New Holland Shows Concept Natural Gas Powered Tractor at Farm Progress Show

New Holland Agriculture presented a natural gas powered concept tractor at the Farm Progress Show held last week in Decatur, Illinois. New Holland imagines the farm of the future as being completely energy independent: a farm that produces not only food, but also the biomass it needs to generate the energy it uses to run its operations and power its tractors and other machinery.

The new methane powered concept tractor builds on the foundations of the previous T6 Methane Power prototypes to achieve a significant technological advance. It features a powertrain specifically developed for agriculture applications by FPT Industrial. The 6-cylinder NEF methane engine delivers the same power and torque as its standard diesel equivalent.

In real field conditions, the natural gas powered concept tractor produces at least 10 percent lower CO2 emissions and reduces overall emissions by 80 percent compared to a standard diesel tractor. Its environmental performance further improves when fueled by biomethane produced from crop residues and waste from farm-grown energy crops, which results in virtually zero CO2 emissions.