Solar Electric Tractor
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- richsoil.com/em... permies.com this guy shows his Model 12 electric tractor. This one is 20 horsepower, although since it is electric it has power comparable to a 40 hp diesel or a 60hp gasoline tractor. Steve explains how this has to do with torque peak performance of the electric motors being so much better than gas or diesel.
In this video we see the loader in action. The three point hitch and the PTO (power take off). We move some bales of straw and do a little bushhogging.
One problem with electric cars is range from the charging station. But an electric tractor rarely strays far from its charging station.
Another problem with electric tractors is battery weight. But with an electric tractor, the extra battery weight gives better traction!
This electric tractor is solar powered. The whole homestead is solar powered! And Steve has a solar electric car too!
Steve talks about using hydraulic pumps for things like the load vs. linear actuators.
Steve mentions the porsche spider he once converted to an electric car.
The solar electric tractor is labeled SolTrac and Steve says that he is changing the name to SolecTrac.
We see the thing film amorphous solar stuff on his barn roof. Peel and stick roll out solar panels. 8kw (kilowatts).
Lithium batteries. 48 volt pack. Battery management system. Each cell is monitored during charging. A/C to D/C converter. A/C motor. Most electric cars use higher voltage for greater speed. 48 volts is great for a tractor. This tractor has a transmission including hi/low range. Linear actuators for the steering. Steve thinks this is better than hydrostatic.
Use a low geat for rototilling or mowing and a higher gear for using the loader.
Regenerative braking. $15,000 for an electric farm tractor. $30,000 for the fancy electric tractor (sans solar).
Relevant:
www.permies.com...
www.permies.com...
music by Jimmy Pardo permies.com/t/6...
Oh my gosh, I so want one. My husband wants one and I love the fact that this man is not paying utilities and is living like "the rest of us" who are still dependent on the grid. It must be great knowing that you are not at the dictates of the utility companies. I am going to check out the other videos.
Thanks for the video Paul. As always, you and the permies folks do a great job in both practice and knowledge sharing.
The issue of solar on the house is a bit better than you mention. Solar panels are guaranteed from the factory for 25 years. It does not mean that they stop working then. The factory guarantees that the solar panels will still produce like 80% of the original capacity after 25 years. They are still quite usable long after that. I have solar panels that were built back in the mid 80's that still produce over 95% of the original capacity. They are just fine indeed.
all bs
@@gaetanlizotte1957 And your reasoning for calling my post BS? I have converted three vehicles to electric and have a roof full of solar panels that were installed in 2005. I'd say I have a pretty good handle on Solar panels. You?
Bloody brilliant! I'm a Permaculture guy too, I absolutely love it!
Now that, is pretty cool. I probably would have left it with manual steering to cut down on power usage, but over all, this is the first unit I've ever seen that looks like it could actually do what it says it will.
I really like the embedded videos at the end. They look great! Thanks Paul for this awesome video.
Dunno. But it is a good place to ask - much better chance of getting an answer. I've already contacted Steve to see if he might wanna chime in with answers here.
I want to hear more about his solar system.
More...... Your videos are just so real.
I feel good about the annotations at the end. it took a lot of time, but I think it was worth it.
quite cool idea, very good concept: tractor's range , battery weight gets useful. Also, electric motors have high torch couple at low rpm. everything is perfect
One more thing. There are lots of forums on building and converting your own vehicles from Bicycles to Trucks and everything in between. The AC system used in the tractor is excellent and the larger motors available are also great for a car as long as the car is not over 2500 lbs. A VW is an excellent candidate and to get a system to go 80 plus miles will not cost a whopping huge amount. At 96 volts you can have yourself a real nice pollution free vehicle to go to town or work.
you' re way ahead of your time bro!!! welldone!!!
I like the duct tape holding the brake lines down!
Linear actuators are a dumb choice for a loader. Keep it hydraulic they will last through years of abuse rather than wearing out in a few hundred hours.
This is good! Thinking about there are parallel between farm operations (especially yard work) and those in warehouses. It is all about moving, stacking, reaching etc. "stuff" And in the majority of warehouse what performs these operations? The electric fork lift. Ploughing and towing large loads would be problematic. I suppose a farmer could set aside a field for solar panels for charging. Electric motors equal intsant peak torque. Very interesting
Thanks yet again for another awesome upload. You're like the premier information for Permaculture. Thanks again.
Neat tractor.
How long will a single charge last while running the finish mower?
One general comment to make about the need to have a BMS system with the lithium batteries. The batteries used are LiFePO4 cells and a very good quality cell and very very stable. You do NOT NEED a BMS system using these cells. Being that they can be checked real easy all you need do is drain each battery to 2.60 volts static then connect them all in series and charge with a quality smart charger to 3.6 volts then stop the charge. No cell will be above 95%.
this is awesome! This will help ramp up cobalt mining in my area too!
lifepo4 cells don't have cobalt in them.
Paul, are you using HPEVS software in your controller or just the standard Curtis and Im assuming you are running an AC-50 at 48v and 650 amps. I drive a Kubota tractor about the same size and I think having the standard steering wheel would be best. Quiet and takes nothing from the battery. Nice setup.
i love your work, i hope to buy a few. keep up the great work.
Thanks from London impressive one
Great vid Paul! Love it!
The PTO does perform as well. Electric motors are superior in almost every way to internal combustion engine. In the case of a tractor you get 100% of the power and torque at any rpm. Torque is super important to a tractor. So the difference makes sense. The only downside to electrical systems is energy storage... IE the batteries. This seems like a good all around idea though in that the batteries contribute to the weight. They key would be to get in enough working time per charge. If you have to stop and wait 8 hours to charge up this would be unappealing.
Marcus G Would this solve the short distance electric car issue:
This was found using google images. This is not my drawing.
brilliant.. what about a driving licence would this be required since the power output is so low.
Mr. Wheaton, do you know where I could purchase instructions on how to build one of these?
Looks good brother.
- Those cells do not need a BMS.
- The motor is likely 15 HP, but with electric motors, what matters is torque and you'll have plenty of that even at zero speed.
- Battery pack like that is $4000, Motor/controller: $4500. About $10K for conversion.
- Batteries can be charged >3000 times. Figure 8 years if you use all the capacity daily.
- As much maintenance as your other farm motors. Bearings, maybe.
- Gov has incentives for solar and/or wind generator so you can run your tractor for free.
Totally want one
how did you build that it's awesome
i dont want to sound troolish but i do like your videos but did you use youtube image stabilization?
another great video. thank you!
Are his patented solar panels for sale somewhere? If so, what kind of $ would one need to shell out for a few?
What makes you say that he isn't sharing his knowledge? I have something like six hours of podcasts with him where he is sharing tons of information.
I've never seen solar panels like that . What did he say roll and stick? Is there info on this at permies.com?
that's awesome.
Where do you get those lithium battery cells at?
What Ah batteries are in this tractor, are they still running ?
Actually more like $4K worth of batteries. They should last a good 10 plus years or more. Don't overcharge and don't overdischarge and you are good to go for a very long time. Since the tractor is getting little use it will be very long lived. The motors are pretty much good for just about forever. The issue is more a matter of cleaning up the toxic environment and showing that electric tractors are after all something you can do and use.
Why not Edison battery type?
Great stuff! Thanks...
Are these solar panels available?
Where can I buy this tractor?
John
Thats fantastic
We need the model T electric tractor for say $5000. Is anyone out there converting retired tractors + fork lifts into new electric tractors? Re-use eh.
The videos shown at the end are:
Hugekultur: The Ultimate Raised Garden bed
ruclips.net/video/Sso4UWObxXg/видео.html
A Tour of 4 Outhouses
ruclips.net/video/0yZfO1VcP74/видео.html
Sepp Holzer's Bone Sauce
ruclips.net/video/o4xVKVc4NYQ/видео.html
It's worth to buy the tractor alone because it sounds just like the Power Loader from "Aliens".
U are my HERO...
UFO
do not let google auto-stabilize your videos. It gives people like me motion sickness and i'm unable to watch your video :(
kitsurubami too bad baby
track tour
is it emp proof ???
Paul,
Your info-videos cover wonderful topics and interesting subjects.
It's time for someone on your team to invest in a proper lavalier mic so that we, your viewers, can actually hear what your "Subject Matter Experts" are saying.
Enough of the frustrating habit of just pointing your cell phone in someone's face and saying "Okay, talk."
Your results will be vastly improved, far more enjoyable and therefore more valuable to the subscribers.
Many other self-proclaimed RUclipsrs could stand to follow these instructions as well.
Like this: permies.com/t/32334#251987 ??
paul wheaton And you're going to apply all these "lessons learned" from the Great God Kickstarter ... when? Jus' axin'.
TheVaughanwrites The kickstarter I did a year ago used better gear. My podcasts for the last two years have used better gear. We're improving our gear all the time - now that it seems there is a lot more interest in this stuff. You do know that this video was shot two and a half years ago, right?
They look like Uni-solar, probably PVL68
How much you want for this one?
I LOVE IT!! and where can I buy some thin film Solar from?
FANTASTIC!!
PLEASE MORE INFO!! and do Part 2.. with thin film info! and where / when can regular people buy? how much a watt?
Nice!!
Talk about "clean farming"
Super
How many price
Hello world! Anybody knows where to buy a small electric tractor like this in spain???
Boss man wow you don't need greedy power grid lol
But where do we buy this patented tractor?
I have one on order now. Only mine will have a sun shade that is also a solar panel. Plus an inverter so I can take the tractor into the woods and run my chainsaw or my sawmill. Send email to steve at renewables.com
I am seeing this video some 4 years after it came out. It looks like the tech was pretty well developed , but looking at the website you linked, it looks pretty much like what I would expect it did those 4 years ago.
Did this project die out? Taking longer to get to market than expected?
Did you get your tractor? How has it turned out?
Lots of open questions leads me to think an updated video would be interesting.
Me too, please can we have an update?
Neat.
electric motors are very efficient 80-90 percent.
*Salute
Sign me up for one of these!
A hydraulic system, though noisier, is much more reliable than electric actuators. Hydraulic is stronger too. I would take that system any day over electric actuators.
👍
reminds me of the quad my friend's 4 yo got for Christmas .. hee hee
Unisolar flexible solar panels.
No electric hp is much stronger b/c electric is alway capable of full power. With a four stroke gas engine it is only powered 1/4 of the time. The other 3/4 of the time the power is from momentum.
It's better than gas.
1 hp diesel is similar to 1 hp electric
Wait.. But what does the government use to tax you?
way cool you got a video of the actuator loader here is mine ruclips.net/video/aeSnteenTUU/видео.html
Don't need to convert it if you turn the hemp oil to Biodiesel.
Hi very nice ! but 30000.00 :-(
Just a electric forklift
Its all about torque NOT hp
$30k? for a 20 HP?
How long do the $10k worth of batteries last before they need to be replaced?
And how much was the solar setup? $50k?... and the panels will last what? Maybe 20 years...
Cute idea.
Fun to see someone trying something different.
I'll keep my 20 and 50 year old diesel Fords and if/when need be convert them to run on hemp oil.
Unless you implement Tesla's electric car tech...
I don't see this thing digging enough Lithium to earn it's keep.