New Tractor Company as if we didn't have enough

[CoyPatton]

So, you have the 'electric tractor' out in the orchard or in a field and the battery is almost kaput, how do you 'exchange the battery in the field? Inquiring minds want to know? Maybe drive out with a petroleum fueled tractor with forks and do it?

Sounds as if you have a tractor that all if us current tractor owners want!
Once you fill the fuel tank it is a done deal forever! It never has to be refilled and is able to run 24/7/365. I want it!

 

[CoyPatton]

Your point is well taken. On days we mow, we mow 10-12 hours. We could cut the day short and add days as necessary. Not totally desirable but likely livable.

EVs are evolving. They have advantages and disadvantages. They eliminate some pollution and cause other pollution (batteries and generation).

Like all engineered machines, there are pros and cons. One has to weigh those in the context of use.

For instance, I can't see me running an EV truck from my home to the farm. That's a 7 hour drive. EVs will require one re-fueling. On a high charging system, that adds 45+ minutes to my trip. I'm not willing to give up that 45 minutes for a re-fueling.

For around town, an EV is perfect. I doubt I put 20miles a week on a car these days.

We could change to an EV tractor. That could work for our need.

You missed my biggie on EV’s. It is the mining process to get the lithium. It is estimated by most places to require 500,000 gallons of water (yes you read that right 1/2 million gallons) to get 1 metric ton of lithium. My problem/biggie concern is 2-fold. The water is polluted after the mining process 1) it is unfit for human consumption, 2) it is unfit for irrigation purposes and is considered to polluted ground water, make local water sources unfit also. This tends to happen in less developed parts if the world where un-friendly earth practices are not well regulated in order to snow earth friendly parts of the world into believe it is green practices.
Research for your own self!

 

[5030]

Sounds as if you have a tractor that all if us current tractor owners want!
Once you fill the fuel tank it is a done deal forever! It never has to be refilled and is able to run 24/7/365. I want it!

Totally dependent on how much I run the engine actually.

 

[Handloader109]

A couple of REALITIES. Solar is really a feel good thing. If the Feds did not REQUIRE that the solar power you dump back Into the grid was paid back to you at the rate you pay for it, and without federal and state payments to you for the sysyems, i.e. subsidized panels, no solar system could come near paying for itself over it's TRUE lifetime.
Add to that the inability to power anything at night, in bad weather or cloudy weather, it is really only a small portion of power grid. And anyone research a duck curve. a real issue.
And it is a real issue with batteries.

 

[PuffyC]

A 16kw Tesla solar install with 2 Powerwalls will power a nice sized home in the southern US 24x7 and also provide 6 full days of battery backup (an added bonus). That system without incentives and without net metering will break even in about 25 years which is the typical lifespan. That's nice but the downside is you have to buy the system up front, making the proposition doable but not super enticing for the average homeowner. In 10 years the projected cost for solar will drop by half making this a no-brainer even without incentives and without net metering. Look at the historical prices per kwh for solar and you'll see it's dropping like a rock.

What's also nice is you don't have to convert over all at once. You want to add some panels to offset your regular electricity bill? Go for it, the payback will happen even sooner since you're not buying batteries. Even today some new homes are being built with some sort of solar by default, not necessarily because it's green, but because it saves people money.

 

[hube2]

A payback of 25 years would not have been cost effective for me because I'm probably not going to be here in 25 years. With the incentives, my 10kw system that produces all the energy I use in a year, will hit the break even in under 10 years. It just does not make financial sense for me to put in batteries because I will not live long enough to get any benefit and I can run a generator for the infrequent power outages.

 

[fried1765]

I'm onboard with all this electric stuff. Lots of people arnt.

Just like anything battery powered you need to monitor your use and know when to recharge or swap out.
Complaint about being out in the field and the battery dies... how about a diesel tractor out in the field running out of fuel?
Lots of us use tractors but how many use theirs for over 10 hours a day on the hour meter?
Just like cars everyone complains about only 200-300 miles on a charge but drive only 30-50 miles a day.
Lots of delivery trucks.... long haul trucks are switching over or adding to their feet. Tesla semi truck proposes 500 miles between charges. 0 to 60 in under 15 seconds.

just a opinion.

I bought a used Ez-Go golf cart (I am 80) for running around my place.
Changed the suspension (kit) and put taller tires on it,.... both for better ground clearance.
I can run it as much as I want during the day.......just plug it in at night.
5 years so far, on original Trojan 12V batteries (48V system).
Never needs engine repair, is very quiet, and starts EVERY time!
I love it!

 

[Jstpssng]

I bought a used Ez-Go golf cart (I am 80) for running around my place.
I can run it as much as I want during the day.......just plug it in at night.
5 years so far, on original Trojan 12V batteries (48V system).
Never needs engine repair, is very quiet, and starts EVERY time!
I love it!

That's what I will probably replace my ATV with when that dies. Hopefully that will be a long time from now, or it will be with a bicycle. One benefit to me of an EV is the ability to charge it without driving 20 miles. That's how far it is to the closest fuel station... and they close at 8:00. The new "Wolf" pickup prototype Go Back to the Future With Alpha's Retro Electric Wolf is purported to have a 250-275 mile range... enough to get me down to my mother's house where it can charge as I visit. (We already have a building with a separate meter.)

 

[eddieirvine]

blame it all on us!! The big companies that produce what we drive are to blame, what we cause is next to nothing compared to the giant companies that produce all the pollution, and other hazards !! Like all will post no power cannot run long days and hrs, And imagine what will be done with all the dead batteries it will produce. I say the ones causing the big problems we have FIX IT YOU MADE IT!! But look at our Government A House full of complete idiots that probably have someone bring them to work every day. The world now is a complete JOKE!!

 

[StickMonkey]

So, you have the 'electric tractor' out in the orchard or in a field and the battery is almost kaput, how do you 'exchange the battery in the field? Inquiring minds want to know? Maybe drive out with a petroleum fueled tractor with forks and do it?

Seems awfully counterproductive to me, not only in cost of ownership but in the cost of a second battery.

Cordless tools (I have quite a few) are much easier. The pack gets low, you grab a charged one off your bench and keep on. Don't work that way with an electric tractor.

I don't see them becoming 'mainstream' in my lifetime.

It’s interesting that the arguments against cordless tools mirror those now used against tractors, airplanes, cars, etc. I probably won’t see a practical SCUT in my remaining lifetime, but I do hope an electric engine becomes available for an LSA-sized aircraft In the next 5 years. It’s now just a cost issue.