DESIGN
E-MOBILIWTYO: ME-ETNRAINCTOERCSH
Figure 3. Large drones have been developed that can be used to apply spray treatments of fertilisers and pesticides. (Image: Photo by baranozdemir via Getty Images)
with motors from 25 to 70 horsepower (HP), about 18.6 to 52kW, and small battery packs are already being tested. Tractor electrification is about more than the drive train. It’s also about replacing hydraulics for powering and controlling tractor implements (Figure 2). For larger tractors, hybrid retrofit kits are available. For example, one company offers a kit with a 250kW generator that can be attached to the tractor’s existing internal combustion engine in place of the hydraulic pump. The kit also includes four electric motors to replace the hydraulic drive system and an electric transmission to power existing implements. By replacing the hydraulic systems, the retrofit kit reduces fuel and maintenance costs and increases the availability and reliability of the hybrid e-tractor. Like the rollout of autonomous automobiles and trucks, the deployment of autonomous tractors faces an indeterminant future. For example, current regulations in California
require that “all self-propelled equipment shall, when under its own power and in motion, have an operator stationed at the vehicular controls”. Full autonomy will have to wait. Flying over the fields Drones are currently used for a wide range of tasks in agriculture. Examples include: • Imaging plant health. Drones have largely replaced satellite imagery to monitor crop health. Equipped with Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imaging equipment, drones provide detailed color images that can be used to monitor plant health. • Monitoring field conditions. Drones also monitor the soil and drainage conditions over entire fields. That can enable more efficient and sustainable watering programs. • Planting. Automated drone seed planters are common in forestry industries, and their use is being expanded to general
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