At the CNH Industrial Tech Day event held in Phoenix, AZ, last week, New Holland Agriculture unveiled two new prototype tractors–the T7 Methane Power LNG (liquefied natural gas) and the T4 Electric Power. They represent important advances in the brand’s commitment to sustainable agriculture, and in particular alternative fuel and electrification technologies. New Holland’s Road to Carbon Neutral Farming project aims to provide customers with machines running on non-diesel fuels while working on a wide-ranging approach to reducing the farming carbon footprint.

 

First all-electric utility tractor

The T4 Electric Power is said to be the industry’s first all-electric utility tractor prototype with autonomous features. Meant for lower-power operations, the tractor marks an important milestone on New Holland’s path to electrification.

“The T4 Electric Power is the result of our extensive research and investment focused on electric solutions in agriculture, supported by CNH Industrial,” said Carlo Lambro, Brand President of New Holland Agriculture. “With this new multipurpose tractor, we add an important piece of the puzzle to our full liner strategy, providing our customers with the ideal electric tractor for lower horsepower operations—a highly cost-effective, carbon-neutral solution perfectly suited for mixed farms, livestock, municipality, orchard and specialty applications.”

We believe that this technology is ideal for lower horsepower machines such as this new T4 Electric Power,” added Oscar Baroncelli, Head of Tractor and Telehandler Product Management New Holland Agriculture, of the first fully electric tractor in the utility segment. “These alternative sources of energy are already here and very soon they will be available for the world’s farmers to buy, for a more sustainable future.”

The electric tractor was developed by CNH Industrial’s team of experts in Burr Ridge, IL; Detroit, MI; and Modena, Italy, in collaboration with California-based startup Monarch Tractor.

The new technical center in Detroit announced at the event is expected to enhance CNH Industrial’s technology capabilities with proximity to a nationwide hub for electrification OEMs and suppliers.

“This new location underlines our commitment to growing our electric vehicle and subsystem profile, and marks yet another milestone after successfully expanding our in-house team,” said Marc Kermisch, Chief Digital and Information Officer and ad interim Chief Technology & Quality Officer, CNH Industrial. “Under one roof our team can now leverage cross-functional and cross-sector expertise at both component and machine level. The result sees us becoming more customer-focused and building mission-fit electrified drivetrains and high-voltage systems.”

The Detroit Tech Center is meant to position CNH Industrial in the market for outside thought leaders and game changers to accelerate innovation and deliver new use cases and applications in agriculture and construction.

“As an employer, we are investing in talented and motivated people who augment our in-house electrification capabilities,” said Kevin Barr, Chief Human Resource Officer, CNH Industrial. “This new hub means we can tap into a unique talent pool who will change the face of agriculture in the years to come.”

The electric tractor project prioritized the runtime of the battery and performance while maintaining a sustainable approach that would reduce the machine’s emissions, noise levels, and overall environmental impact. Its battery offers a runtime of up to one full day of use, and it can be recharged in just 1 h with fast charging systems. The machine can be used as a backup power source for other devices and machines, or to provide energy for implements.

It meets stringent noise regulations of municipalities, allows for night-time operation, and improves livestock’s well-being, especially when working inside covered areas such as a barn. In fact, the vibration and noise levels are reduced, the latter by up to 90%.

Compared to a diesel machine, the T4 Electric Power delivers better performance with greater control and responsiveness. In testing, it showed a reduction in operating costs by up to 90%, as well as an elimination of diesel fuel costs and associated maintenance fees. It also combined better traction control with smoother shuttling and gear shifts, making it more pleasing to drive.

The electric tractor also marks an advance towards autonomous driving with automated features guided by sensors that allow operators to synchronize multiple machines, detect and avoid obstacles, and check the status of processes. Shadow Follow Me mode enables the operator to synchronize machines to work together. A 360-degree perception system detects and avoids obstacles. Telematics and auto guidance keep all functions in check for operators. Fleet Management allows the farm manager to assign tasks to each machine. Implement recognition ensures the tractor links up with the required attachment. Offboard digital services enable farmers to operate the tractor from anywhere, at any time and monitor its performance and battery level remotely.

 

Help from Monarch

The debut of the T4 Electric Power marks the first product reveal to come out of the multi-year licensing agreement announced between Monarch Tractor and CNH Industrial in November 2021. Alongside the T4 Electric Power, Monarch debuted its MK-V tractor, which launched earlier this month with the first delivery to Constellation Brands.

The license agreement between Monarch Tractor and CNH Industrial focused on the launch of a scalable, modular electrification platform focusing on low-horsepower tractors to be co-developed across multiple product families. The New Holland battery electric utility tractor produces 120 hp (89 kW) and 440 N·m (325 lb·ft).

“It’s an exciting year for Monarch Tractor as we rapidly expand the offerings available to farmers in various industries,” said Praveen Penmetsa, CEO of Monarch Tractor. “The work we’ve been doing with CNH Industrial has been remarkable and we’re proud of the role we have played in the development of the T4 Electric Power utility tractor.”

Launched to the public in 2020, Monarch Tractor transformed the agriculture industry with next-generation EV technology and automation capabilities to meet farmers’ most pressing needs. Four months later, Monarch deployed its pilot series at Wente Vineyards, marking the first time a fully electric, driver-optional, and connected tractor had ever been deployed to a commercial farm.

The recently launched MK-V is a fully electric, driver-optional, smart tractor designed to combine electrification, automation, and data analysis to help farmers reduce their carbon footprint, improve field safety, streamline farming operations, and increase their bottom lines. Manufacturing operations are expected to begin at Foxconn’s Mahoning Valley, OH, facility in 2023, while tractor Monarch smart roof production and research and development will continue in California.

 

‘World first’ LNG tractor

The T7 Methane Power LNG prototype is said to be the world’s first LNG tractor. It more than doubles the autonomy of the brand’s current methane-based products while increasing overall farm sustainability because using liquefied methane delivers four times more fuel storage capacity than for CNG (compressed natural gas). With a 270-hp (201-kW) model, the T7 Methane Power LNG delivers the same power and torque as the equivalent diesel tractor.

“We believe the best solution currently available on the market to lower emissions and costs is natural gas—especially biomethane,” said Lambro. “We also know that autonomy is very important for our customers. We have already improved it in our existing T6 Methane Power tractor, and we have further extended it with the new T7 Methane Power LNG. This premiere complements New Holland’s existing T6 Methane Power and CNH Industrial’s wider alternative power portfolio.”

The LNG prototype can be powered by liquefied biomethane sourced from more sustainable livestock manure and slurry. The solution integrates with the approach proposed by Bennamann, the UK-based startup partnering with New Holland that focuses on innovation around the collection, processing, and storage of fugitive methane with the aim of unlocking circular economy benefits for customers and delivering local, clean energy. Bennamann’s approach can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of an average dairy farm as well as reduce the use of CO2-intensive chemical fertilizers by displacing the use of fossil fuel in tractors and reducing the need for slurry spreading.

The LNG tractor gets the best features from New Holland’s PLM Intelligence suite of solutions, which integrates digital technologies to deliver smart and connected agriculture, enabling customers to maximize productivity while optimizing yield and input costs. It enables farmers to easily command cutting-edge guidance programs, analyze field data, and remain wirelessly connected with both the field and key locations across the farm thanks to the MyPLM Connect Platform and advanced support initiatives.