While I'm still busy to get my first EV project going (an Kawa enduro conversion),
I'm already thinking about electric farm machinery.
Has anybody similar thoughts?
I'd like to share and discuss.
I work on 100 ha (organic agriculture) and spend ~ 10 000 l diesel fuel each year.
This adds up to 30 .... 50 kWh electricity, which is only a quarter to third the photovoltaics on my roofs were able to supply.
So the winners questions: how to get the Sun from the roof to the soil?
my preferred solution would be to leave the Agritechnica style of construction pradigma, which boils to
"if it is not double the HP, double the weight and quadruple the price than last year's, then that's not innovation"
So my first idea were a 1-shear plough - since ploughing is the largest single amount of diesel fuel consumption.
(maybe equal to grain harvesting, but that's a much more complex thing)
Currently I run a 140 HP (= 105 kW) tractor with a 5 shear plough, so 20 kW per shear is a reasonable starting point.
Quality ploughing is slow, and my tractor runs half throttle most time, mabe with the exception of steep hills and some wet potholes.
But high peak power margin is cheap in EV, it's battery capacity that costs.
So 20 kW peak and 10 kW cont average I think is a good planning figure.
My current equipment weights ~ 6 ton the tractor, 2 ton the plough, gives 1600 kg per shear.
Thrust is proportional to weight, given similiar tyre technology, so that's a cornerstone as well.
So battery technology is not restricted by weight, even lead acid might be a consideration.
I'm already thinking about electric farm machinery.
Has anybody similar thoughts?
I'd like to share and discuss.
I work on 100 ha (organic agriculture) and spend ~ 10 000 l diesel fuel each year.
This adds up to 30 .... 50 kWh electricity, which is only a quarter to third the photovoltaics on my roofs were able to supply.
So the winners questions: how to get the Sun from the roof to the soil?
my preferred solution would be to leave the Agritechnica style of construction pradigma, which boils to
"if it is not double the HP, double the weight and quadruple the price than last year's, then that's not innovation"
So my first idea were a 1-shear plough - since ploughing is the largest single amount of diesel fuel consumption.
(maybe equal to grain harvesting, but that's a much more complex thing)
Currently I run a 140 HP (= 105 kW) tractor with a 5 shear plough, so 20 kW per shear is a reasonable starting point.
Quality ploughing is slow, and my tractor runs half throttle most time, mabe with the exception of steep hills and some wet potholes.
But high peak power margin is cheap in EV, it's battery capacity that costs.
So 20 kW peak and 10 kW cont average I think is a good planning figure.
My current equipment weights ~ 6 ton the tractor, 2 ton the plough, gives 1600 kg per shear.
Thrust is proportional to weight, given similiar tyre technology, so that's a cornerstone as well.
So battery technology is not restricted by weight, even lead acid might be a consideration.