Development of a Series Hybrid-Electric Crawler Farm Transporter

——Driving-Range, Energy Consumption, and Drivetrain Efficiency——

Abstract

A prototype series hybrid-electric crawler farm transporter (HECFT) was developed as an innovative approach in improving energy efficiency, reducing tailpipe gases and noise, and providing mobile power generation on the agricultural farm.
It was tested under different weight loads, operational speeds, and road inclinations. The results showed that the prototype was stable at a maximum tilt angle of 61°. It runs under full-electric mode from 2.4km to 3.8km distance with 0kg to 200kg weight load at an average speed of 1km/h to 2km/h. The 4.4kW ICE-driven conventional transporter overall energy efficiency was 24.4% while it was 44.5% on the average for the 2.5kW HECFT. The prototype is 180% more energy efficient than the conventional ICE and can serve as a mobile power generator for electric-driven farm equipments.