From the outside, Agco’s prototype hydrogen-powered tractor looks like any other modern Fendt rumbling across a farm field. Internally, however, it’s a technological marvel. Instead of a fossil fuel-burning combustion engine, the H2 Fendt Helios tractor is powered by a 100-kilowatt fuel cell that generates electrical energy from hydrogen fuel and a 25-kW battery.
“We’re able to do the same things we can do with a similar 600 Series Fendt,” said Rawley Hicks, Agco’s global director of product management for future technologies. With “roughly 135 hp, you can do all the tasks you do with that sized machine in the same five- to eight-hour working window.”
There are a lot of upsides to harnessing hydrogen as an energy source because it’s an abundant, renewable element that’s contained in about 75% of the known universe.
“Hydrogen has zero emissions, is sustainable and has a high energy density. It’s a very efficient fuel — more efficient than a traditional combustion engine,” Hicks said. “It also reduces noise pollution.”
Hydrogen production
As a clean alternative to methane gas , hydrogen is produced by splitting water molecules, which are composed of hydrogen and oxygen. This is most often achieved using extremely high-temperature steam to rip the molecules apart. Under pressure, the separated hydrogen molecules are injected into an onboard fuel cell that further splits them into protons and electrons, generating power to the drivetrain.
It can fuel either electric or combustion engines. And although its production hasn’t quite reached net zero, water is the only tailpipe emission.
“Today, hydrogen is typically made using natural gas. To produce clean hydrogen, you’d have to have [the gas] come off a biodigester or other places like wind and solar to make it a truly renewable source,” Hicks said.
Agco’s prototype is part of a German research initiative funded by the nonprofit DLG, or the German Agricultural Society. It’s one of two prototypes participating in the research.
Both units are equipped with five compressed-hydrogen tanks affixed to the roof, each with a capacity of 4.2 kilograms. The tractors can only be used with a suitable infrastructure, as they must refuel with hydrogen at a specially built hydrogen filling station.
While still in development, the concept tractors represent a notable step forward in farm technology by pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
“There is potential for it to be used, but there are a lot of challenges that need to be overcome, like cost and infrastructure — and for the farmer, availability and acceptance,” Hicks said, noting Agco takes a multifaceted view of all potential future power segments, including alternative fuels, hybrids and fully electric machines. “Our focus is to deliver farmer-focused solutions to sustainably feed the world. We’re always going to focus on that.”