45 hp electric tractor

arabian knight · #21 12/02/06, 10:27 AM

Even fork lift batteries yes they have power but would require way more power drain on them if a as in a tractor working out in the field.
Even working in cold conditions like at a food storage warehouse those batterers only last a few hours IF THAT. A lot of charging is needed to keep them at their peak power range.

Paul Wheaton · #22 12/04/06, 03:36 PM

It seems like a 45 hp tractor could load up enough batteries to go all day. It sounds like the tractor on that one link self loads one or two big piles of batteries.

How about one battery pack on days when you are doing just a few things around the farm, and then load four battery packs if you are going to be remote all day.

On another note: Why do lead acid batteries do poorly in the cold? Anybody know how much less the battery will do at 30 degrees F (the temp that one uses a tractor to plow the drive)???

seedspreader · #23 12/04/06, 03:57 PM

http://www.mpoweruk.com/performance.htm

An excellent page on battery performance. Interstingly, it seems that temperature does affect all batteries, not the same of course.

Storage effects of temperature and performance effects of temerature are two very different things.

Paul Wheaton · #24 12/04/06, 04:04 PM

Cool link!

A lot of that stuff was pretty over my head. But I think I get it.

The battery holds a charge better at cold temps. But when you want to use the battery, the battery kinda wants to .... well ... hold the charge rather than have you use it. So you get less out of it.

Sound about right?

Paul Wheaton · #25 12/04/06, 07:00 PM

Check out

. An electric car beating the pants off a new porshe!

tallpaul · #26 12/04/06, 07:17 PM

most battery powered equipment ia not and will not be silent! Its amazing the amount of noise transmissions and gears make....

MELOC · #27 12/04/06, 10:05 PM

paul...that was cool, lol.

rambler · #28 12/05/06, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mightybooboo

Back that up please.

BooBoo

Sure:

Batteries suck at storing large doses of power.

A 20 gallon gas tank, or a 15 gallon diesel tank, will store power for 6 months, 3 years, with little loss. And a lot more power than any 5,000 lb battery pack. And a lot cheaper as well.

Battries need maitenence, acids eat things up, cold will harm some types, reduce power output to below 30%, with age they decrease in ability, and so on.

So, to recap:

Current battery designs suck at storing mass quantities of power.

I can plow 30 acres of ground on one fill of diesel. I can run at minus 15F in winter when feeding the cattle. I can run in 103F in summer.

Batteries will give problems trying to duplicate that. They just can't.

The topper is, a good diesel engine will be cheaper than the battery bank. That pretty much is the end of the discussion.

The electric part of the tractor is great - electric motor can power it, and probably cheaper & better than a diesel engine & tranny.

Where it all falls apart is in the batteries. They are sadly lacking - have not kept up with other technology. Even the ion units, ignoring the extreme cost, have problems.

A hybred works ok in a car, where you have big power demands to accelerate, then 80% of the time you have low power demands. You can hook up a too-small gas/diesel engine with a too-small battery pack, make both of them run a big-enough electric motor, and it all works out - both battery & engine power during acceleration, when power not needed engine can recharge batteries, when almost no power needed shut off engine & run on batteries.

But that doesn't work for a tractor, where power is needed pretty steady, all day long, pretty much full throttle. Hybred don't work, battery pack don't work.

Love the concept tho, & the work on it. Nice little hobby machine. Won't ever replace a _tractor_ tho, not until they figure out a whole new battery technology, like a 10x or more bump up.

--->Paul

ninny · #29 12/05/06, 08:39 AM

There's a small electric car called a "Tango" that has a top end speed of around 150 mph, and has a 0-60 speed quicker than a Corvette. I saw then demonstrated on TV. They're almost impossible to turn over as the batteries are in the bottom of the car..

You can actually put your order in for one. Do a Google search on Tango elect. car and go to their web site. It's pretty interesting. You had better be sitting down when you see the price though. They're proud of them little jewels...

Paul Wheaton · #30 12/05/06, 09:55 AM

If your tractor needs are for 8 to 24 hours a day of constant use - up and down fields with some tilth/harvest equipment, I agree, electric is not a fit. But if your use is intermittant: load/unload for half an hour; drag those logs up to the barn for an hour; plow the drive for an hour; move that shelter on skids for 10 minutes; two hours of bush hogging; take the trailer with the water tank up to water the new trees in august (two hours); ..... for *all* of the tasks like that, I think this electric approach may be better. It probably is better. Way better.

There are some very obvious perks, and there are some debatable perks ...

debatable:

cheaper (how often do the batteries need to be replaced?)
better for the environment (again: how often do the batteries need to be replaced? it becomes a battle of all the different toxic gick used on biodiesel vs. the lead acid batteries)

slam dunk:

quiet (until you have used an EV on the farm, you really cannot appreciate how great this one can be)
less stinky
the thing about moving the seat every which way seems like a great perk.
easier to fix/maintain

SolarGary · #31 12/05/06, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Wheaton

...
[*]better for the environment (again: how often do the batteries need to be replaced? it becomes a battle of all the different toxic gick used on biodiesel vs. the lead acid batteries)

Hi,
Lead acid batteries are almost completely recycyled -- well over 90% of the material in the battery is reused. Kind of amazing.

Gary

Paul Wheaton · #32 12/05/06, 10:46 AM

Here is a cool link about costs for an electric vehicle which includes the costs of batteries!

Paul Wheaton · #33 12/05/06, 02:28 PM

Oooops forgot the link: http://www.commutercars.com/download.../CPMOptima.pdf

Working the battery stuff in really helps paint the picture.

MELOC · #34 12/05/06, 02:46 PM

my browser doesn't like that link...

Paul Wheaton · #35 12/05/06, 06:55 PM

Seems to work okay for me. Does your computer work okay with pdf files?

arabian knight · #36 12/05/06, 07:15 PM

That si a HUGE pdf file and even on DSL I am not waiting for it to download.

**Ross** · #37 12/05/06, 10:10 PM

Reminds me of an Allis G for veggie growers. Not really suited for most conventional farms but if it could jocky wagons and spin augers/elevators etc. I could put a solar charged tractor like that to work here. Wrong design for conventional tillage and likely not up to the pounding/ hours required anyhow but not a bad little unit either.

Paul Wheaton · #38 02/11/13, 08:32 AM

Update.

i went to the house of the guy with the electric tractor and took this video. Totally solar powered.

solidwoods · #39 02/11/13, 09:25 AM

lithium-ion batteries ? Isn't that the type of batteries used in the Dreamliner aircraft?

And nothing fossil fuel powered out torques electric.A biggy I would think for a tractor.

Really?

The topper is, a good diesel engine will be cheaper than the battery bank. That pretty much is the end of the discussion.

Exactly right and the diesel engine will outlive many batteries.
Just wait till people have to get new batteries.
jim

rambler · #40 02/11/13, 11:25 AM

That is your best video yet, Paul, really liked it. The fella explained it well too, and obviously knows what he's talking about.

For a homesteader type needs, that is an expensive, but possible solution to a little utility vehicle. I'm not sold on it being a 'better' option, but it can be a neat one if that is the direction one wants to go. Then it doesn't have to be the 'best' solution, just the one wanted.

Liked it, Paul, good job. Thanks.

Paul