• Electric narrow tractors with battery capacities of 36–60 kWh show limited operational feasibility, covering only 17–39% of vineyard operations; • Peak energy demand in viticulture is highly concentrated in specific periods, with weekly requirements typically ranging from 150 to 300 kWh during the main working season and daily peaks that can exceed 500 kWh; • Well-to-wheel (WTW) greenhouse gas emissions decrease from 24.66 kg CO 2 e h −1 for diesel tractors to 16.09 kg CO 2 e h −1 when using EU grid electricity (2020 mix), with a further reduction to 10.90 kg CO 2 e h −1 under the projected 2030 EU electricity mix; • Charging battery electric tractors with on-farm photovoltaic or agrivoltaic systems reduces WTW emissions to approximately 1.95 kg CO 2 e h −1 , achieving over 90% emission reduction compared with diesel operation. Decarbonizing agricultural machinery is essential for achieving climate neutral energy systems, yet evidence on tractor energy demand remains limited, particularly for specialized tasks. This study analyzes 717 h of Controller Area Network (CAN) data collected from 75 kW narrow diesel tractors operating in vineyards to assess feasibility and environmental performance of electric alternatives. Measured duty cycles were used to quantify mechanical workload and power patterns across 14 representative vineyard activities. The operational feasibility of battery electric tractors was evaluated for battery capacities ranging from 36 to 300 kWh. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were also estimated for multiple electricity supply scenarios, including European Union (EU) electricity mix in 2020, EU grid decarbonization scenario for 2030, and photovoltaic or agrivoltaics systems. Results show that vineyard tractors operate at partial load, whereas a limited number of energy intensive operations drive peak power demand and battery requirements. Battery capacities of 36–60 kWh enable completion of only 17–39% of observed operations, highlighting the limitations of small battery configurations. Larger packs improve feasibility by up to 98% of operating hours but peak daily demand can exceed 500 kWh, indicating the need for charging or battery swapping. Regarding emissions, the use of electric tractors charged from grid energy would reduce GHG from 24.66 kg CO 2 e h −1 of diesel to 16.09 kg CO 2 e h −1 of electric tractors recharged using grid energy given by European 2020 electricity mix and to 10.898 kg CO 2 e h −1 for the EU 2030 expected energy mix, whereas coupling electrification with photovoltaics would lower them to 1.95 kg CO 2 e h −1 . Future work could expand the assessment to full life-cycle impacts including batteries and charging infrastructure, while research on transmission architectures could focus on decoupling equipment power demands from motion power demands.
Gereziher et al. (Wed,) studied this question.