New Holland to show first fuel cell powered tractor in February
Agricultural equipment maker New Holland will be unveiling what it claims is the first fuel cell-powered tractor at a French trade show in February. The tractor is based on the existing T6000 unit with a hydrogen fuel cell electric drive system replacing the conventional diesel powertrain. New Holland apparently collaborated with Fiat and Iveco to develop the new drive train. Few details are available at this time, but the tractor apparently has three lithium ion batteries in addition to the fuel cell. As with other fuel cell vehicles, the batteries store energy from regenerative braking and provide bursts of power when needed. This allows the fuel cell stack to operate in its most efficient steady state mode. The prototype that will be unveiled will have a 120 hp electric drive motor. [Sources: FarmersGaurdian.com, FarmingForum.co.uk]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
PeekOyle 8:59PM (12/27/2008)
This is an extremely good idea, if you ask me.
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Chris M 2:15AM (12/27/2008)
Not the first. Allis Chalmers made one back in the 70's as an engineering exercise, it was among the first fuel cell powered vehicles built. Of course, New Holland will sell just as many as Allis Chalmers did: Zero.
Not many farmers willing to spend several million on a tractor...
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tankd0g 2:25AM (12/27/2008)
They'll buy one of these before they'll buy one with 5000 lbs. of laptop batteries in it and a 36h recharge time.
Chris M 3:50AM (12/27/2008)
It always cracks me up when some fool city slicker tries to tell the farmers how to run their business.
No, they won't be using "5,000 lbs of laptop batteries", that would be excessive. Much more likely to use homegrown biofuels, or perhaps something like a center pivot carrying electrical power lines for their electric tractor, or maybe even a modern update of the old steam tractor. .
tankd0g 1:11AM (12/28/2008)
Actually that they'll use is exactly what they have been using, diesel powered tractors. But it the vastly far off future, probably more than 100 years from now, if it comes down to hydrogen or batteries, it's not going to be batteries.
gorr 11:43AM (12/27/2008)
Don't believe anti-fuelcell and anti hydrogen folks. It cost less then the conventionnal diesel tractor because fuelcell are less complicated and have fewer parts. These folks are petrol tax guys and they just protect their actual market and are afraid of direct concurrence and only hydrogen can compete gasoline and diesel, that's simple as that. Hydrogen apply to any mechanical devises like tractor, trucks, machinery, ships. Battery promises are there to fool you for a while and can only replace 2% of total petrol use if you add airplanes, electrical generation, trucks, cars, trains, ships, helicopters, lawnmower, heating, buses, etc. These big and heavy devises will never be powered by batteries but can be powered by hydrogen for no pollution at all.
As for this new holland tractor , i will be interrested to buy or rent it if they sell it with a small water electrolyser like the one that itm do, so i will be able to fuel at home. I would preferred to buy a normal car but hydrogen products are scarce and im tired of waiting for something great, so it can be a good compromise.
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Chris M 3:36AM (12/28/2008)
Um, Gorr, did you realize that batteries have even fewer parts than fuel cells do? Also, diesel engines and batteries don't require expensive platinum catalyst the way PEM fuel cells do, and it is that platinum that drives fuel cell costs waaay up.
gorr 2:01PM (12/28/2008)
Don't interferr with my negociations by enforcing platinum use and other tax-related unnecessary things. i know that tax money peoples have made criminal billions and are making treats to anyone not directly related to them. Im shopping democrativelly here to buy a hydrogen car(or tractor) and it's a buy, not a taxing job like many do here in this site.
The problems is billions for many peoples. My problem is that im looking to replace my neon 2005 with a better product and i don't have to argue, just order what i want to buy. It's not needed to speak communism and try to add that on all the market for all peoples for all the time with negative toughts. Im free to shop here so stop putting the price of hydrogen related devises to stratospherics taxed prices.
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Chris M 5:39PM (12/28/2008)
Gorr, if you think you can make a practical working fuel cell without platinum, you are free to try. If you succeed where all the auto companies have failed, you could make a lot of money, maybe even get a hefty government grant if you wanted it. It is the nature of chemical reactions that requires platinum in H2 fuel cells, not any manmade law.
I'm not in a position to "enforce" anything, nor would I want to interfere with your "negociations". Feel free to contact New Holland, their website is:
http://www.newholland.com/
If they are polite, they will patiently tell you that this hydrogen fuel cell tractor is a prototype and is not for sale. If they aren't so polite, they may ask if you've got a spare million for the downpayment. I don't think they'll take a used Dodge Neon as a trade-in.
I must tell you that New Holland makes only farm and construction equipment, they don't make cars. Unless you are running a farm, you won't find a tractor to be very useful, they aren't freeway capable.
You are free to look, but you'll find there aren't any full sized fully functional H2 powered cars affordable to someone on a "Dodge Neon" budget.
In case you haven't noticed, Autoblog Green is not a shopping mall, it has no provisions for making car purchases. There are plenty of websites dedicated to auto sales you can visit, like EBay Motors, Cars.com, Autos.MSN.com, Autotrader.com, PriceQuotes.com, Carmax.com, CarsDirect.com, EasyAutoSales.com, AutoMart.com, AutoByTel.com, Vehix.com, etc.
gorr 11:36AM (12/30/2008)
Im shopping here since 2-3 years and it will not end anytime soon. Platinum is a mandate of e.p.a that enforce it's use by making laws for it's forced use by all auto manufacturers, if they don't comply then a secret agent will show and all sort of problems will appear to that particular manufacturers. It's as gross as that. Since the fuelcell thing appeared then the natural ressources-income tax-petrol-military weapons-journalists business- stock exchanges-banks have put tons of behing the curtain treats to auto manufacturers to adopt platinum and if not theirs cars will be prohibited to be on sale.
This is what have been negociated on 11 sept 2001 when slayer group, that sing jesus name since 1985, have released their album ' god hates u.s all'.
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