Video: Could these tractors be the answer to low-emissions ag?

CNH Industrial has revealed its first methane-powered and driverless tractors as it positions itself for a new era of farming.

The world’s first all-electric utility tractor, methane-powered tractor prototype, and driverless tillage tractor debuted in Arizona on Friday as CNH Industrial positions itself as a leader in low-emissions agricultural technology.

The agricultural giant’s chief executive Scott Wine said the company, which owns major agricultural machinery brands Case IH and New Holland, was putting a “big bet” on methane as a fuel source of the future.

“The electrification of our cash crop tractors will not work (in the) next decade probably. So we’re putting a big bet on methane. And I think you’ll see today why we’re so optimistic about it,” he told the company’s inaugural Tech Day in Phoenix, Arizona, attended by The Weekly Times.

Mr Wine did not give a timeline for the commercial release of the New Holland T7 methane power LNG prototype tractor, but said it would be “rapid”.

“We will invest what we need to do. But I will tell you it’s hundreds of millions, not billions to get there,” he said.

The New Holland T7 methane power LNG prototype tractor launched at CNH Industrial's inaugural Tech Day in Phoenix, Arizona, offers big emissions reductions. Photo: Else Kennedy

To achieve the biggest emissions savings from the machine, farms would need to capture methane on-farm from a purpose-built slurry pit, fed with animal and other agricultural waste. The methane would then be cleaned and used to power tractors or electricity generators.

According to company data, the technology could reduce overall on-farm emissions by up to 180 per cent. The tractor prototype can also be powered by commercially available Liquefied Natural Gas, offering an emission reduction of 11 per cent compared to diesel.

New Holland tractor product manager Oscar Baroncelli said Australia would be a “niche” market for the technology, due to the difficulty of capturing animal waste from our open pastures compared to intensive indoor barns common in the US and Europe.

Electric options, like the company’s world first all-electric T4 utility tractor, may prove to be more viable in Australia, he said.

The machine, which has a runtime of eight hours between charges, is suitable for low horsepower applications (it offers peak power of up to 120hp). It promises zero emissions and quieter operation than diesel models.

The company has also invested in R & D in hydrogen, ethanol and other alternative fuels.

Driverless tractors offer solutions for labour shortage

Alongside its low-emissions machines, CNHI released a new, autonomous tillage tractor, and an assisted-autonomy chaser bin to trundle without drivers across the brown Arizona soil on Friday.

Mr Wine said the demand for autonomous machines was being driven by labour shortages.

“(Farmers are) having trouble, just like many of our dealers are, and just like we are in our factories, getting enough help,” he said.

The machines, which were still in trial stages, did not have a release date yet, but had already sparked a lot of interest from Australian buyers, CNH Asia Pacific precision solutions marketing manager Tony Witney said.

The announcement came after the company unveiled the agriculture industry’s first autonomous spreader, the Case IH Trident 5550 applicator, in August.

The company’s fleet of autonomous and sustainably-powered machines has grown rapidly since it bought precision agricultural company Raven and announced a partnership with agricultural technology company Monarch in 2021.

On Friday, the company announced it had acquired a 10 per cent minority stake in US-based artificial intelligence start-up Stout Industrial Technology in a bid to boost its AI capabilities.

The Weekly Times attended CNH Industrial’s Tech Day as a guest of the company.