New Holland is keen to be seen developing alternative energy strategies for its tractors and the company has taken another step forward with the announcement of two new prototypes.
The first is a T.7 model running on liquified natural gas (LNG), while the second is a new T.4 all-electric utility tractor with autonomous features.
LNG on trucks
Tractors with engines running on natural gas, or methane, are not new. New Holland has been demonstrating one already, and its sister company, Iveco, boasts of having trucks capable of running on either LNG or CNG (compressed natural gas) .
The current NH T.6 tractor that was seen at this years Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) show runs on compressed methane, stored in cylinders attached at various points around the cab.
The new T.7 prototype uses liquified methane, which is the same substance but stored in a different form, and it has two main advantages over its counterpart.
The first is that it does not require cumbersome cylinders and a multitude of pipes joining them all up, while the second is that New Holland claims it has four times the energy density of its compressed counterpart.
Catching up with diesel
Energy density is the key to alternative fuels, for it is this factor which dictates the running time of an engine between fuel stops, yet even LNG at 22.2MJ/L(megajoules) does not match that of diesel which has a value of 38.6MJ/L.
Defining a useful measure for the energy density of compressed gas, in this case CNG, is somewhat trickier, because as the gas is used up, the pressure drops and, therefore, so does the energy density.
The compressed gas tractor was limited to a few hours while this T.7 is said to run for twice as long, even when producing its rated 270hp.
The fuel is contained in a vacuum-insulated tank that sits where the diesel tank normally would, and it has its own heater to boil off the gas at a constant pressure.
All about the tech
The T.4 utility tractor is the first fruit of New Holland’s cooperation with Monarch Tractors of California. It is said to be able to run for a full day on a full charge and may be recharged within an hour.
Yet it is not so much the range of the machine that New Holland wishes to underline, but the digital technology it has on board.
The company tells us that the T4 Electric Power marks an advance towards autonomous driving with automated features guided by sensors and cameras on the tractor.
These allow operators to synchronise multiple machines, detect and avoid obstacles, and check the status of processes through the Shadow Follow Me mode.
This enables the operator to synchronise machines to work together, a 360° perception system detects and avoids obstacles while telematics and auto guidance keep all functions in check for operators.
Fleet Management allows the farm manager to assign tasks to each machine while offboard digital services enable farmers to operate the tractor from anywhere, at any time, and monitor its performance and battery level remotely.