Tractor News Viable Electric Tractor?

   / Viable Electric Tractor? #1  

Annihilator26

Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2016
Messages
30
Location
Ann Arbor, MI
Tractor
LS/XJ2025H
Solectrac Electric Tractors | eUtility
I am always surprised that there aren't any good electric compact tractors on the market. Hopefully Solectrac will finally change that. I know this won't work for everyone, but it seems perfect for my use case and I am sure many people are in a similar position:
  1. I only use the tractor a few hours at a time, so charging between use isn't an issue.
  2. Its a pain dealing with deisel.
  3. I live on a few acres, and I would like to think of myself as environmentally concious. I would pay a small premium for an electric tractor.
  4. My wife hates the noise of our tractor, and if I had something quieter I would probably get a lot more use out of it.

There is no information about price yet, and short term I expect this to be more expensive, but long term the auto industry is showing that electric drivetrains shouldn't cost any more than diesel. If this was available with a FEL when I got my tractor I probably would have gotten a Solectrac.
 
   / Viable Electric Tractor? #2  
3 hours projected run time... phooey. Step up to a JD if you can afford one...lol

Being a resident on AA, I can understand your preferences.....:D
 
   / Viable Electric Tractor? #3  
i would also love an electric tractor. 1 acre, but it was a real mess and having my tractor has been a huge time saver. i am usually pulling stumps or transporting mulch or moving a log. so its on and off the tractor. i probably only actually am using it for less than half the time its running, save for a large snow storm where i do a few driveways and im working it for a couple hours at a time.


holy **** 45000 dollars? it looks like a Chinese tractor that is modified.

i think the whole thing needs to be redesigned. electric hydraulic pump, you don't really need so many gears. how about 2 speeds and a front and rear motor and gear box. linear actuators and an electric powered spinning implements. like mowers. keep the hydraulics to powering some rams for the loader, electric would be better, but very slow. and hydraulics have some shock absorption to them.

how great would it be to just have to do a 7 pin trailer plug up to power your implement!
 
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   / Viable Electric Tractor? #4  
I worry when I see proof their marketing department doesn't understand the product.

Battery Charging Time: 4 hours with 220 V and 8 hours with 110 V​

Half the voltage and half the current only doubles charge time? Two times two is four. Should be at least 4 times longer on 110V. More than 4 times because the same overhead powering the BCM (Battery Control Module) is required at either rate. Essentially the tractor has to be powered up to charge and that consumes the same no matter the charge rate.

Another suspicion is how it has a 22 kWh battery and 4 hours * 220 volts * 24 amps = 21.120 kWh. If one states the battery has 22 kWh then one expects there to be 22 kWh of useable battery, no matter how much is really there with reserve to keep user out of damaging deep discharge or excessive charge. Furthermore the math implies 100% efficiency when charging. An honest number is 80% to 85%.
 
   / Viable Electric Tractor? #5  
These things are for idealists not realists. $45K 15 hp tractor + $5K for the 3 pt + $??K for a loader and best case 4 hours run time. Thank you but no.
 
   / Viable Electric Tractor? #6  
it could charge at say, 12 amps on either 110 or 220. giving you twice the watts at 220. they don't actually say what the charging current is, and the capacity of the outlet really does not matter. still shows a lack of understanding of the product.

anyway. this company looks to me, to be importing a tractor and shoving some batteries and stuff in them for a huge price. to be a successful here, i think you need to design the whole thing around the electric motor and efficiency.
 
   / Viable Electric Tractor? #7  
Eco-friendly my patoot. They just burn the fuel in a different location and transport it inefficiently to the battery charger.
 
   / Viable Electric Tractor? #8  
A battery tractor so I can spend big money on a battery every 10 years and only run half a day at a time. No thanks.
 
   / Viable Electric Tractor? #9  
Why would they go with a totally outdated (layout) design? Evolved from the traction engine of a very long time ago.
 
   / Viable Electric Tractor? #10  
it could charge at say, 12 amps on either 110 or 220. giving you twice the watts at 220. they don't actually say what the charging current is, and the capacity of the outlet really does not matter. still shows a lack of understanding of the product.

They say 220V on 30A circuit and 110V on 15A near the top of the page. But don’t mention one can only draw 24A or 12A (respectively) at 100% duty cycle.
 
 
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