturers have developed tractors that use electricity in the driveline.
Fully electrifying a tractor poses major technical challenges. A large part of agricultural energy use takes place in field work, in particular operations such as plowing are very power intense. As a result of the high energy use today's battery technology cannot store enough energy for a full workday. An alternative is therefore to connect the tractor to the grid by a cable. Similar techniques are already used, for example, in mines. This project benefit from these experiences and adapt the systems to use on tractors.
The aim of the project is to get a tractor that acts as a regular tractor, but uses less energy. The project represents an important step among many to increase the use of electricity in agriculture, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels.
