Landini has won the 2020 Eima International Technical Innovation Award, the Italian tractor manufacturer has announced.

The Argo Tractors group – owner of the Landini and McCormick brands – took the award for its Electra – Evolving Hybrid system, also intended for the Landini REX4.

This, the group says, will take centre stage both at Eima Digital, the preview scheduled on a web platform from November 11 to 15, and at the physical edition of Eima 2021, scheduled from February 3 to 7, at the Bologna Fiere fair district.

According to Argo, Landini REX4 Electra – Evolving Hybrid features an electric front wheel drive with independent wheels, brake energy recovery, a cabin with electronically controlled semi-active suspension and a semi-automatic transmission that lets you select speed using a joystick.

In the project Argo Tractors developed both the mechanical part and the electrical components.

REX4 Electra is equipped with a 110hp diesel engine, reverse power shuttle transmission and three powershift speeds (H-M-L).

🥇CONCORSO NOVITA’ TECNICHE 🥈
👉🏻https://www.eima.it/it/concorso-novita-tecniche-eima.php

🏆 LANDINI REX4 ELECTRA EVOLVING…

Posted by Eima International on Tuesday, October 27, 2020

New features include a fully electric front wheel drive with suspended axle, sporting two independent electric motors and associated sensors, electronic controls, generator and battery dedicated to energy recovery under braking and deceleration.

The entire system is controlled by the PMS (Power Management System), which supervises the operation of all devices, including the battery and controls motor and generator via their respective inverters.

This, Argo says, made it possible to create a hybrid tractor in which the diesel engine powers the front electric motors through generator and battery, and continuously “talks” with the conventional mechanical rear final drives.

The result is basically a parallel hybrid with a system that is independent of the mechanical ratio between the rear and front wheels of the tractor.

This “combination of technological improvements guarantees 10% fuel savings, a 15% tighter steering angle and greater stability in transport mode, fully integrating with the current electric steering system”, the group says.

A new electronically controlled cab suspension is also included. Suspended on four points, the cab is equipped with two passive front suspension systems, while two anti-damping hydraulic shock absorbers governed by an electric signal reduce vibration at the rear.

A control unit detects tractor movement and rough ground and regulates damping. Argo describes the system as hybrid, combining a “soft” behaviour to take up vibration and a “stiffer” setup to prevent the cab from hitting the travel stops. This results in a 15% less vibration transmitted to the driver, the group says.

A semi-automatic transmission uses actuators to operate the transmission rods, while a multifunction joystick in the cab replaces the traditional speed lever. The electronic control unit (ECU) receives a change-speed input from the joystick and the data about tractor status from the sensors.

“When the conditions required for changing speed are met, the ECU signals the actuators to move the transmission control to the desired position,” Argo says. This ultimately leads to less mechanical levers in the cab and less noise and pollutants, the Landini owner group says.