http://www.agweb.com/blog/janzen-ag-law-blog/when-will-teslas-electricity-come-to-the-farm/ When will Tesla's electricity come to the farm? Mar 20, 2016 Todd Janzen
Janzen Ag Law Blog Tesla is revolutionizing the automotive industry. My new office is near a Tesla store so I frequently see the Tesla Model S driving by. For those not acquainted with Tesla, the company builds all-electric cars that have a range of over 250 miles per charge. No complicated hybrid drive. No gas required, ever. I keep wondering when Tesla will step into other markets and more importantly, will agriculture be one of them? This post explores whether the “all-electric” philosophy would work on the farm. First, let’s get this out of the way. It is currently unrealistic to think that an all-electric tractor will be planting a cornfield anytime soon. Range is the big hurdle to all-day field work. The amount of electricity needed to plant a quarter-section would require frequent recharging, and in the short planting windows provided by the Midwest’s temperamental weather, that just isn’t feasible. But just because we will not be replacing row-crop field tractors with electric vehicles any time soon does not mean there are not other agricultural uses for Tesla's all-electric technology. The farm pickup. Like every farm kid in the country, I grew up spending a lot of time in a farm pickup truck. Most of the trips were short—20 miles to the parts store, 3 miles to the grain elevator, 10 miles to the pasture. These short, frequent trips are perfect uses for an electric vehicle. The flat floor provided by the battery pack could further aid in packaging a new sort of pickup. I’m guessing the torque provided by Tesla’s electric motors would be equally good at towing things like stock trailers and nurse tanks. Tesla, stop spending millions to design "Falcon doors" and build a highly useful farm truck. The utility tractor. Growing up, there were many chores performed by smaller tractors that only operated a couple hours per day. For example, we used a silage loader-tractor to feed cattle twice per day. An all-electric tractor could do this, and the rest of the time it could sit plugged into a charger waiting for its next task. One hurdle to electric road-going vehicles is the battery weight is substantial. This would not be a problem on a tractor, which requires ballast anyway. But its not just utility tractors, there are many jobs on the farm that require power only a few hours per day. The extremely complex Tier 4 emission requirements for farm diesel are another reason alternative fuel sources could work. The wall battery. One of Tesla’s greatest ideas is not a car but a battery that you place in your garage to charge during off-peak hours, then discharge into your car while you are sleeping. Tesla calls it the Powerwall. This concept could work on the farm. One of the great advantages a farm business has over an in-town business is the availability of real estate. Farms have plenty of space for solar panels on rooftops or in fields. Connecting solar panels to Tesla-batteries and you could provide enough energy for grain dryers, shop lights, milking parlors, etc. The scout. A lot of farmers use ATVs for crop scouting and farm chores. We used them as “horses” growing up to round up cattle in pastures. These are another good use for Tesla’s battery technology. There is no reason that an ATV could not be powered by lithium ion battery packs. Golf carts already make this work, albeit with 20th century lead acid batteries. Recent years we’ve seen a huge shift to electric motors on planters and other farm equipment. I can’t wait to see what happens when we start to power these motors with electricity derived from sources other than gas or diesel. Tesla, when you are ready for the farm, farmers--the pioneers of innovation--will be ready for you. [© 2016 Farm Journal] ... http://www.aglaw.us/contact-us/ JANZEN AG LAW [links to explore: Electric pickup trucks http://ev-fleet.com/electric-truck/ Electric-pickup-truck r:100mi http://ev-fleet.com/specifications/ http://www.viamotors.com/vehicles/electric-truck/ plug-in-hybrid pickup-truck e-r:40mi (dated) http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-GM-Would-Be-Smart-To-Launch-An-e-Pickup-Truck-Before-Tesla-does-tp4678261.html EVLN: GM Would Be Smart To Launch An e-Pickup Truck Before Tesla does Oct 22, 2015 http://www.agriculture.com/news/technology/will-you-be-driving-electric-pickup-in_6-ar47029 01/14/2015 http://www.teslarati.com/real-challenge-tesla-pickup-truck/ The very real challenge of a Tesla Pickup Truck Apr 6, 2014 http://www.evtradinpost.com/list/6 used Electric Trucks for Sale Electric utility tractor http://www.valleyoaktool.com/electric-tractors/ http://www.ruralsurvival.com/electric_farm_tractor.html http://www.roguerovers.com/farmdogg/ (dated) http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-100hp-Electric-wheel-motor-drives-2nd-life-for-farm-tractors-tp4680598.html EVLN: 100hp Electric wheel-motor drives> 2nd life for farm tractors Feb 21 2016 http://www.oemoffhighway.com/article/12059810/electric-tractor Charged up to feed the world APR 20, 2015 http://www.homepower.com/articles/vehicles/project-profiles/diy-electric-tractor DIY Electric Tractor January 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23yEIDbmc3U Electric Tractor Conversion (video) FrugalMegHints Nov 16, 2013 1949 Farmall Cub Electric Tractor Conversion, the best way to make use of extra solar power capacity on the farm (Sunrise Gardens) http://www.evamerica.com/farm.html (parts source) converting farm tractors to electric 2 July 2013 http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/electric-lawn-mowers-electric-tractors-zmaz06aszraw.aspx Electric Tractors September 2006 (EValbum - converted by owners, see images & specs) http://evalbum.com/5132 1973 New Idea Electric Garden Tractor http://evalbum.com/216 Yanmar Tractor Conversion http://evalbum.com/1702 John Deere 755 wall battery https://www.teslamotors.com/powerwall POWERWALL TESLA HOME BATTERY Electric UTVs/ATVs - Farm scout http://www.polaris.com/en-us/ranger-utv/ranger-ev-li-ion-polaris-pursuit-camo RANGER EV LI-ION r:50mi https://www.deere.com/en_US/products/equipment/gator_utility_vehicles/traditional_utility_vehicles/t_series/te4x2electric/te4x2electric.page Gator TE 4x2 Electric (dated) http://www.permies.com/t/24710/labs/Solar-Electric-UTV-Polaris-sucks Solar Electric UTV (Polaris sucks - Bad Boy Buggy wins) 2014 http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-My-silent-farm-EV-is-just-pure-clean-fun-gt-PVs-utilize-the-sun-td4676066.html EVLN: My silent farm EV is just pure, clean, fun> PVs utilize the sun Jun 07, 2015 Electric delivery vehicles http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-UK-Farmer-s-e-NV200-electric-van-embraces-vegetable-deliveries-tp4678324.html EVLN: UK Farmer’s e-NV200 electric van embraces vegetable deliveries Oct 24, 2015 ] For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-When-will-Tesla-s-electricity-come-to-the-Ag-farm-tp4681154.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
