Power flow analysis of a specialized tractor prior to electrification

Nowadays, multiple challenges due to climate change, fossil fuels reduction and technological limits are determining the need to identify new operating platforms for automotive as well as off-highway sectors. It is worth noting that the highway industry has done several steps towards a greener future, thanks to the development of BEV as well as HEV technology, followed by the effort on alternative fuels, including hydrogen. However, considering the topic of emissions, it is not possible to disregard off-road vehicles, like those related to construction, agriculture, material handling and mining. Being the aforementioned applications characterized by specific missions, different from the "bare" traction purpose, there are more challenges that OEMs are facing. In this sense, the development of new solutions, including (among the others) electrification, can be helpful for the entire sector. It is also known that, at this moment, BEV technology applied to off-road vehicles is still not feasible. So, as it is happening for construction equipment and mining systems, it is crucial the understanding of real operating cycles and energy requirements, prior to the definition of new technical specifications for both energy storage systems and electric motors. In this framework, purpose of this work is the investigation of power flows, involving a specialized diesel-powered tractor equipped with different implements for vineyards treatment, in order to identify potential duty cycles. Such data will be employed to determine a baseline useful for comparison purposes, involving the performances offered by new hybrid and electric prototypes on test benches and on field. In the end, this experimental analysis has been developed during the internship done at Antonio Carraro SpA, within Life Athena EU project funding, in collaboration with Ero, Ecothea and Consorzio Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG.