contact: korbinian.goetz(at)tum.de
TUMtrac - The Tractor Development Platform
Electric tractors play a significant role in leveraging the economic and ecologic potential of modern farms. We therefore ask the question, which farming activities can be performed with electric tractors and if there is a business case? But today, there are only a handful of battery electric tractors in the field to learn from.
Launched in April 2023 at Technical University of Munich, our mission is to develop a simulation platform for electric tractor concept development. Based on empirical data, we first develop novel tractor concepts tailored to a specified use case. The perfect electric tractor for the farmer. We then perform a holistic cost analysis to quantify the economic potential compared to a conventional diesel tractor.
Electrification of agricultural machinery is challenging due to three main reasons
High investment costs:
Current electric tractor solutions are expensive and need additional investments with regard to infrastructure.
High peak operating hours:
Farmers need high battery capacity and permanent availability to perform farming operations.
Integration into farm infrastructure:
Farms lack the infrastructure and holistic energy solutions to leverage the potential of electrification.
We accelerate agricultural electrification through techno-economic assessment
Commencing in April 2023, our journey culminates in the unveiling of the TUMtrac at AGRITECHNICA in November 2023, the worldwide leading agricultural machinery trade fair, showcasing fundamental functionalities that harness the benefits of an electric drivetrain. We are seeking partners to join us in further research and development efforts for the next iteration of the TUMtrac.
We assess new tractor concepts based on three steps
Farmer‘s needs and characteristics
Quantitative and qualitative data are input data, e.g., farm size, soil type, grid information, and crop types.
Simulation, testing, and evaluation
A simulation pipeline generates designs and evaluates the best concept. Designs can be tested theoretically and experimentally on a hardware demonstrator.
Concept implementation
Based on simulations and hardware prototyping, the most suitable concepts are implemented for the desired use case of the farmer.
TUMtrac Research Project
tumtrac.ftm@ed.tum.de
Technical University of Munich
Institute for Automotive Technology
Boltzmannstr. 15
85748 Garching, Munich