H To Go: The Future for Hydrogen Power in Agricultural Equipment
April 12, 2023 Watch any event on television these days and chances are you will be bombarded with commercials touting alternative fuels. Although the move to electric cars has become more commonplace in recent years, other alternatives such as renewable diesel are now getting the spotlight shined their way as well.
In the agricultural world, the push for alternative fuel sources is also underway. For many years now, equipment manufacturers have been experimenting with engines that run on renewable fuels and electricity. One company, New Holland, introduced a new tractor at the 2022 Commodity Classic show, the T6.180, powered by compressed biomethane or compressed natural gas (CNG).
However, if there is one alternative fuel poised to make significant inroads into agricultural equipment, it’s hydrogen. In fact, according to research firm Interact Analysis, 220,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles will be sold to off-road sectors of the marketplace by 2035.
And the industry is already seeing some developments for 2023 on this front. Earlier this year in February, Heven Drones, an Israel-based drones manufacturer, introduced a hydrogen-powered model. According to Founder and CEO Bentzion Levinson, this drone can fly over two hours before needing to refuel. “This is in addition to reducing carbon emissions in the form of unnecessary sprays of chemical stimulants and crop protection solutions,” says Levinson.
Loading ...In the larger equipment space, one major agricultural manufacturer is also experimenting with hydrogen. Last year, AGCO/Fendt discussed its efforts on the alternative power sources front. “For machines with a high-power demand, electric mobility is not an alternative to conventional energies,” said Water Wagner, Managing Director for Research & Development for the company at a 2022 virtual event. “Here, we are researching other alternatives.”
To this end, said Wagner, AGCO/Fendt is developing hydrogen-powered prototype tractors with fuel cells as part of its H2Agrar project. “We are building our first prototype for spring 2023,” he said. “Therefore, it will take time until a hydrogen-powered machine is ready for the market.”
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