Agrifac develops electric powertrains for self-propelled sprayers

Growers and contractors could tap into the benefits of electric propulsion on their next self-propelled sprayer, thanks to a new drive platform developed by Agrifac.

Rather than committing to a single electric drive technology as an alternative to diesel power, the Dutch manufacturer is hedging its bets by developing all three – diesel-electric, diesel supplemented by battery electric, and fully battery electric.

All three are said to offer the more than 95% efficiency of electric drive at the wheels, the difference being in how the electricity is generated and stored.

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Agrifac engineers have yet to finalise the power output from the diesel-electric and fully electric configurations, but say the diesel-plus-battery hybrid can deliver 301hp continuously and a peak of up to 447hp for short periods – when climbing an incline, for example.

Meanwhile, the diesel-electric system using a diesel engine to drive an electricity generator is expected to trim fuel consumption by about 35% compared with current diesel-only models, with a reduction of up to 50% credited to the hybrid variant.

Reduced emissions and smooth operation are also cited as benefits.

Friso Berkhout, systems innovation engineer at Agrifac, says the new electric drive options will become available in different markets at different times.

“The transition to a more sustainable drive system does not follow the same path in every market or for every customer,” he explains.

“With this platform, we are developing a single electric basis on to which different energy supplies can be applied so that customers can choose a solution that suits their operations.”

The concept will be further developed, tested and validated over the coming months before the first commercial unit is built sometime in 2027.