Comparative Analysis of Hybrid Electric Architectures for Specialized Agricultural Tractors

Francesco Mocera, Valerio Martini and Aurelio Somà
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Francesco Mocera: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
Valerio Martini: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
Aurelio Somà: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: In this work, a comparative numerical analysis between the performance of a conventional specialized orchard tractor and those of three different hybrid electric tractor configurations is presented. The aim was to compare several powertrain configurations in the same working scenarios derived from field measurements. Peak power capabilities and endurance were numerically tested with specific load scenarios involving both transportation mission profiles and field activities with external implements powered through the power take off of the tractor. The proposed hybrid architectures were configured with the same battery-based energy storage system to perform the comparison with the same energy storage capabilities. Two parallel, two series and one electro-hydraulic hybrid configuration were modeled and tested through simulations. The parallel ones excelled in peak power performance, whereas the series configurations had the highest fuel savings. The electro-hydraulic configuration was proposed as an alternative able to allow for a downsized engine but also for the introduction of the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) functionality, which is always an interesting feature for such working machines.

Keywords: tractor; hybrid electric tractor; electric vehicle; green technology; fuel efficiency; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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