North American farmers will get their first look at New Holland’s new all-electric utility tractor with autonomous features when they visit the Farm Progress show this week held at Decatur, Illinois.
New Holland is billing its T4 Electric Power tractor as a “game-changing innovation” that creates a new tractor class — utility electric. The company claims it will deliver better performance than diesel and pave the way for a new chapter in sustainable zero emission farming.
New Holland says the tractor is an ideal solution for lower horsepower field operations, and is a good fit for multiple applications, including mixed farms, hay and forage, dairy, livestock, greenhouse and specialty crops (vegetable and orchard) operations.
Equipped with a lithium-ion battery pack, the T4 Electric Power delivers gradual power and continuous torque. “What New Holland is bringing to our farmers is a convergence of technology – electric propulsion, autonomous features, better performance – in the body of a utility tractor that’s setting the stage for a more efficient, sustainable and resilient future our customers are striving for,” says Lena Bioni, product marketing manager for New Holland Agriculture North America.
Under the hood farmers will find a battery system partnered with a fully electrified drivetrain. Featuring a 110-kWh maximum energy storage capacity in a 400V nominal high-voltage circuit, it provides 74 hp (55 kW) rated power and 65 hp (48 kW) PTO power.
The T4 Electric Power also offers 4-wheel drive, a 12 x 12 transmission, clutch-less electronic power shuttle reverser and all the regular power outputs of a traditional diesel engine.
In general, considering light, medium and heavy-duty applications over daily task routines, New Holland estimates the tractor can provide four hours of average runtime. However, this can be extended up to eight working hours for low energy demand applications. The tractor can be recharged by multiple energy sources such as regular grids, solar panels, biodigesters and wind power in both alternate current (AC) and direct current (DC). Operating in DC, it takes one hour to reach 100 per cent power when using commercially available fast charging systems.
Farmers will also find a range of autonomous features and driver assistance modes in the T4 Electric Power tractors. Driver-assisted features include follow me mode, the invisible bucket and 360 degree awareness. These are complemented by other fully digital and connected functions like live view and map maker, which make this tractor the first of its kind in the world, says New Holland
The T4 Electric Power also gets a new colour. It carries the new Clean Blue paint scheme, which denotes a New Holland tractor that’s powered by an alternative fuel source.
Stay tuned for more coverage of the T4 Electric Power launch at the Farm Progress Show.