Electric tractors: Survey of challenges and opportunities in India
Abstract Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for nearly 55% of Indian population, feeding 1.3 billion people and contributing significantly to the country GDP. Tractors play a crucial role in increasing agricultural productivity. Indian tractor industry has come a long way in terms of production capacity and technology in last few decades. Govt. of India is promoting eco friendly vehicles through Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) scheme. This paper presents a review of Indian tractor market and points out the government measures to curb the air pollution due to agricultural machinery. Incorporation of electric drives in tractor and agricultural machinery offer several advantages including better energy efficiency and expanded functionalities. State of art electric vehicle technologies and latest electric tractors being introduced worldwide are presented in this work. The article discusses the benefits of electrification of farm machinery and present the challenges in its implementation for agricultural in India. Though high torque, low maintenance, low operational cost and zero emissions are strong reasons for electric tractor adoption, however, very high initial cost, lack of charging infrastructure and lack awareness towards vehicle emissions are major deterrents.