Field evaluation demonstrates varied power demands across tasks for a 50 kW battery-electric tractor, suggesting strong feasibility for moderate-load agricultural operations.
Reliable data on the energy demand of battery-electric tractors under practical operating conditions remain limited. This study investigated a fully electric tractor prototype with 50 kW nominal traction power during front-loader work, trailer transport, unloaded driving, feed distribution, mowing, and windrowing. Operational and sensor data were recorded via telemetry. Electrical input power was calculated for the traction, power take-off, and hydraulic drive units from the battery voltage and the respective branch currents, and energy demand was obtained by integrating the one-second power values. Energy demand varied strongly between applications. Front-loader and feeding operations were dominated by hydraulic loads, transport tasks by traction, and mowing by power take-off demand. Mean power demand ranged from approximately 6.6 kW during front-loader operations to 25.7 kW during mowing. Assuming 120 kWh of useable battery capacity, the measured front-loader demand corresponds to a theoretical operating time of about 18 h. During unloaded driving, the tractor required 1.55 kWh km−1, corresponding to a theoretical range of 77 km. Compared with diesel reference values, the measured energy demand was within or below typical ranges. Battery-electric tractors are therefore particularly promising for applications with moderate average loads, although sufficient peak-power capability remains essential.
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Wendling et al. (2026) studied this question.
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