Major barriers to the mass production of electric tractors

Aurora · Post by **Aurora** » 25 Nov 2009, 05:38

The Guardian - 25/11/09

Diesel-powered farm machinery will be with us for some time to come.

Article continues ...

fifthcolumn · Post by **fifthcolumn** » 25 Nov 2009, 06:25

The development of batteries and control systems has been directed at the needs of passenger cars, which do not have to pull heavy loads at low speeds for long periods.

Jeez. This guy should get outside his cave.
I wonder how heavy he thinks containers are at ports?
The port of los angeles ALREADY HAS a drayage truck which pulls not heavy loads but VERY HEAVY loads for long periods.
Does 60,000 lbs for 50 miles ring a bell?

The heavy-duty electric short-haul drayage truck -- the first of its kind at any port worldwide -- can pull a 60,000-pound cargo container at a top speed of 40 mph with a range of 50 miles

Sorry no cigar.
His anecdotal experience of driving diesel tractors notwithstanding, there's NO reason a tractor couldn't be developed with the same battery on the heavy duty drayage truck with a greater range (since it clearly won't be pulling 60,000 pounds.

But I'm not surprised. The guardian has become a doomer paper.

Bloody doomers.

PS_RalphW · Post by **PS_RalphW** » 25 Nov 2009, 10:00

For once I agree with your fifth.

Electric tractors have been around for decades. They work.

However, I also think tractors are one of the few uses for biodiesel that are rational. They require no more land to feed them than the equivalent team of horses.

fifthcolumn · Post by **fifthcolumn** » 25 Nov 2009, 16:48

RalphW wrote:For once I agree with your fifth.

Electric tractors have been around for decades. They work.

However, I also think tractors are one of the few uses for biodiesel that are rational. They require no more land to feed them than the equivalent team of horses.

Not disagreeing with you mate, just that from an economics perspective at some price point it may be more profitable to sell the biodiesel and run the far more efficient electric tractor off of e.g. a wind turbine that doesn't take up any land.

In any case as you say, even taking the case where they don't go to electric tractors, you could run the tractor off of the land which would otherwise have used horses.

Thus: yet another nail in the coffin of "back to the land".

PS_RalphW · Post by **PS_RalphW** » 25 Nov 2009, 22:45

But it all depends... you can't breed tractors.....

Vortex · Post by **Vortex** » 25 Nov 2009, 22:55

We could of course take up the Pol Pot option ...

fifthcolumn · Post by **fifthcolumn** » 25 Nov 2009, 23:12

RalphW wrote:But it all depends... you can't breed tractors.....

True. But tractors don't shit in the street either.

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 26 Nov 2009, 00:46

fifthcolumn wrote:
RalphW wrote:But it all depends... you can't breed tractors.....

True. But tractors don't shit in the street either.

They shit into the air instead. At least you can make use of what comes out of a horse.

Oxen would probably be better. They breed, the shit can be used to grow food, and when they can't work any more you can eat them!

revdode · Post by **revdode** » 26 Nov 2009, 04:38

JohnB wrote:Oxen would probably be better. They breed, the shit can be used to grow food, and when they can't work any more you can eat them!

I think this is also true or horses?

contadino · Post by **contadino** » 02 Dec 2009, 06:15

...or just run the tractor on methane and forget the need for electricity