The vehicle uses 16.2-kilowatt lithium-ion battery
The College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (COAE&T) of the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU), Hisar has developed an e-tractor. It is the first agricultural university of India to conduct research on electric tractors. The tractor is powered by a 16.2-kilowatt lithium-ion battery and its running cost is very less as compared to a diesel tractor.
This research has been accomplished by an M Tech student Vyankatesh Shinde under the guidance of Mukesh Jain, scientist, department of farm machinery and power engineering, COAE&T and director, northern region farm machinery training and testing institute, Hisar. The tractor prototype has been named ‘Vikas Greentrack’.
The e-tractor has been developed with the help from an agricultural implements manufacturer in Barnala district of Punjab. HAU scientists said the company aims to start production of the prototype and market the vehicle in the next six months.
HAU vice chancellor Professor B R Kamboj said the e-tractor can run at a top speed of 23.17 km per hour and travels up to 80 km with a trailer weighing 1.5 tonnes. The use of this e-tractor will help the farmers to increase their income, the VC said.
The hourly cost of operating a battery-operated tractor with rotavator and mouldboard (MB) plough is Rs 332 and Rs 301 respectively instead of Rs 447 and Rs 353 with a diesel tractor. Developers said thus the cost of operating an electric tractor is 15 to 25% (Rs per hour) cheaper than that of a diesel tractor.
Being a prototype model, the battery-operated tractor costs around Rs 6.5 lakh while a diesel tractor with the same HP costs about Rs 4.50 lakh. The developers said if the battery-operated tractor is manufactured on a large scale, then its price will be at par with a diesel tractor.
Talking about vibration and noise in this tractor, 52% vibration and 21% noise is found below the maximum permissible limit of BIS code. The lithium-ion battery has a lifespan of 20 years, Shinde said.
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