A Dutch farmer has developed his own electric tractor in a quest to go emission-free, and it's not just another pluggable electric design.
The environment has been breathing a small sigh of relief lately as the heavy-duty equipment industry has begun to shift from dirty diesel engines to more sustainable electric models. From wheel loaders to compact rollers, rechargeable machines have been appearing on work sites, helping to reduce noise and air pollution.
However, Bastian van der Veen, a farmer in the Netherlands, decided that solar power was the way to go for his E-Horse tractor, as Future Farming reported. He took his concept to machine manufacturing company Boessenkool to create the final product.
To make this solar-powered vehicle design viable, he focused on minimizing energy requirements, while keeping it lightweight and entirely electric. As a result, the E-Horse can put in a respectable six to eight hours of crop care tasks including hoeing, harrowing, and seeding.
There's a 20-kilowatt-hour battery onboard the thin-framed tractor, as the report detailed, with eight solar panels on top to gather the sun's energy, although it can accommodate up to 12.
It has a maximum driving speed of eight miles per hour and a working speed of five, which helps reduce energy consumption. The E-Horse also offers four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering, although it relies mostly on the front wheels for minimal trajectory adjustments.
The driver's seat is positioned above the rear axle, comfortably shaded beneath the solar array, with a single joystick for steering. Surprisingly, it can also be steered automatically through GPS navigation.
By using electric motors, a battery, and solar power, the E-Horse tractor avoids the common environmental pitfalls of using diesel power to operate. In the U.S. alone, motor gasoline and diesel fuels accounted for 31% of total energy-related carbon pollution in 2023.
Other alternatives to diesel have been explored beyond electrification, including cleaner biofuels, including biodiesel. These are renewable and biodegradable fuels made from products like vegetable oils and recycled restaurant grease.
As the report explained, van der Veen is looking to build a successor to the E-Horse tractor. It will be a larger design and is said to rely on a fuel cell rather than a roof-mounted solar array.
For now, though, eco-forward farmers can order a solar-powered E-Horse tractor from Boessenkool starting at around $110,000.
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