Solis SV24 Electric tractor - Here is what we know so far...

[EddieWalker]

Back in the early 90's, cordless drills started showing up more and more. I started out with a 12 volt Craftsman that weighed a ton, ran our of power fairly quickly, and wasn't very powerful. Overall, it was a piece of junk, but it had it's uses. At that time, there was no way that I would ever consider buying anything else cordless.

Now, it's pretty much all I use.

I don't think the modern battery powered car or tractor is worth what it costs to buy them. In my opinion, they are all just like that drill from the 1990's. I think that Government needs to step aside and let technology improve based on the reward of being able to sell a product that people want to buy. As long as Government is involved, we will be forced to buy what the politicians want us to have, not what we want.

I'm going to install a pair of 220 volt, 50 amp outlets in my garage that will just sit there. I'm not sure if I ever want to use the, of if I'll be happy that they are there. It just seems to me that it's cheaper to do it now while my walls are open studs and I have plenty of access.

 

[5030]

I must be clairvoyant as I already have them in the shop but then it's where my welders get plugged into.

 

[EddieWalker]

That's what I'm thinking. I want enough power for my arc welder, so why not add a few more lines for a battery powered vehicle?

 

[Hardy Brothers Outdoors]

At 73, I won't be around to concern myself with it anyway.

lol at 50 I'm sorta feeling the same way...

 

[5030]

That's what I'm thinking. I want enough power for my arc welder, so why not add a few more lines for a battery powered vehicle?

Always good to plan ahead. I actually have 300+ amp service in the shop and I have loaded it at 250 amps many times. I had out electric company (DTE) install a pole and put a meter and breakuot box on that and had my certified electrician do the wiring with a 300 amp (3 phase main breaker box in the shop with all the required grounds (I think a bonded as well as a neutral and safety ground)(I'm not an electrical savvy person), all I did was buy him the cable and drive a substantial copper clad ground rod next to the pole barn wall) for him to use and the cable from the pole mounted box is quite substantial as in thick and was expensive even back then.

He wired up not only the 3 phase for my 3 phase lathes and milling machines but the single phase for everything else (welders and surface grinders) with conveniently placed outlets and sub boxes on each with 30 amp breakers installed (on the 3 phase and single phase outlets). Again, I'm totally ignorant about electricity. He also hard wired our diesel standby genset to the house (standby sits next to the shop, plumbed into my 500 gallon diesel tank, I did that, I'm okay with plumbing sort of, electricity no and installed the transfer switching and sub breaker panel which was supplied by the standby generator manufacturer (Generac) inside the house and wired up indicator lights mounted on the edge of the shop facing towards the house so I can see if the generator is working properly as it's far enough away that I cannot hear it (exercise) anyway.

I believe the newer models of the Generac standby generators (both gas and diesel powered now come with built in indicator lights that depict proper operation, but I could be wrong.

One thing I wasn't aware of when I bought mine many years ago was the eventual corrosion of the painted steel enclosure but Generac was good enough to actually build me a totally aluminum, powder coated enclosure complete with all the necessary spot welded in mounting studs and supplied me with all the internal mounting hardware as well as some very complete instructions as to how to remove the guts from the old rusted enclosure and install everything in the new aluminum enclosure.

It wasn't cheap and I had to wait 4 months to get it, but I found it quite amazing they even considered it, in as much as the unit I own is NLA. Kudo's to Generac in Wisconsin.

Now corrosion is a thing of the past other than the never used diesel tank which provides a base for the engine and generator itself which I sanded and repainted with anti rust coating.

 

[5030]

Per chance you aren't related to Dave and Pam Hardy in Ionia, Michigan? They own and operate a mega-diary farm and are good friends of ours. If you are you are ok in my book as Dave and Pam are very upstanding people.

 

[Hardy Brothers Outdoors]

Per chance you aren't related to Dave and Pam Hardy in Ionia, Michigan? They own and operate a mega-diary farm and are good friends of ours. If you are you are ok in my book as Dave and Pam are very upstanding people.

Unfortunately not to my knowledge, but I do have an aunt Pam in Missouri... Many of the Hardy's are spread around the midwest but I don't necessarily have a grasp on the extended roots of our tree, so there is a possiblity but not one I can confirm... I will say however, all the Hardy's I know are good hard working folks, so hopefully I can stand in the good company of Dave and Pam Hardy!

 

[CH4Ohio]

I find the strong distaste for this technology fascinating... the term luddite comes to mind... sadly this is also so embroiled in politics that it just muddies the water.

Luddite: people who dislike new technology

Luddite? It doesn't have a very flattering ring to it . . .

I think you may be missing the point of some of the concerns and push-back from those that question the overall efficiency of this application. It's not derived from "distaste" of the technology.

This "climate change" calamity is the all-time biggest scam ever foisted on the public. Whether it's true or not, the proposed solutions are simply not feasible from an engineering standpoint. We don't have the electric generation capacity to start adding whole new segments to the current grid. We have societal/environmental pressures to transition HVAC, water heating, cooking, air transportation, cars, trucks, over-the-road semi trucks, . . . from fossil fuels to electricity.

(And if you watch the news at all, you can see that we're losing capacity and in danger of curtailments and rolling blackouts this winter.)

Yet the electricity still has to be generated using RELIABLE sources such as coal, natural gas, nuclear, etc. The transition simply moves the location of the carbon emissions -- it doesn't eliminate it.

This "electric" tractor actually runs on coal, natural gas, nuclear, etc. and less than 2% wind and solar (even after 30 plus years of subsidies).

I question the APPLICATION of the technology. I don't dislike it. "The right tool for the right job" doesn't equate to an electric tractor (except in the most unusual situations).

I'm the first to embrace new technology. But new technology is only beneficial when applied to applications that result in greater efficiency or where it solves a problem. Efficiency includes cradle-to-grave costs and all related inputs/outputs. In this case, I simply question the premise of the "problem" we're trying to solve.

 

[5030]

The above well written and presented post covers it all in my view.

 

[Hardy Brothers Outdoors]

Luddite? It doesn't have a very flattering ring to it . . .

I think you may be missing the point of some of the concerns and push-back from those that question the overall efficiency of this application. It's not derived from "distaste" of the technology.

This "climate change" calamity is the all-time biggest scam ever foisted on the public. Whether it's true or not, the proposed solutions are simply not feasible from an engineering standpoint. We don't have the electric generation capacity to start adding whole new segments to the current grid. We have societal/environmental pressures to transition HVAC, water heating, cooking, air transportation, cars, trucks, over-the-road semi trucks, . . . from fossil fuels to electricity.

(And if you watch the news at all, you can see that we're losing capacity and in danger of curtailments and rolling blackouts this winter.)

Yet the electricity still has to be generated using RELIABLE sources such as coal, natural gas, nuclear, etc. The transition simply moves the location of the carbon emissions -- it doesn't eliminate it.

This "electric" tractor actually runs on coal, natural gas, nuclear, etc. and less than 2% wind and solar (even after 30 plus years of subsidies).

I question the APPLICATION of the technology. I don't dislike it. "The right tool for the right job" doesn't equate to an electric tractor (except in the most unusual situations).

I'm the first to embrace new technology. But new technology is only beneficial when applied to applications that result in greater efficiency or where it solves a problem. Efficiency includes cradle-to-grave costs and all related inputs/outputs. In this case, I simply question the premise of the "problem" we're trying to solve.

I appreciate your well stated point of view, thanks for sharing it.