This year, New Holland is taking its message of sustainability to new audiences at the Expo Milano 2015, progressing the development of its methane-powered tractor prototype

“Since launching our Clean Energy Leader strategy in 2006, we have been very active in promoting our views on sustainable agriculture,” commented Carlo Lambro, brand president, New Holland Agriculture.

“Our presence at Expo Milano 2015 enables us to take this to a whole new level, providing us with the perfect platform to reach an exceptionally wide audience with our vision of how we can contribute to a future where the production of quality food, clean energy and profitability are all part of a virtuous cycle, as shown by our Energy Independent Farm concept.”

Methane-powered tractor

The new generation of alternative energy sources is central to New Holland’s Energy Independent Farm concept being piloted at the La Bellotta farm in Northern Italy and presented at Expo Milano 2015. The objective for the farm is to generate the energy it needs from crops grown on the farm to run its operations and farm equipment.

New Holland has made progress in developing its Methane Power tractor first seen at Agritechnica in 2013. The second-generation prototype is based on a New Holland T6.175 standard tractor and features a 175hp (129kW) Nef 6 engine developed by FPT Industrial that delivers 740Nm torque.

The tractor’s nine gas storage cylinders have a total capacity of 300 litres (52kg) of compressed methane, sufficient for all of a tractor’s normal operations for approximately half a day. This would seem to be a limiting factor. However, there are plans to also have storage for gas on the implements to get over this issue. According to New Holland, the second generation Methane Power tractor can bring fuel cost savings of 20% up to 40%. In terms of environmental performance, it has 80% less polluting emissions than a standard diesel tractor and is already capable of fulfilling future greenhouse gas targets, which are expected to require a 20% reduction across Europe by 2020.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions can be further reduced by using biomethane – methane derived from biomass. The switch can be made without changes to the tractor or the fuel distribution network, which opens up great opportunities for achieving overall greenhouse gas reduction targets. In the context of an energy independent farm, which can grow the biomass to produce its own biomethane, not only could CO2 emissions be eliminated, but fuel cost could also be cut by as much as 40%.

New Holland has not abandoned the Hydrogen tractor production either. However, the concept was dogged by the prohibitive cost of the fuel cells – the first prototype cost more than €500,000. At the moment methane-power tractor is seen as more viable since it can be based on a current production model and is likely to be competitively priced.

Driving the metane tractor

Earlier this month, I got the opportunity to drive the new prototype tractor. The first thing you notice are the chunky cab pillars and the need to find storage everywhere on the tractor for the gas. The engine sounds the same as any New Holland tractor. The operation of the controls is also very similar. The only difference is what comes out of the exhaust.

According to New Holland engineers, this new tractor has only put up 100 hours in testing, and much more needs to be done to see how it performs in the long term. The emission in the exhaust is controlled by a three-way catalist, with no requirement for SCR or AdBlue.

From a servicing point of view, the tractor will have no fuel filters as such, and New holland claims that filling the tractor with gas will not be cumbersome on the operator. There’s a 600-hour service interval on the engine, with 15 litres of engine oil required. The tractor also runs on the same cooling system as a standard diesel tractor.

Inititially, it seems to be ideal for farms with a biogas plant, as many farms in Europe have. The methane to power this tractor needs to be 98% pure methane, so a certain amount of cleaning/refining will have to be carried out to meet this fuel criteria.

New Holland is pushing this strategy from the very top and it will be interesting to see the development of this tractor in the next two to three years.

Tier 4 final emission updates

New Holland’s T7, T8 and T9 tractor ranges have been equipped with new high-tech SCR technology to meet the latest round of emissions requirements. A new exhaust flap has been fitted to give the optimum temperature in the engine for the chemical reaction to take place to remove the nitrous oxide gas.

As well as increased power levels in each range, there have also been styling updates, LED lighting packages, as well as new cab features. The front linkage lift capacity has also been increased by 22% on the T7.

A new T7.HD range will be launched at the Farm Progress show in the US in September, filling the company’s gap in high-horsepower, compact tractors. This tractor is set for launch at Agritechnica in Europe.

Later this year, the T8 series, which has a rated power of between 250hp and 380hp, will be available with optional SmartTrax, a twin-track concept that combines the maneuverability of a conventional front axle with the gripping ability of tracks.