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

[EddieWalker]

I'm not a fan of battery powered tractors, but I think the writing is on the wall, and eventually, it's something that might become more common. Same with cars and pickups.

While I'm wiring my garage, I'm debating installing the wiring for a place to charge a battery powered vehicle. I'm curious what the power needs are to charge a tractor?

What size outlet is the best to do this? Is there a 220 option or just 110? How many amps is the most it can handle?

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Why don't they make one (with good rechargeable batteries) so it's covered in solar cells (where the mud doesn't land) and is designed to be left sitting outside 24/7?

Solar panels need a lot of surface area, there simply isn't enough to make a difference. Musk actually addressed this when talking about automobiles

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I'm not a fan of battery powered tractors, but I think the writing is on the wall, and eventually, it's something that might become more common. Same with cars and pickups.

While I'm wiring my garage, I'm debating installing the wiring for a place to charge a battery powered vehicle. I'm curious what the power needs are to charge a tractor?

What size outlet is the best to do this? Is there a 220 option or just 110? How many amps is the most it can handle?

Youd
want 220 min.

 

[CH4Ohio]

I'm not a fan of battery powered tractors, but I think the writing is on the wall, and eventually, it's something that might become more common. Same with cars and pickups.

The natural resources required to make the switch don't exist. Until we make the next BIG technological breakthrough, like deploying micro-nuclear plants or finally crack the code on cold fusion, this is folly.

Wind and solar are the only things being offered on the generation-side of this "green" agenda. Both require immense battery storage facilities or offsetting generation capacity. Both make our overall grid less reliable. All of this is being funded with tax dollars and funny-money that is wrecking our economy.

We are decommissioning expensive vital assets (power plants) that we can't afford to lose. The rest of the world is buying our coal and building coal plants at a record pace.

We simply can't transition to a technology that's less useful, less efficient, and more expensive and is supported by an infrastructure that doesn't exist, and may actually be impossible to build. But we can do a lot of damage to our country trying.

 

[mrmikey]

The only way I'd maybe and that's a big maybe go near an electric vehicle is a hybrid and then the chances of me even go that route is next to nil. The cost of replacement batteries, the life of them makes it seem , to me anyway, a fools choice and that's just my thoughts.
I've always used this scenario as an example.
Say I have a 50km round trip to work every day so that's 250kms a week, say 300 for round figures. Friday night something happens and I have to go out on a 50 km trip but since I only charge the car once a week so I don't ruin the battery, I can't go as the battery is almost dead.
Same timeframe, we have a storm go thru and the power goes out for 30 hours which it did just a couple months back. How do I even go out for necessities?
Stuck in traffic on a Friday night on the way home in the winter obviously with the heat on.
Once the grid is overloaded the rates will go up higher than they are now.

We simply can't transition to a technology that's less useful, less efficient, and more expensive and is supported by an infrastructure that doesn't exist, and may actually be impossible to build. But we can do a lot of damage to our country tryi

Yup, 100% agree

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Even Musk, when pressed, said current battery technology is sufficient. I was actually shocked. So I don't know where the innovation is going to come from for better batteries

 

[5030]

Solar panels need a lot of surface area, there simply isn't enough to make a difference. Musk actually addressed this when talking about automobiles

Musk needs to stick with X, IMO. He has issues there that have zilch to do with EV's.

 

[Hardy Brothers Outdoors]

I'd be interested to see what the realistic on time is under load at 80 degrees versus at 10 degrees and at year 1 versus year 5.

It would seem to me that at current battery technology levels, electric tractors have a place in the riding lawnmower segment and as a hybrid diesel generator/electric motor setup like a locomotive in large ag tractors

Agree, time will tell if or when this is a viable option.

 

[Hardy Brothers Outdoors]

Ok -- I have two questions -- Why would anyone want one? What problem is this trying to solve?

The electricity is still coming from fossil fuels (natural gas, coal), nuclear, some hydro, and virtually no wind/solar.

It's pretty inefficient to transmit that electricity and then charge a battery repeatedly. If you drop all the lop-sided government subsidies, it costs more to "fuel" an electric tractor than a diesel tractor.

It will only run for a few hours and then needs to take a long rest while it's being charged. Diesel can run nonstop around the clock.

I can't carry fuel to it. If it quits, I can't pour a gallon of electricity into it to get it back to the barn.

It does nothing for carbon emissions. The energy to charge it is still produced at a power plant nearby. In fact, the net lifetime emissions is likely higher for this EV unit due to the manufacturing and mining required to build the batteries and other specialized components. No one has demonstrated a cradle-to-grave reduction in carbon emissions for EV units yet. The whole premise seems to be that you start "counting" AFTER they're produced and then fuel/charge them with FREE electricity.

We already have a power grid that's FAILING in many locations during extreme weather. Why would we want to add additional load that has more efficient fuel options? (Just wait till they start trying to charge EV semi-trucks, etc. )

Despite the fact that the government will likely steal some more of our tax dollars to offer obscene subsidies, the true actual cost is higher than diesel. If it costs more and doesn't solve any problem, what's the point?

(If you need to till a garden inside a warehouse where there's no ventilation and you can't use an internal combustion engine due to the exhaust, I guess this would be an option.)

The free market should drive innovation and product development. I just can't see how this makes engineering sense or economic sense.

There is A LOT to unpack in that reply... haha... and by no means am I selling this tractor nor do I get paid if one sells, simply sharing an experience and possibly will be testing this tractor in the future on my farm in SE Ohio.

So why might someone one this? Well... indoor tilling? haha, maybe an indoor arena or something like that, I don't know. I think the gist of it is that it's not for everyone... There are likely people out there that would like to walk up to a tractor jump on it and not worry about hauling or filling with fuel. Likely something with this sort of life span is going to be for a 2-5 acre homeowner or someone doing chores around a barn... time will tell. I did not realize this but the tractor goes into a limited use mode with 15 or 20% battery left so you can get back to the house and not run out in the field.

It's possible to fuel it with solar so that offsets all the fossil fuel arguments. Believe me, I'm fine with diesel, I have 4 tractors that run diesel and I drive a 2011 Nissan Armada that guzzles gas... and I'm not apologizing to no one! BUT... I did switch to electric yard tools and mower for my home in the burbs and love them all... Greenworks Pro 80v... My kids and wife have taken over chores and I no longer have to worry about which gas they are using, mixing gas, oil changes, etc... My daughter made over $2k last summer mowing lawns to pay for a school trip to Europe. Easy! and my 11 year old was earning with the tools this summer.

But that's not a $30k tractor...

The free market will drive the innovation ultimately because if no one buys it will stop being affordable to produce.

For me, I like technology... It doesn't anger me to see people trying and testing new things. Eventually if its better than the alternative I may just upgrade to it. I think if we all could stop getting hung up in the political BS and just accept that innovation happens and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and it usually gets better with time, then we can take this stuff for what it is... test products in a very early journey...

Thanks for sharing your perspective... for me there is a conversation going on out there about electric and well, I think it's worthy keeping a pulse on it and everyone gets to share their opinions one way or another, because we know what they say about opinions...

 

[Hardy Brothers Outdoors]

Why don't they make one (with good rechargeable batteries) so it's covered in solar cells (where the mud doesn't land) and is designed to be left sitting outside 24/7?

a solid question... maybe someday they will... not likely during our lifetime but you never know!