Steyr tests hydrogen fuel cell concept

Austrian tractor manufacturer Steyr is testing a hydrogen fuel cell-powered tractor based on an adapted version of a 4140 Expert CVT. It is a joint project between engineers at the CNH tractor plant in St Valentin and the TU University in Vienna.

The diesel block in the FCtrac, as it is called, has been swapped for a 14 kWh high-voltage battery and 400 V electrical system. The diesel tank is replaced by a compressed hydrogen storage system. The result develops 95 kW (130 hp) which is the same as the diesel equivalent of the same tractor, and the only emission from the power unit on the fuel cell tractor is water vapour.

The 310 litres of hydrogen contained by the four tanks on the roof of the tractor are said to be sufficient for half a day of light work. The tractor is 42 cm higher than the standard 4140 Expert CVT, and the FCtrac’s weight of 7,2 tonnes is 20 percent more. Hydrogen for the test tractor is produced from wood chips processed in a combined heat and power plant in the Austrian region of Carinthia. The small hydrogen installation and filling station can fit inside a container on the farm. (Source: Mechaman / profi)

Kuhn’s Prolander series can now work up to 14 metres wide.

Kuhn stretches Prolander range to 14 m

In the growing quest for wider implements working faster, Kuhn Farm Machinery has added a trio of wider models to its Prolander cultivator range; the 9000 (9,2 m), 12 000 (12,2 m) and 14 000 (14,2 m). All three are suitable for controlled traffic systems. The new models are aimed at users requiring a versatile and high output machine for a variety of soil conditions. Like the smaller siblings in the range, the wider models can work a range of seedbeds, including ploughed, cultivated or stubble.

Working depths of 3 to 12 cm are possible on all eight models in the Prolander range, and a new 90 x 13 mm S-tooth is said to be ideal for ‘tearing’ stubbles to guarantee a complete mix of surface material. Existing tine options are available, including the 70 x 12 mm S-shaped tine and 60 or 200 mm goose foot tines. Double U or Double Tube rollers can also be specified. “The Prolander has grown in popularity over recent seasons due to its versatility and ease of use,” says Edd Fanshawe, Kuhn’s Arable and Connected Services Product Specialist. “The wider models increase the appeal for growers requiring a tine cultivator capable of a wide range of operations, and with a modest power requirement of 18,6 to 26 kW/m.”

The five smaller models from 4 to 7,5 m are now available with a 600-litre hopper designed to sow cover crops and small seeds in a one-pass system. Seeding options for the new larger models include Kuhn’s TF 1512 front tank. The new models are available in Europe.

Drones in the political trade war zone:

American farmers may pay the price In the ongoing political trade war between the USA and China, American farmers may soon have to get rid of their DJI drones – the drones most widely used for farming purposes, such as spraying. The Countering CCP Drones Act (HR 2864) would add equipment and services from DJI to something called the ‘covered list.’ This would prevent DJI from getting FCC (Federal Communications Commission) licenses for future drone models, and potentially lead to the revocation of existing FCC authorisations. That would spell bad news for US farmers, who have been steadily increasing their use of spray drones in recent years, with 1,4 million hectares sprayed by drone in 2023 across 41 states and 50 crops, mostly by Chinese-made drones, Agri Spray Drones CEO Taylor Moreland told AgFunderNews.

“Not allowing people to operate Chinese-made drones in rural communities would be a job killer in rural America.” The reason for this move is the fear that China may use information collect ed by drones and sent into the Cloud to their advantage, as stated in a Department of Homeland Security intelligence bulletin: “The Chinese government is likely using information acquired from DJI systems as a way to target assets they are planning to purchase. For instance, a large family-owned wine producer in California purchased DJI UAS to survey its vineyards and monitor grape production. Soon afterwards, Chinese companies began purchasing vineyards in the same area.”

Arthur Erickson, CEO of US dronemaker Hylio, said: “I do believe there are legitimate security concerns although I do not think an outright ban is necessarily the right strategy. We have been in an agricultural information war with China for years and while it does not sound dangerous, if you have enough drones scanning and spraying enough cropland to get a big enough sample size, with AI and modern data analysis, you can make a pretty good prediction about what US agricultural production is going to look like for a given season. And that is going to give China economic leverage.

“If you want to talk about doomsday scenarios, if they had enough drones, they could overspray for an entire season and wipe out crops.”

Other American drone manufacturers go a bit further. Adam Bercu, CEO of Guardian Agriculture, said: “These devices are classified as chemical weapon delivery systems by the federal government. Is it okay to have thousands of machines that can carry 10+ gallons of poison that can be remotely controlled and connected to an adversarial foreign entity?”

Local American drone providers will of course benefit largely if DJI is chased out of the USA, but they believe they can service the market with better products. Adam says: “We need to have the best products possible for the American grower and I think the American farmer is underserved by only being offered products designed for the domestic Chinese market that are frankly inappropriate for western growers. Our productivity per dollar on the machine and operational costs on a per acre bases are 70 to 85% less than the Chinese drones, because ours are built for western-style productivity.

“We think the US government should support the domestic industry, as China is clearly supporting its domestic industry. We have seen the US government do this with electric vehicles, so something like that would make a lot of sense with drones, where many countries are scrambling to develop domestic capabilities.”

Meanwhile DJI denies any threat to American interests, and has argued that supporters of the bill are making “inaccurate and unsubstantiated allegations regarding DJI’s operations, and have amplified xenophobic narratives in a quest to support local drone manufacturers and eliminate market competition.”

“DJI drones do not collect flight logs, photos, or videos by default. Operators have to opt-in to share this data with us,” explained a recent blog post by the company, which has instead called for the establishment of industrywide drone security standards that are “technology-based, not country of origin-based”.

As for drones ‘going rogue’ midflight, the company says: “Those who want to take extra precautions can easily choose to activate Local Data Mode (and even switch on their mobile’s ‘airplane mode’) for added peace of mind. This means the flight app is completely disconnected from the internet and is similar to an air-gapped computer.”

A local supplier of DJI drones agrees that it is fear-mongering. Bryan Sanders, President of full-service industrial drone company HSE, and drone industry veteran, said: “It is hot to be anti-China right now and DJI has kind of become the whipping child in all this, but this technology provides nothing that you cannot gather from other publicly available sources on planting and crop production, and if you want maps, go to Google Earth. If you want to see what pesticides are being used and in what quantities, you can go to the EPA website.”

Read the full article on www. agfundernews.com. Search for “ag spray drones battle heats up”.