While the media and the public spend a great deal of time getting excited about the prospect of electric cars, hybrids and vehicles with lower emissions another type of vehicle consumes extremely high amounts of fuel but rarely gets mentioned. Farm equipment and particularly tractors often get less than 10 miles per gallon primarily due to the emphasis on power for such vehicles. Needless to say this results in high energy usage and emissions down on the farm.

New Holland feel they have a solution at hand and are introducing a concept tractor that the manufacturer is calling “the zero emission tractor of the future”. The vehicle will be hydrogen powered completely emission free not to mention almost silent in its operation. New Holland are putting the vehicle on show in Boone, Iowa the heart of America’s corn producing state. The need for power in a tractor should be addressed by the output of 106 hp which is in keeping with the vehicles it looks to compete against. The the manufacturer added:

“Farmers are in a unique position to benefit from hydrogen technology. Unlike many people they have space to install alternative electricity generation systems, such as solar, wind, biomass or waste, and then store that power as hydrogen”

The idea of an alternative to traditional gasoline or diesel tractors is far more than fanciful although a late start compared with the passenger vehicle industry. The concept is also extremely beneficial due to the fact that vehicles considered ‘heavy/industrial’ will now be under the scrutiny of new government standards concerning vehicle omissions. New Holland are already a large player in both the construction and agricultural vehicle markets and fall under the umbrella of the Fiat group. These facts by themselves should aid the company in marketing and promoting the tractor of the future to farmers who already have decades of satisfaction and experience from the manufacturer.

I find the approach even more fascinating due to the fact that the energy source on an energy independent farm such as one that benefits from wind turbines or solar power could mean that there would be no transportation of the hydrogen required to power the tractor. The tractor is causing quite the positive buzz and farming circles and winning awards for concept and design in both Europe and North America. Hopefully achieving a large market share in the tractor industry will accelerate the idea of a green farm in the very near future.

To learn more about New Holland please visit their site.

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The tractor’s debut in 2009